Union Baptist Church, Hartford

The Union Baptist Church, located on Main Street in Hartford’s Clay-Arsenal neighborhood, stands as a landmark of faith, resilience, and civil rights history. Originally constructed in 1871 as the Memorial Church of Saint Thomas, the building was designed by Henry Martyn Congdon in the Early English Gothic style, complete with a cruciform layout, rounded apse, and a Stick-style gabled portico at its entrance. Later additions to the rear house offices and other church facilities.

In 1925, facing dwindling attendance, the Episcopal parish transferred ownership of the church to the Union Baptist congregation, which had outgrown its previous home on Mather Street. This Baptist congregation, founded in 1871 by formerly enslaved individuals from Virginia, had been a vital institution in Hartford’s African American community for decades.

Under the leadership of Reverend John C. Jackson, who became pastor in 1922, Union Baptist Church emerged as a hub for civil rights advocacy in Connecticut. Jackson was instrumental in securing employment rights for African Americans, including the appointment of C. Edythe Taylor as the first Black teacher in Hartford’s public schools. He also helped establish the Connecticut Inter-Racial Commission in 1943, the forerunner of today’s Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities.

Despite internal splits-such as the 1889 schism that led to the formation of Shiloh Baptist Church-Union Baptist Church has remained a pillar in the city’s Black heritage and civic life. The church, along with its adjacent parsonage, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 and is also recognized as part of the Connecticut Freedom Trail, honoring its enduring role in the struggle for racial equality and justice.