Lyman Beecher  |
Lyman Beecher came to Litchfield to be the minister of the First Congregational Church. At that time the church was located on the green. There is a large stone marker on the east park of the green that marks the spot of the original church. The church building has been moved many times. A new Gothic style church was planned and the Colonial building was moved down Torrington Road “a little ways.” The steeple was removed and the building was used as a theatre and a roller rink. Later it was moved back to its present location.
Beecher lived in a house on North Street with his wife and 13 children. The house is no longer there, but the location is marked with a sign near the intersection of North Street and Prospect Street. Beecher was friends with Tapping Reeve and Sarah Pierce.
Drawing of First Congregational Church when Lyman Beecher was the minister Many of the Beecher children became famous. A son, Henry Ward Beecher, was also a preacher famous for his sermons against drinking alcohol. His daughter, Catharine, was a teacher who later started the Hartford Female Seminary. She was a student at Sarah Pierce's school. Another daughter, Isabella Beecher Hooker, was known for her support of women's rights. Harriet Beecher Stowe was also Lyman Beecher's daughter. She wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin which was a book describing the lives of slaves in the south. She wrote another book called Poganuc People which described her childhood in Litchfield. The Beechers moved away from Litchfield when Harriet was 14. Lyman Beecher was known for his fiery sermons against dueling, card playing and drinking alcohol.
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