Stamford History Center Returns to Their Holy Roots

Article written by Triveni Joshi Stamford History Center news writer

Stamford History Center inaugurated its latest exhibit “Holy Roots: The History of Houses of Worship in Stamford 1641- 2000” at 1508 High Ridge Road, Stamford, Connecticut on September 22, 2019

The exhibit showcases the development and growth of religious denominations in Stamford from the time of its founding in 1641 until 2000. As you walk through the exhibit, vintage photographs, centuries old artifacts, literature, diaries and church records give a vivid account of how various houses of worship were established, spread and evolved - transporting one back in time.

A treasure trove of relics from Stamford’s religious past, the exhibit displays rare curated items like the Priests Call Box, Gospel of Jesus and Mary etc. A major highlight of the center’s collection is one of the original pews from St. John’s Catholic Church. There is a feeling of awe-inspired incredulity as you chance upon vintage photos and original paperwork, dating back to 18th and 19th centuries, of familiar landmark edifices like the 1st Congregational Church on Main street, the 1st Presbyterian Church on Bedford street, the Basilica of St. John’s on Atlantic street and the likes which have now formed a part of our everyday sights. Equally exciting was to spot news clippings dating back to the 1800s and 1900s of Stamford’s oldest newspaper The Stamford Advocate!

As the center’s Executive Director Dr. Thomas Zoubek stated “ Nobody has ever tried to do this before and what you see is a result of hours and hours of painstaking research and team work.” Lamenting the lack of information and limited resources from which to derive informatio - as many were destroyed, lost in time or were subject to institutions willing to loan material, he said “We have attempted to include all those major denominations that have constructed edifices for worship for which we have records. If, as you tour the exhibit, you find your institution absent, the Center would love to work with you to secure materials to include in the exhibit”.

Sharing little known and interesting facts of the city’s religious evolution, Dr. Zoubek revealed “For the first 75 years of its history, the Congregational Church was the only house of worship in Stamford.” He further shed light on how different churches and parishes multiplied with increase of Polish, Italian, Greek, Irish, Russian immigrants and more in the 18th and 19th centuries. “Many houses of worship also were built as a result of schisms or splits with the original church. Union Baptist, the first African-American church in Stamford broke off from the Stamford Baptist Church. Temple Beth-El had its roots in Agudath Sholom.” Expressing concern over the phenomenon of old faiths losing congregants to newer, less traditional models, he rued, “As I was doing this exhibit, it was surprising to find that mainline Christian denomination churches seem to be diminishing in congregational numbers. We just don’t get the same number of people going to church anymore. As a result of budget deficits and dwindling congregations, the historic 1st Congregational Church, north of Latham park, which is nearly 400 years old, has been sold to a realtor and the beautiful heritage stone structure may soon be a thing of the past.

As the exhibit takes you through the evolving journey of Stamford’s houses of worship from their past traditional roots to present day contemporary ones it emerges that they continue to stand the test of time and the fundamentals they stand for remain the same - hope, love, compassion, empathy, forgiveness, all enfolding, benevolence, sharing, giving, a place to seek solace, to derive strength from and most importantly a place of bonding where people come together in times of joy and sorrow enriching mind, body and spirit with wholesome well-being. Amen to that!

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About Stamford History Center - www.stamfordhistory.org

The Stamford History Center, is a not for profit organization dedicated to preserving regional history and our varied cultural heritage. We provide opportunities for our community to understand and experience the past through our library, the presentation of exhibits and displays, lectures, demonstrations, special events, participatory programs, and tours of the unique Hoyt-Barnum House, built in 1699.

Article written by Stamford History Center Volunteer Writer

Triveni Joshi-Vaidya, an engineer with varied interests is a volunteer news writer for the Stamford History Center.

email: triveni_joshi@yahoo.com

Edited by Emily Derr

Photos Courtesy of Darice Corey-Gilbert of Reecy Photog