Memorial Baptist Church Home Page

Worship Services - 10:30 AM each Sunday. ALL are welcome!
Holy Communion - 1st Sunday of each month
Church School for youth during worship service
Nursery care provided during worship service

Choir rehearsal - 9:00 AM each Sunday
(Singers wanted!)

Celebrate our church history:

"Memorial Baptist Church was organized July 10, 1884 by 33 Christians of strong faith, who banded themselves together to raise the banner of our Lord, Jesus Christ, relying on God for strength, fully trusting in His promises."
Thus states the opening quote in our program booklet from our 100th year Anniversary. The origins of this faithful band of followers were from South Baptist Church in Hartford. They had begun their efforts 26 years earlier, in 1858, and met together in a small house on Grand Street. By 1870, the attendence at their current location was too large to hold them all, so land was purchased at the corner of Washington and Jefferson Streets and a chapel was erected. Sadly, there was a conflict in that group and they could not sustain the church, resulting in foreclosure and sale in 1879.

On that day in 1879 when the bank had scheduled the mortgage sale for the old church property, Captain Ebenezer Morgan, a wealthy gentleman from Groton, CT, who was interested in investing his money in property, was on hand to take part in the bidding. He and one other man ran the bidding up to $7,500, for which Captain Morgan bought the property. (It was noted that there could have been an altogether different ending to this tale for it was later found out that the Captain's competitor in the bidding was a brewer!)

Through the help of the Connecticut Baptist Convention, arrangements were made with Captain Morgan for the church to lease the property, which he had bought, and on a hot July night in 1884, the people who had formed the nucleus of the original chapel were officially and duly organized.

Reverend H. P. Smith was Memorial's first pastor, serving until 1887. During the three years of his pastorate, the little church continued to grow. In the words of the clerk at that time: "Aside from the thirtythree charter members, others had a desire to worship here on the corner, for after the church was organized, they commenced to come every few weeks, four or five more at a time." There is much evidence in the records, then as now, of the great contributions made to the beauty of the services by the choirs. The first Sacred Concert given by Memorial Baptist Church's Choir, under the direction of Mr. F. M. Hale was held Tuesday evening, March 3, 1885. Of this concert it was said by the historian in 1917: "The only record we have is a program which, so far as I know, is the only one in existance. We probably would not have this if Reverend H. P. Smith hadn't used the back of it for a receipt. Brother F. M. Hale, clerk at the time, saved most of the early receipts and turned them over to the next clerk."

The Reverend Henry M. Thompson was called and began his pastorate at Memorial on August 12, 1888. For 31 years, our church grew in numbers and spiritual strength under his leadership. [Between 1888 and 1894, Rev. Thompson earned his Doctorate of Divinity.]

One of the milestones was the Tenth Anniversary Celebration of the church, held on July 15, 1894. Of this occasion it was written: "The church was handsomely decorated and the spirit of patriotism was not lacking, as from every corner came flags of the Union, draped in all sorts of pleasing ways. The alter was banked with ferns and potted plants. Back of the pulpit hung two large flags while streamers of bunting loaned by ex-governor Morgan G. Bulkeley, reached to the corners. From the center of these flags was a shield bearing scriptural and denominational passage 'Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.' This was the favorite text of the first pastor of the church, Rev. Henry P. Smith. There was not even standing room in the building and scores were turned away."

Reverend Smith preached the special anniversary sermon on the morning of the celebration, and it was noted in the record that, "This sermon was privately printed at Mr. Smith's expense in a pamphlet of 33 pages." [The same as the number of charter members.] The Sunday School held special anniversary services in the afternoon of that day, and another program was also held that same evening.

The 25th Anniversary celebrations was held October 5, 1909. Dr. George M. Stone, pastor of the Asylum Avenue Baptist Church gave the morning address that day. He spoke of the history of Memorial Baptist Church up tp that time and the progress it had made under Dr. Thompson. Dr. Stone said the church had legitimate Christian growth; it had strength to avoid sensationalism; it had met financial difficulties with a stubbornness that removed them. He also stated he had experienced an uplift in religious feeling while visiting the church.

Throughout the early records of the church from the very beginning, references are frequently made to the Ladies Aid. Throughout our history, the women undertook numerous fund-raising efforts for worthwhile projects. There was one plan in 1893, which was repeated several times in our history, for a "talent dollars" project. Each lady was to earn one dollar and at a designated meeting, stand up and tell how she had worked for it. There were many and various ways, some difficult and some unique. One woman said she "Had to get it from my husband, and that was work enough!" It was reported that the Ladies Aid earned over $50 in that manner and that the money went toward the payment of the first mortgage of $8,000, which was burned on November 1, 1893. Prior to that, in December 1887, an item appeared saying that "A new furnace was purchased, which cost $44.69, and was paid for by the Ladies Aid Society."

There are repeated references in our historical documents to the meals and refreshments which were served by the Ladies Aid - - and the lack of conveniences for such projects. Originally the church had no kitchen, and all the cooking had to be done at home and brought via the transportation of the day. Sometimes in the first ten years of Memorial's life, the Minister's Association and their wives were entertained by our church, and the record said: "It was a real hot day in the summer and tents were erected on the front lawn of the church and the women brought their oil stoves from home and labored over them in the hot tents all day, preparing, serving, and cleaning up. It is said that the temperature was well over 100 degrees inside the tents, but the meal served was declared to be the best the Association had ever eaten." Thus was started a reputation that continues even after 125 years.

Dr. Thompson, whose health was poor during the latter part of his time with Memorial, ended his long and inspiring pastorate in the fall of 1919, when he accepted a call from the Stonington, Connecticut church.

Early in 1920, Reverend Manford Schuh was called as Memorial's minister. During his years with us - - and it appears that the matter was first brought up at a church meeting in April 1921 - - discussions (referred to as "lively and animated") were held and were the cause of some members leaving Memorial for other churches. The decision was finally reached to move and relocate to our present site at 142 Fairfield Avenue, Hartford. The land was given to the church through the generosity of dedicated members, Alberta and Newton Clark.

Reverend Schuh left Memorial in February 1927 to go to Westboro, Massachusetts.

In May of 1927, Dr. A. Avery Gates became Memorial's minister. During his pastorate, the cornerstone for our present church building was laid in 1931. However, before the building was sufficiently completed for us to move in, we had to vacate our old building on the corner of Washington and Jefferson Streets. There was an interim period in which our Sunday services were held in the gymnasium of the former Washington Street School at the junction of Washington Street and New Britain Avenue. Those weeks in bare surroundings and with no equipment were hard on the minister and members alike, but everyone bore the ordeal with "Christian fortitude."
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	Memorial Baptist Church is affiliated with:
	American Baptist Churches, U.S.A.		American Baptist Churches of Connecticut