Christ Episcopal Tashua

To Host A Special High Tea

TRUMBULL — On Sunday, October 21, at 12:30 pm, Christ Episcopal Church Tashua, at 5170 Madison Avenue, will celebrate its listing, along with Tashua Burial Ground of 1766, on the National Register of Historic Places. The National Register of Historic Places is the nation’s official list of cultural resources deemed worthy of preservation.

The public is invited to join in the celebration. In addition to tours of the church and burial ground, there will be a high tea and children’s activities representative of the 1840s. At 3 pm, there will be a historic church service.

Call 203-268-5566 for further details. A small fee will be charged to cover costs of the celebration.

The recognition is of special significance in that church properties are not ordinarily considered eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. In this instance, however, the National Register found, according to an approval letter from US Department of the Interior, National Park Service: “Christ Episcopal Church and Tashua Burial Ground have historical importance as a combined resource representative of a 250-year-old parish role, first in the Anglican communion of the Colony of Connecticut and subsequently in the Episcopal Church of the post-Revolutionary War State of Connecticut.

“Christ Episcopal Church is extremely significant as well as an example of Gothic Revival architecture. Its ‘Carpenter Gothic’ stylistic integrity is impressive. In short, the church and the burial ground fall within the category of properties ‘deriving primary significance from architectural or artistic distinction or historical importance.’”

The Historical Register also noted, “The church is virtually a time capsule of early Victorian ecclesiastical taste.” The traceried arched openings, the tower, buttresses, and pinnacles of the white painted wood exterior simulate Gothic stone. Inside, the scored plaster walls and faux painted columns, and the lancet motif executed throughout, simulate medieval stone interiors.

In addition to the historic and architectural significance of Christ Church is the Simmons & McIntyre tracker organ built in 1849. The organ, the only known surviving model, was recognized by the National Organ Historical Society, and, remarkably, is still played at every Sunday service.

Christ Church also possesses the original Bible and Book of Common Prayer received by the church in 1762, which are displayed in its nave.

The nave also contains a pew from the second church building, and other items of interest such as a brass cross and missal stand from 1887, a brass lectern received in 1889, and a hymn tablet and bishop’s chair from 1895.