First Church of Christ and the Ancient Burying Ground - Hartford, CT - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

The First Church of Christ, a.k.a. the Fourth Meeting House, and Ancient Burying Ground comprise a part of a city block in the downtown area of Hartford, The church sits directly on Main Street with the cemetery at its north and west sides. The group who formed the First Church in Hartford gathered at Newtown,(now Cambridge), Massachusetts, in 1632. In l633 Thomas Hooker became its minister. In 1636, Hooker along with several members of his congregation left Massachusetts to found a new colony of Connecticut and built the First Meeting House. In 1637 they named their settlement Hartford.

The Fourth Meeting House was built at a cost of $32,000. It was designed by Daniel Wadsworth in 1807, inspired by the Church of Saint Martin-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square, London, England. The architect was John Leffingwell and the architecture incorporates Classical, Georgian, and Federalist elements. The portico is two stories high. Ionic columns support a triangular pediment. The tower has three levels. Each has a circle of Ionic columns and a balustrade. When built it was the tallest structure in the State of Connecticut.

The Ancient Burying Ground dates back to 1640. During that period anyone who died in town, regardless of age, gender, race, ethnic background, economic status, or religious faith, was interred here. The oldest gravestone is for Timothy Stanley, who died in 1648. Approximately 6,000 persons are interred in the Ancient Burying Ground; he most prominent are The Reverend Thomas Hooker (1586-1647) whose table stone dates from the early 1700 and The Reverend Samuel Stone (1602-1663) the founders of Connecticut.

Street address: 60 Gold Street Hartford, CT United States County / Borough / Parish: Hartford Year listed: 1972 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture Periods of significance: 1800-1824, 1600-1649 Historic function: Funerary, Religion Current function: Funerary, Religion Privately owned?: yes Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Secondary Website 2: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   07/13/2023 CharlyBaltimore visited it