April 1982 Emmanuel and Norfield Churches In this issue we present a short history of the two oldest churches in town: Emmanuel Church on Lyons Plains Rd. and Norfield Church on Norfield Rd. We are indebted to the church offices for the information presented. THE PARISH OF EMMANUEL CHURCH The Parish of Emmanuel Church was organized in 1762 as The Episcopal Society of North Fairfield at Gilberttown. It was established and overseen for some years by The Rev. George Piggott, a Church of England missionary (S.P.G.) based in Rye, New York. The Rev. Mr. Piggott went about his work in Fairfield County on horseback, often under the protection of an armed guard. A building -- sizable for its time and circumstance -- was erected by the Gilberttown Society just off Black Rock Turnpike on a site close by the present Gilberttown Cemetery. In Piggott's absence, the congregation was cared for by Lay Readers, notably one Philo Shelton (Yale, 1775). In 1784 when Samuel Seabury returned from being consecrated Bishop in Scotland, the first man he ordained Deacon and then Priest was Philo Shelton, thus making Shelton the first man to receive Episcopal ordination in North America. In 1787 the town of Weston was incorporated (encompassing at that time what is now the Town of Easton, as well) and Shelton was called to be Rector of the continuing congregation which changed its name to The Episcopal Society of Weston. Shelton served as Rector until 1812 and was, during many of those years, Rector of Fairfield and Stratfield (now Bridgeport) as well. In August 1845, the towns of Weston and Easton divided. There had been considerable discussion in the Society even before this time touching the necessity of a new building and its possible relocation. Sharp disagreement ensued between the Weston and Easton contingents of the congregation as to the proper location for a new building site, and when all other attempts at resolution had failed, the matter went into litigation. Meanwhile, on their own recognizance, two leading members of the Weston congregation, Hanford Nichols and Walter Treadwell, provided land and initiated construction of a new church building in the Lyons Plains section of Weston. The Weston congregation voted to accept the gift thus proffered by Nichols and Treadwell, and in November, 1846, a favorable ruling came out of litigation certifying that the Weston congregation constituted the legally continuing succession of the Episcopal Society of Weston. In 1852, by action of the Convention of the Diocese of Connecticut in response to a request from the Weston congregation, the name of the Society was changed once more, this time being designated The Parish of Emmanuel Church. As the industrial fortunes of Weston declined after the mid-nineteenth century, times were increasingly difficult for the tiny congregation as it struggled to maintain itself. The faith and determination of the people involved is all the more noteworthy when we recall that the population of Weston dwindled, during this time, from an 1860 high of 1117 to a 1930 low of 670. Among the men who served as Rector during this period was The Rev. Alexander Hamilton, a namesake of his famous ancestor who served as Washington's Treasuring Secretary from 1789-1795. In 1895, to mark the 50th anniversary of the "new" building, the interior of the building was remodeled and refurbished according to the tastes of the gothic revival, so-called, which was then in vogue. The original elevated pulpit on the East wall was removed and a stained glass window was put in its place commemorating the Rev. David Tomlinson, Rector from 1845 to 1864. In addition, a massive rood screen was introduced to span the front of the Church in its entirety, separating nave from Chancel, and period furniture and appointments were then filled in to taste. While well-intended, this change was not altogether successful, since the heavy gothic mood did not harmonize with the clean lines and open atmosphere of the original Greek revival architecture. Consequently, in the 1950s the congregation removed the gothic additions and undertook the restoration of the building in such a way that it would more faithfully and felicitously express the original intent of the builders. A new pulpit was constructed, employing the front panel and the main lines of the old one. This then was moved to the North side of the nave, and a new Altar and lectern, faithfully reproducing the original woodwork pattern, were made for their respective places. The stained glass window was left in place, but was covered with a plain but elegant wooden reredos, painted white. The cantilevered balcony was also added at this time, and under it, in the southwest corner, a small sacristy. Apart from minor changes, the building remains today as restored at that time. A Parish Hall was constructed in 1956 and that, along with the Rectory, built about 1850 and presented to the Parish in 1867 by Hanford Nichols, make up the complex of buildings which a visitor to the Parish sees today. THE NORFIELD CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH The first settlement in this section of Connecticut was the town of Fairfield, of which Weston was a part. Roger Ludlowe, who fought against the Indians in 1637, purchased land from the Pequonoke Indians and established a plantation at Unquowa -- the Indian name for fair field (Fairfield). Part of this land was called the North Field, much of what is now the town of Weston. The first church in Fairfield was located in Greenfield Hill; later a church was established at Greens Farms. Both churches were under the authority of the General Court of the Colony of Connecticut. Since church attendance was compulsory and because it was difficult traveling to lower Fairfield, farmers from the North Field area petitioned the General Court in 1756 for a church of their own. On June 23, 1757 the first meeting of the Norfield Parish was held. On July 4, 1757 the Reverend Samuel Sherwood was called to the ministry, and one month later with only twelve members the Church was organized. In 1758, the first church building was built on land said to be on the corner of Kettle Creek Road, south of Heritage Lane. This church was never finished and a few years later the membership voted to build a second one using the timbers and materials of the older church. In 1784 it was constructed near the comer of Norfield and Old Hyde Roads. This meeting house served the Parish for 46 years until the present church was built in 1830. Some of the timbers and the large front doors of the second church are in our present church. The church was much the same then as it is today except the steeple was taller. Also, there were two pot-bellied stoves for heating at the rear of the church where the two closets are now located. Behind the church were carriage sheds, some of which stand today. All social life centered around the Church. In the Fall there would be wood cutting bees and hearty family dinners. A school house and firehouse were constructed on the property, and all town meetings were held in the church until a town hall was built in 1883. The Parish Hall, built in 1955, incorporates part of the old firehouse and the entire school house. The present church parlor is the old school house. Norfield Congregational Church has been serving Weston for over 215 years. Back to contents.