First Baptist Church of Groton Publications, 1889-1986

Archive

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Groton Public Library

Name/Title

First Baptist Church of Groton Publications, 1889-1986

Entry/Object ID

2026.001.010

Scope and Content

Collection of church bulletins, newsletters and other publications relating to the First Baptist Church of Groton and the Old Mystic Baptist Church, 1889-1986 *Folder 1 - Programs for Dedication and Memorial Services, 1892-1962 *Folder 2 - Programs and flyers for special services, *Folder 3 - Church bulletins, 1951-1957 and 1979 *Folder 4 - "The Baptist Gleaner," published by the First Baptist Church of Groton, 1952-1960 *Folder 5 - "The Baptist Gleaner," published by the First Baptist Church of Groton, 1961-1963 Folder 6 - "The Baptist Times," published by the First Baptist Church of Groton, 1956-1961 Folder 7 - Newsletters including Celebration, The Pastor's Page and The Church Historian, published by the First Baptist Church of Groton1971-1986 Folder 8 - Baptist newsletters and papers with articles re. the First Baptist Church of Groton, 1889-1952 Folder 9 - Papers and publications from the American Baptist Publication Society Folder 10 - Misc. publications

Collection

First Baptist Church of Groton Collection

Acquisition

Accession

2026.001

Source or Donor

First Baptist Church of Groton

Acquisition Method

Gift

Lexicon

Search Terms

First Baptist Church of Groton, Old Mystic Baptist Church

Legacy Lexicon

Object Name

Publication

Archive Details

Creator

Old Mystic Baptist Church, First Baptist Church of Groton

Date(s) of Creation

1889 - 1986

Archive Size/Extent

10 Folders

Archive Notes

Date(s) Created: 1889-1986

Provenance

Notes

Admin or Biographical History: The First Baptist Church of Groton was the first Baptist church to be established in the State of Connecticut. On October 5, 1704, twelve residents of Groton (then a part of New London) petitioned the General Assembly for the right to separate from the Congregational Church and establish a meeting house for the Baptist faith. These twelve dissenters were Sergeant William Stark, John Culver, Isaac Lamb, Ephraim Culver, William Chubb, John Hammett, Mercy Culver, Elizabeth Lamb, Elizabeth Stark, Mary Hadgell, Margaret Chubb and Sarah Culver. Although this petition was ignored, the dissenters established the church in 1705 and invited Rev. Valentine Wightman to serve as their pastor. Three generations of Wightmans would serve as pastors for the church for a cumulative 125 years: Valentine Wightman (1705-1747), Timothy Wightman (1754-1796) and John Gano Wightman (1800-1841). The first church building was constructed in 1718 on the lands of William Stark, near the present intersection of Cold Spring and Yetter Roads in Mystic. This building stood until 1790, when it was demolished and a new church building about twice the size was erected on the same site. In 1844 the congregation moved to a new church building on Route 27 in Old Mystic. In 1867 a new building was erected at this site to accommodate the church's growing congregation. In 1972, the congregation (then using the name Old Mystic Baptist Church) moved again to a newly constructed church at 151 Shewville Road. The church closed permanently in 2018.