Who Built Trinity Church?

Senator William H. Barnum provided the building -- that much is clear from a November 10, 1874 article in the Hartford Daily Courant as well as another from January 1875, while the Richardsons furnished it.  Names of both families are clearly tied to the furnishings, as the remaining physical evidence in the church shows.  

The November 10, 1874 article says in part "....It is paid for, I cannot tell how much it cost but was informed that a certain well-known, large-hearted and generous railroad and iron man in the Village of Lime Rock could if he would, tell all about it.  To that man the people in that region are much indebted for one of the best churches in the state."

The subsequent article, detailing the proceedings at the Diocesan Convention the following year, a quotation from the Bishop makes it clear that the church was the donation of one individual.  Given what we know of the history of the parish and of Lime Rock, there is no question that it was Senator Barnum.

for some information about Barnum Richardson Company, the company for which Lime Rock was a "company town".

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Memorials in Trinity Church

Please click on any of the pictures below to see a larger version.

This plaque, identifying William H. Barnum as "a founder of Trinity Church" is, interestingly enough, found today on the door of the ECW closet in Walker Hall.  It's not known whether the plaque was made when Walker Hall was added, or whether it previously was located somewhere else in the building.  Also of interest is that Barnum is not usually referred to as "the Senator"  or even afforded the honorific "the Honorable" around the church, although he, a Democrat, was the Junior Senator from Connecticut from 1876 - 1879.  He was also Chairman of the Democratic National Committee for the campaigns of 1880 and 1884.

According to the inscription on our bell, it was donated by James L. and Cornelia Richardson, shortly after the church was constructed.

Our spectacular lectern, the inscription tells us, was donated in memory of William H. Barnum and Charlotte Barnum in 1900.  Clearly the influence -- or at least the generosity -- of the Barnum family was still considerable at that time.  We do not yet know who funded the donation, although Senator Barnum's son, William Milo Barnum, one of three founders of the Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett (at that time called Simpson, Thacher & Barnum) law firm in New York City would have been a good candidate.  That firm was especially involved in railroad reorganizations, and Barnum was responsible for setting up the American Locomotive Company in 1901 -- no doubt his father's business specializing in train wheels would have given him a good background for the task.  He retired from Simpson, Thacher in 1904 and at that time his name was dropped from the firm's name. (This information from the website of Simpson, Thacher & Bartlet, LLP, July 2003)

While it is difficult to photograph well, the two main windows in the back wall of the church (the wall facing Route 112) were donated in memory of Leonard Richardson. He and his father-in-law, Milo Barnum, father of William H. Barnum, were the founders of Barnum Richardson Company.  Leonard Richardson died in 1864, before Trinity Church was established, but his heirs continued to maintain an interest in both the company and in Trinity Lime Rock. 

Our ornate brass pulpit was a memorial to Lucy Caroline Richardson Harwood.  Parish tradition is that she died in childbirth at the age of 27, and that the intricate brasswork of the pulpit includes 27 lilies, one for each year of her life.

Other memorials include the following:

• The brass altar vases and the font cover, in memory of Helen Gilbert, granddaughter of Charles W. Barnum and Mary Nicholls.

• Altar and Reredos in memory of Lucy Ann (Barnum) Richardson, born 1814, died 1898, widow of Leonard Richardson.

• The Mary Magdalene window, in the chancel, donated my Mrs. William H. Barnum "In memory of our mother" Lucy Beach Burrall, born February 21, 1791 and died September 4, 1834.

• The altar windows in memory of Walter Phelps, born May 1, 1789 and died December 14, 1872.  Me married Julia Beach, and they were the grandparents of Ann Theresa Phelps, who married William Milo Barnum.

Quite obviously our efforts to document the early days of our parish are an ongoing effort.  We have located several binders of pictures and ephemera from several periods in the history of the parish, and as well some portraits of the founders.  to see the pictures we've already got in the pictorial archives on this website.  We periodically scan and add more from this source.

Further, we have the parish's paper archives to review, and have located a significant collection of the papers of the Barnum Richardson Company in the University of Connecticut Libraries that will bear analysis.  As still another project, we hope to collect some oral history from the longer-term parishioners.  

Many members of the Barnum and Richardson families are buried in the Lime Rock Cemetery, across Dugway Road from Trinity Church.  to see photographs of many gravestones from that cemetery.

In short, we anticipate bringing considerable additional information about the place of Trinity Lime Rock in the iron industry of the Upper Housatonic Valley in coming weeks.  Please come back and see!