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During this time we prayed fervently for God, in His time, to provide us with a permanent home. Our prayers were answered in the summer of 2013, when an offer was made to give us a historic, 150-year old Sanctuary in the center of Plainville, CT, that had been home to a Baptist congregation. We took possession of the building in late October 2013, and began plans for renovations. Amid the dust and rubble of renovation, we held three services in December of 2013, and began regular worship services in a newly renovated sanctuary on March 2, 2014. Only through the grace of God could we have received such a gift, and it is with great excitement and anticipation that we await God's prompting for the work we are to do in our new community. A new chapter has begun for Holy Trinity Anglican Church...may all we do be for His glory and bring honor to His name.
Originally compiled by Hazel C. Norton, May 1990.
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Church History
missed their liturgical form of worship. So, in 1747, they withdrew their membership and publicly declared themselves of the Church of England under the Bishop of London. This action carried the implication of loyalty to the English King and placed on them the hated name of Tory.
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In spite of the opposition they faced in those pre-revolutionary days, they built their first church in 1754 on the site now occupied by the Patterson Place apartments (formerly the Thomas H. Patterson School).
The first religious services in Bristol, then known as New Cambridge, were held in the settlers' homes, and the Puritan or Congregational form of worship was used. Everyone worshiped together, and all paid taxes to support the ministers. But there were some who remained loyal to the Church of England, and
Then came the Revolutionary War and the feelings against the Tories (or Loyalists as they were also called) grew more intense. Their minister, the Reverend James Nichols, was shot at, tarred, and feathered. Many of the parishioners were also mistreated. The church closed. Members worshiped and held meetings secretly in homes on Chippens Hill. Tory's Den was one of their secret hiding places. One of their most prominent members, Moses Dunbar, was hanged as a traitor. He was the only Loyalist to be hanged in the entire colony of Connecticut.
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After the Revolutionary War, the church building which had been neglected and desecrated was unfit for use. It was sold to a neighboring farmer, who made it over for use as a barn. It was later destroyed by fire. All that is left today of the four acres the church owned in that area is a small portion of the graveyard in back of the Patterson Place apartments.
About 40 years later, in 1834, Trinity Church, Bristol, was organized and a church was built on the west side of Maple Street near the present junction of Summer and Maple Streets. Membership grew and soon a larger church was needed. Land was purchased on the east side of Main Street at Prospect Street. The building on Maple Street was sold to the Asbury Methodist congregation and moved to Forestville, to eventually be destroyed by fire.
A new and larger church was built on Main Street in 1862. This building was moved around the corner to High Street in 1889, across from the Bristol Public Library. On October 11, 1945, after completion of an extensive renovation project, Trinity Church was destroyed by a fire of undetermined origin. The foundation may still be seen on High Street. The home next to it was the former rectory.
The congregation was devastated, but the people of Bristol were sympathetic to their plight. Help came from many individuals, churches, businesses, and organizations. For three and a half years, Sunday services were held in the rectory and in Barnes Memorial Chapel. Some of the Church School classes were held in the public library.
After many donations, two fund-raising campaigns and the diligent work of church members, the new church was completed. It was dedicated on Easter Day, 1949. Five years later, in 1954, the tower and parish house were added. In 1965, an addition to the parish house was built.
In 2004, the congregation celebrated 250 Years of Faith in the Anglican tradition. The congregation chose to align itself with the Anglican Diocese of the Living Word, a church affiliated with the Anglican Church of North America (ACNA), to maintain their orthodox beliefs in the authority of Holy Scripture and remain true to the Anglican tradition of worship. In May 2008 the congregation became Holy Trinity Anglican Church and vacated the church building on Summer Street. The Holy Trinity congregation has now moved to our new location at 18 East main St., Plainville, CT.
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Our history has been one of trials and tribulations, but by the grace of God, the Anglican Church in Bristol has survived. We do not know what the future may bring, but we do know that with trust and reliance on God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, we can face any challenge and advance the Kingdom of God.
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Holy Trinity Anglican Church
Plainville, CT
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Galatians 2:20