Abington Congregational Church
Encyclopedia
The Abington Congregational Church in Abington, in the town of Pomfret, Connecticut
, has the oldest ecclesiastical building in the State of Connecticut. The State has installed an official historical marker across the street from the church. It was built in 1751, and is one of the few surviving examples of the peg and beam construction typical of 18th century New England
. In 1977 it was included on the National Register of Historic Places
.
A parsonage for the church was built in 1851, and an adjacent parish hall was built in 1951. Today it is the spiritual home to a small, but thriving congregation, and is member of the United Church of Christ
.
The church's website
http://www.abingtonchurch.org includes records of interest to genealogists and historians. The Old Cemetery of the Abington Church was used from 1760 to 1900, and includes gravestones of 82 American Revolutionary War
soldiers. The New Cemetery includes many Civil War
gravemarkers, and is still in use today. Lists from both cemeteries are included on the church's website, as well as a record of all Civil War veterans and units from Pomfret, Connecticut.
The current pastor is the Reverend Bruce A. Hedman
, Ph.D., who graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary
and was ordained to the Presbyterian ministry in 1980. He served churches in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, and in Union, Connecticut
and Hampton, Connecticut
, before coming to Abington in 1988.
Pomfret, Connecticut
Pomfret is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 3,798 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
, has the oldest ecclesiastical building in the State of Connecticut. The State has installed an official historical marker across the street from the church. It was built in 1751, and is one of the few surviving examples of the peg and beam construction typical of 18th century New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
. In 1977 it was included on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
A parsonage for the church was built in 1851, and an adjacent parish hall was built in 1951. Today it is the spiritual home to a small, but thriving congregation, and is member of the United Church of Christ
United Church of Christ
The United Church of Christ is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination primarily in the Reformed tradition but also historically influenced by Lutheranism. The Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches united in 1957 to form the UCC...
.
The church's website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
http://www.abingtonchurch.org includes records of interest to genealogists and historians. The Old Cemetery of the Abington Church was used from 1760 to 1900, and includes gravestones of 82 American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
soldiers. The New Cemetery includes many Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
gravemarkers, and is still in use today. Lists from both cemeteries are included on the church's website, as well as a record of all Civil War veterans and units from Pomfret, Connecticut.
The current pastor is the Reverend Bruce A. Hedman
Reverend Bruce A. Hedman
The Reverend Prof. Bruce A. Hedman, Ph.D., has served the Abington Congregational Church, Pomfret Center, Connecticut, since 1988. He graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary and was ordained to the Presbyterian ministry in 1980...
, Ph.D., who graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton Theological Seminary is a theological seminary of the Presbyterian Church located in the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey in the United States...
and was ordained to the Presbyterian ministry in 1980. He served churches in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, and in Union, Connecticut
Union, Connecticut
Union is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 854 at the 2010 census, making it the least populous town in Connecticut and the second-least populous municipality in Connecticut; only the Borough of Fenwick has fewer people...
and Hampton, Connecticut
Hampton, Connecticut
Hampton is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,758 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
, before coming to Abington in 1988.