Epiphany Church of Durham, CT

THE HISTORY OF EPIPHANY

The "History of the Church of the Epiphany" by Mrs. Howard B. Field and the "History of Durham" by Professor William Chancey Fowler both indicate that a Protestant Episcopal Church was organized in Durham as early as 1802. Mrs. Field goes on to say that "the church apparently was a member of the Diocese, having sent lay delegates to the 1804, 1805, 1806, 1809 and 1819 conventions." In 1818, the church joined with Middletown and Berlin to form a "cure." The members, having no church building, sustained their faith by "banding together in their several homes on Sundays."

In the mid-1800's, services were held in what has more recently been known as the Pythian Building, on Main Street. In late 1861, when this building became unavailable, two you men, Andrew Morse and Frank Goodwin, set out to raise funds for construction of a church at our present location. Mrs. Field notes that "... at great personal sacrifice they canvassed not only this community but Middletown, Meriden, Hartford, Wallingford, Norwich, Guilford and many other places." In just a few months, they apparently raised over a thousand dollars (a huge sum of money in those days). Land was purchased in May, 1862, ground was broken, and the cornerstone was laid on June 28, 1862. Sadly, Mr. Morse apparently passed away during construction; the window we still see above the altar was installed as a memorial to him. On January 28, 1863, the church was consecrated. Mrs. Field notes that the total cost was $2403.56, "which paid for the completed Church with furnishing, etc."

In the years since 1863, our church has seen many, many changes:

1877 The church was raised 1.2 feet and placed on a new foundation. The tower was constructed, and the bell was installed. (It rang for the first time on Christmas Eve in 1877).

1877-1913 Plain windows on the sides of the church were gradually changed to stained, memorial windows through the generosity of church members.

1880 The window at the back of the church was installed for Epiphany Day. It was called the "Children's Window" because the children of the church donated all of the funds.

1882 A porch at what is still the main entrance was moved to become the present sacristy, adjacent to the current Bishop Williams Room.

In 1892, the transept was constructed for our beautiful pipe organ, which was purchased for $1500 -- all donated by "The Ladies Society" and three members of the vestry.

The first parish hall was dedicated on June 20, 1905. The main room of the building was named "The Bishop Williams Room", and was subsequently refurbished in 1991.

1941 New altar hangings, new communion linens, and other improvements were undertaken.

The new parish hall was dedicated March 7, 1961; its main room was dedicated in 1971 in honor of Lincoln Frye, rector from 1953 to 1965.

During the 1970's, the parish built the vicarage on Maple Avenue. In the 1980's, a building committee planned and over-saw restoration and renovation work on the church, including improved accessibility. A capital fund drive permitted completion and rededication in December, 1991. We repainted the church in 2001 and raised funds to replace our roof and restore its original Victorian design.

EPIPHANY TODAY

In April 2008 , Rev. Beth Hoffmann was called to be our new Vicar.

In 2007, the Church of the Epiphany moved to leave the Middlesex Cluster Ministry and strike out on our own.

In 1980, the Church of the Epiphany joined with several other Episcopal churches to form the Middlesex Area Cluster Ministry. The year 2000 marked the 20th anniversary of our Cluster--the first of several now in Connecticut!

We also share our space with the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and other groups and organizations. We continue to seek new ways to increase our presence in Durham, to help meet the needs of the community.

Epiphany is alive and growing, with new families joining us each year. Please contact either of the persons indicated below if you'd like to play a more active role in our parish family!

To learn more about Epiphany, please phone or email our parish coordinators: Lynda Beichner and MaryLou Shoemaker.