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Methodist
Zion Lutheran
Trinity
St. Mary's
This is the oldest of Portland's Church Societies. As far back as 1710 a meeting was held for the building of a meeting house for the preaching of the gospel and parish privileges were granted by the General Assembly in 1714.
After considerable strife as to location a house of worship was erected on "Hall Hill," and October 25, 1721, Rev. Daniel Newell, the first pastor, was ordained. He was a native of Bristol, a graduate of Yale College and died in 1731.
A new meeting house succeeded the first one in 1748 and in this, in addition to religious services, all town business was transacted from 1766 to 1799. Previous to 1843 the corporate name of the society had been the "First Ecclesiastical Society of Chatham," but that year it was changed to the "First Ecclesiastical Society of Portland." The present church edifice was erected in 1850 and was dedicated the 18th of December of that year. It is of Gothic architecture and the church tower is adorned by a handsome and valuable clock, the munificent gift of the late Sylvester Gildersleeve in 1867. The commodious and handsome parsonage on Main Street opposite the church was erected in 1868 an din 1877 a fine pipe organ was purchased and placed i the church. The Sabbath School of the society was organized in 1820 and has been successfully continued.
The present pastor, Rev. Wesley W. Smith, is a Pennsylvanian. He attended the Wyoming Seminary, a preparatory School at Kingston, Pa., was graduated from Wesleyan University in 1881 and from Drew Theological Seminary, Madison, N.J. in 1891. He was in the Methodist ministry from 1883 to 1894. He came to Portland, March 1, 1894, and was installed May 2, 1894, the Rev. I.C. Meserve presiding at the council of installation.
Methodist
Zion Lutheran
Trinity
St. Mary's
In 1835 a Methodist class was formed called Chatham Methodist Episcopal Class and was part of Chatham circuit on the New London district of the New England Conference. The name was changed to Portland Class in 1843. In 1841, when the New England Conference was divided, the class became part of the Providence Conference which name later gave way to New England Southern Conference. In April, 1852, Portland was reacted a separate charge and Rev. F.W. Bill was stationed here as a preacher. He succeeded in raising a large subscription toward building a church and the enterprise was continued under his successors. The church building was completed and dedicated to the worship of God, July 27, 1853. It fronts on Main Street and has a desirable location.
The present pastor is Rev. E. Watson Goodier. He was graduated from Syracuse University in 1875 and from Boston University in 1878. He has been here three years and previously had served in Mansfield, Mass., Little Compton, R.I., Holbrook, Mass., and Providence, R.I.
Methodist
Zion Lutheran
Trinity
St. Mary's
This church was organized in 1874 and the present pastor, Rev. D.P. Ahlquist, from Marshalltown, Iowa, who was installed December 11, 1883, is the fourth pastor the society has had.
The original house of worship was erected on Waverly Avenue in 1879, but it was rebuilt and enlarged in 1883, and will now comfortably accommodate about 500 people.
Methodist
Zion Lutheran
Trinity
St. Mary's
This parish may be said to date from September 24, 1788, though formal organization was not effected until April, 1789. A church edifice was begun at once and was occupied in 1790, but never consecrated. A second one was begun in 1830, opened in 1832, consecrated in 1833 and demolished in 1874 to make way for the present handsome structure. The chapel of the latter was occupied in 1874 but the main building was not completed until 1882. It was consecrated by Bishop Williams, July 13th of that year.
Trinity Church building would attract favorably notice and cause complimentary comment in any locality. It is a handsome specimen of Gothic architecture, with massive walls of Portland brownstone, varied by many gables and porches, a tower, two turrets and chancel. Photography fails to do justice to its beautiful exterior, and its interior is in keeping.
Among the many memorials given to it are a particularly fine pulpit of rare design, in combination of brownstone, Scotch granite and brass; a costly porch, given by Mrs. Erastus Brainerd in memory of her husband; the tower clock, given by the late Thomas Pickering, in memory of his daughter; the Hook & Hasting's organ, a memorial to Rev. Samuel Emery, for 33 years rector of the church; a beautiful brownstone altar and mosaic pavement are among the notable memorials and the beautiful church windows of imported art stained glass, are memorials to various deceased members of the parish.
Good taste, beauty and durability combine to make Trinity Church one of the finest of Connecticut's church edifices. Its rectory, a large and comfortable frame house, on the opposite side of Main Street, was purchased in 1874.
