HISTORY: CHURCH OR SOCIETY?

In 1797 The First Society for Social and Public Worship in the Town of Burlington was formed by citizens ardent in their desire to have a formal and regular church. Contrary to popular belief, however, church-going was not a high priority among Americans after the Revolution: only 51 of about 2000 Burlington residents were interested. In the New England tradition, the town was the parish and all inhabitants were members and were taxed for support of the Society unless they presented written notice of dissent or could prove that they belonged to another religious body.

Within 10 years of its formation, the Society split into liberal (later Unitarian) and conservative (Calvinistic and Trinitarian) factions. The controversy mirrored what was happening in churches throughout New England. The Society's first minister, Dr. Daniel Sanders, refused to enter into the controversy, and in 1806 resigned to devote full time to his position as President of the University of Vermont. By 1809, the need for a settled ministry was acute. The liberal faction called Rev. Mr. Samuel Clark, and the conservatives, or the Connecticut faction, called Rev. Mr. Daniel Haskell. Mr. Clark arrived first. When Mr. Haskell reached Burlington, he was offered a church in St. Albans, but he said that he preferred "to sit in the fires of Burlington."

In January 1810, the Society voted to accept Rev. Clark as its minister. At the same time, the Church, apparently the formal members of the organization, voted to call Rev. Haskell. The Society immediately dissolved and reformed with Dr. Sanders as its minister. The Church retained Mr. Haskell. In addition to the liberal vs. conservative theological views, the controversy also concerned whether the authority to choose a minister rested with the congregation as a whole or with the elite ruling group (in both cases only adult men could vote, even though the majority of churchgoers were women). Those who believed the former became the First Congregational Society of Burlington (later adding Unitarian), and the latter called itself the First Calvinistic Congregational Church of Burlington. The difference was reflected in the later designation of the groups' respective buildings as a meeting house and a church.

In 1814, a five-acre lot was purchased at a cost of $1,000. The Brick Meeting House (our current church) was built in 1816 and in less than seven months was completed, painted and furnished with stoves, a town clock and bell. The timbers came from the Brown's River Valley, the brick was made nearby and the nails were hammered by hand. The building cost $22,185.34 and was designed by Boston architect Peter Banner. Thus the Brick Meeting House claims the distinction of being the oldest surviving church building in Burlington: it is a widely heralded local landmark.

In the years following the Society's establishment, the town's first lending library began in the meeting house. The Sunday School met in the bell tower, with boys and girls attending on alternate Sundays. During the ministry of Oliver Peabody (1845-48), the "For Colored Only" sign in the balcony was thankfully removed.

During the turbulent years between 1852 and 1863, Rev. Joshua Young was minister. The Society was torn over the issue of slavery. In 1859 Rev. Mr. Young attended the funeral of John Brown after Brown had been hanged for the raid on Harper's Ferry. Since no minister had been appointed to conduct the service, Mr. Young did so. He had a troubled ministry, and the controversy over his views on slavery compelled him to resign.

His ministry was followed by the long and harmonious tenure of Loami Ware. All aspects of the Society flourished. The women of the church had organized in 1823, and by the Civil War their Sewing Circle was very busy with social and charitable activities. They sewed for the soldiers during the war, and sent large donations to the sufferers of the Chicago fire and to the destitute in Kansas. They spearheaded and oversaw the building of the parish house in 1868 to house Sunday School classes and the parlors. In 1955, lightning struck the 139-year-old steeple, necessitating its replacement. A community-wide fund raising effort enabled our church, using plans preserved in the Archives of the Library of Congress, to build another steeple at a cost of $55,000.
Most recently, the Capital Campaign of 1993 provided close to $750,000 for sorely needed renovations and the construction of a small new addition to the building's north end. The improvements were made necessary by growth in the congregation's size, the desire to make the building more accessible, and the need for additional space to accommodate our burgeoning program offerings.

Until the 1960s our name remained unchanged except for the addition of the word Unitarian in parentheses, probably occurring not many years after our founding to differentiate the Unitarians from the Trinitarian First Congregational Church. In 1962 we changed our name to the First Unitarian Church and, again in 1968, to First Unitarian Universalist Church, reflecting the merger with the Universalists in 1961. Finally, in 1982 the congregation, in keeping with our original title, voted to restore the term society to our name. Hence our official title now is FIRST UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST SOCIETY OF BURLINGTON.