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05/16/2019 12:01 AMMost may know the First Baptist Church of Saybrook as the Winthrop Baptist Church. It is located on the triangle green in Winthrop on Route 80 and is the quintessential little white New England church. This little church has held services without interruption for 275 years. It has a long history interwoven with the events and people of Winthrop, Deep River, and the broader community.
To help celebrate the anniversary, the Deep River Historical Society will dedicate its 2019 summer exhibit to the history of the Winthrop Baptist Church. The opening of the exhibit is planned for Saturday, June 15. The society is open Saturdays and Sundays 2 to 4 p.m. from June 1h through family day in September.
The church will hold an anniversary service at 2 p.m. on Sunday, July 14; the community is invited. Following the service, a community picnic will be hosted by the congregation.
As early as 1729, a group of area residents embraced Baptist sentiments and began meeting in homes and at times had the services of traveling Baptist ministers from Rhode Island and eastern Connecticut. The Baptist faith in New England had its beginnings in Rhode Island under the leadership of Roger Williams. At that time in Connecticut, the official state church was the Congregational Church. However, this group in Winthrop continued to meet for many years and their numbers grew.
In February 1744, records show that 14 of these worshippers, including a baby, were holding a Baptist meeting at the home of Job Buckley on Cedar Swamp Road in Winthrop. By then, they had gained the notice of the local officials. These 14 were arrested, arraigned in front of a magistrate, and charged with “holding a meeting contrary to law on God’s holy sabbath day.” They were tried, fined, and marched the 25 miles to New London and placed in jail. They were released in the spring (after paying fines) and on July 15, 1744, formed the Winthrop Baptist Church as the First Baptist Church of Saybrook, referencing its position as the first Baptist church in the Saybrook colony. It had 17 members, the original 14 that were jailed and three new members.
Over the years, the colony added more Baptist churches, Essex in 1811 (Second Baptist Church of Saybrook), later changing its name to First Baptist Church of Essex; Deep River in 1830 (Third Baptist Church of Saybrook), later changed to The Deep River Baptist Church; and Chester (Fourth Baptist Church of Saybrook) in 1832, today the United Church of Chester.
The church had no building until 1773 and met in homes for worship services. The first meetinghouse was erected on the present grounds in 1773. It was taken down and moved to a residence in 1867 to make room for a new meetinghouse. The church purchased the Methodist Church building in Deep River; it was moved to Winthrop and dedicated in 1868. This remains the church sanctuary today. In May 1954 the carriage shed was sold to Mystic Seaport for $250 as a historical exhibit and remains on exhibit today. On Jan.26, 1958 the fellowship hall was dedicated. It was originally built in 1927 on land donated by Robert Jones and served as the Winthrop Willing Workers hall. In 1957 it was donated by Jones and moved from across the street. In 1989 a new addition was completed renovating the fellowship hall and kitchen and adding bathrooms, classrooms, and offices, completing the church building seen today. In 2018, the steeple was repaired.
For more information, contact Anniversary Committee Chairman Cindi Stannard atcynthiastannard@comcast.net.