Rev. O.H. Raftery, rector of Trinity Church, was reared in New York City. He attended the Episcopal Academy, Cheshire, Conn., and on graduating, entered Trinity College, Hartford, from which he was graduated with first honors in 1873. The following three years he attended Berkeley Divinity School, being graduated in 1876 and was ordained to the deaconate by Bishop Williams in the Church of the Holy Trinity, Middletown. He immediately became rector of St. Peter's Church, Cheshire, Conn. where he remained ten years, and in 1886 accepted the rectorship of Trinity Church, Portland. With this parish he has since remained, though frequently invited to assume rectorship of other churches, among them that of St. Stephen's Memorial Church in Lynn, Mass., in 1890, and of Christ Church, Bridgeport, Conn., in 1894. In 1895 he was honored by being selected as one of four delegates to represent the churches of Connecticut at the Minneapolis Convention.
During his rectorship the heavy debt on Trinity Church and rectory has been paid off, the church towers and porch finished and various memorials placed in the church. During this time, also, in the face of frequent removals from Portland, due to depression in the business of the town, the church had steadily gained in membership.
Methodist
Zion Lutheran
Trinity
St. Mary's
The first mass read in Portland was celebrated in an open field on Main Street, near Strong's Lane. Afterward a barn which had been tendered through kindness of Mr. Worthington was used. In time a more comfortable place of worship was found in the house of Mr. Condon, who was the first Catholic of Portland. Later Portland became a part of the Middletown mission. As time wore on it was determined to erect a church, and Rev. Wm. E. Duffy was assigned to the pastorate, beginning his duties on the 8th day of August, 1872. The mission then included Glastonbury, though this was later attached to East Hartford parish and East Hampton substituted, the latter still being ministered to as part of St. Mary's. For a while mass was celebrated in Waverly Hall, afterward in the building now owned and occupied by John Bransfield and finally the present site was purchased. Under Rev. Desmond, who assumed control of the parish in October, 1876, a subscription list was opened and so liberal was the response that in less than one hour, between seven and eight thousand dollars were promised. He had been but 18 days in Portland when ground was broken for the church foundation and the year following the basement, now known as St. Mary's Hall was dedicated. In this mass was read until the completion of the proper. During the pastorate of Fr. Desmond and his successors, prior to the coming of the present pastor, the rectory was built, St. Mary's Cemetery purchased and the Convent building and additional ground secured.
Rev. Timothy R. Sweeney, the present pastor, was appointed to Portland, January 31, 1889. He was ordained at Grand Seminary, Montreal, In December 1878, after which he was appointed, in order, to Meriden, the French Missions and Norwich. His first pastorate was Litchfield, where he remained three and a half years and during which he erected one of the most beautiful of Connecticut's Catholic churches. He found the Portland church burdened with a debt of over $3,400, yet in less than a year this was liquidated and there was a balance of $700 in the church treasury. The parochial residence was remodeled, the entire exterior of the parochial buildings was repainted and all of the property out in first class repair. At great expense the grounds were graded, over 5,000 loads from the quarry being used in filling in; handsome and durable stone walks were laid and bronze grates placed at the street entrances to those leading to the church, residence and schools and a new system of drainage and sewerage for the entire property had been instituted. May 8, 1890, a new bell, costing $800, one of the finest in the State, was dedicated in the presence of a large concourse of people, and Thanksgiving Day of the same year was a notable one in the history of the parish and of the town. It marked the dedication of the commodious and handsome St. Mary's School, a two story building, having ground surface of about 70 by 57, setting deep in from the street and fronting a spacious, well kept lawn. The interior planning of this building was done by Father Sweeney; The system of ventilation devised by him is unexcelled and all of the sanitary arrangements are of the most approved kind. The school is largely attended. it is presided over by the Sisters of Mercy and in inclement weather its large basement is used as a play-room. The church proper has seating capacity for about 1,000 people and the basement, St. Mary's Hall, will accommodate as many more. A handsome brownstone wall fronts the entire premises. the grounds are admirably laid out and adorned with floral design, and the lawns surrounding are particularly well cared for. The same may be said of the whole property - rectory, school, convent, church and cemetery, and it has been said of it that it is one of the most perfectly equipped parishes in the diocese.
The affairs of the East Hampton mission of St. Mary's parish are in a prosperous condition. A most eligible site for the proposed new church at Eat Hampton has been purchased and over and above the money paid for this lot there remains some six or seven thousand dollars in the treasury of the East Hampton church, for the proposed church edifice which will probably be started this year.