Historical Society Newsletter Tells the Tale of the Montville Center Church

The Montville Historical Society's July newsletter talks about the Society's support of the town's purchase of the Montville Center Congregational Church on Raymond Hill Road, near the library.

The newsletter talks about Henry A. Baker's article on the church, in the "History of Montville," published in 1996.

The book, according to the newsletter, details the history of the church organization. It was imagined by a group of people at Allen's Tavern, which stood at the site of the current Montville High School.

The first church was built in 1723, on the site of what we now know as Raymond cemetery, and was later taken down and rebuilt, the newsletter says, at the same location.

The church was later built at its current site, in part, the newsletter says, "to shorten the distance for church members of the Mohegan Tribe."

In 1823, during a service, teh church was hit by lightning, and two people died. The building was repaired, but in 1847 was taken down and then rebuilt into the building that stands today.

To read more about the church and the town's purchase of it, click on the pdf in the photo box.