'Old Stone' Coffee Created To Help Restore Landmark's Steeple

EAST HAVEN, CT — One World Roasters in East Haven is known for its celebration of community by creating coffee blends to help raise money for causes that matter.

Last year, saying its community blend series are "coffee for a cause," café co-owner Christine Ucich announced the debut of the 'East Haven Strong Coffee Blend.' The idea was to help support the town's beautification projects, with 20 percent of the proceeds from the blend earmarked for those plans.

This year, One World Roasters created a new blend for an old, a very old, church to help it raise funds for its steeple restoration project.

"The Old Stone Church has brought people together in a common meeting space since 1774, and today, One World is bringing people together around a common cup of coffee," Ucich said. With each purchase of the Old Stone Blend, $5 goes to "beautify East Haven's most iconic landmark," she said.

According to church history, the meeting house known as the First Congregational Church of East Haven, was officially organized in a wood-frame 20-by-16-foot building, on October 8, 1711, when Jacob Heminway was ordained its minister. (A 'g' was later added to his name.)

A second wood frame building was erected, but by 1769 the meetinghouse became too small. In December of that year, it was decided to build a larger one. Thompson Corner was bought from John Thompson for 26 pounds, eight shillings and one penny. And this time it wasn't built from wood, but sandstone quarried nearby, with oyster beds from the Quinnipiac used for mortar. In 1774, the whole town of East Haven, including the area now known as the Annex in New Haven originally part of East Haven, turned out for its initial dedication.

In 1797, the church was fully completed with a small steeple over the belfry with a bell and clock. Fifty years later, the building was modified inside and out with the original steeple replaced by the one seen for miles today, 196-feet above ground.

Before the 200-year celebration of the stone building, the church hired a contractor to paint the steeple, but after an inspection, it was deemed unsafe, and a structural renovation was needed. Community and congregation donations, and a state grant, helped fund the steeple repair.

Today, the church, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, again must have restoration and repair work done on the steeple, and the bell also requires repair. The whole restoration will cost $100,000. To date, the church has raised around $30,000 through, once again, community, congregation, and private donations.

One World Roasters hope its Old Stone Church blend will help in that effort.

Order by clicking here found under Community Blends

Editor's note: This is part one of a two-story series on the history of, and inside look at, the Old Stone Church —and its efforts to raise the money needed to repair the steeple and bell.