Wilton began as a parish, and the parish began with a church. Three hundred years later, that church is inviting the whole town over. Wilton Congregational Church hosts a community celebration of the 300th anniversary of Wilton Parish on Sunday, November 22, from 4 to 6 p.m., at 70 Ridgefield Road, and everyone in Wilton is welcome, children included.

The party is one of the last events of a year that has marked two anniversaries at once in Wilton. It is 250 years since the Declaration of Independence, and 300 years since English colonists founded Wilton Parish in 1726, the step that first defined the community that grew into the Town of Wilton. The Wilton Historical Society has spent 2026 marking both with a series of programs called America 250, Wilton 300.

What is planned

There will be hors d'oeuvres and drinks, historical photographs, and a look at the church's updated spaces. Nick Foster, director of the Wilton Historical Society, will share stories about how Wilton Parish became the start of the Wilton community. For football fans, the NFL game will be on in one of the rooms.

Registration is not required, but the historical society asks anyone planning to come to register through the link on its event listing.

A sanctuary from 1790

The congregation dates to the parish's founding in 1726, and its sanctuary was built in 1790. In 1990, an earlier generation of members set up a Third Century Fund to preserve and care for the building. As the church enters its fourth century, it has started a 4th Century Project, which plans to combine the Colonial Room and library into one multi-use space, refresh its meeting rooms, offices and youth spaces, upgrade its sound and IT systems, and add a community engagement and outreach coordinator.

Sunday worship is at 9:30 a.m., in person and on the church's YouTube livestream.

Where to park

The church tries to keep the two lots right next to the building open for visitors and people with mobility challenges. Its biggest lots are not visible from the church:

  • The Wilton Playshop lot: a few yards down Lovers Lane. Take the driveway just to the right of the Playshop building, then walk back up to the church.
  • The Old Town Hall lot: behind Old Town Hall at 2 Belden Hill Lane, just off Belden Hill Road. Take the walkway to the left of Old Town Hall and cross Ridgefield Road with care to the church's front doors.

Next up: the Great Trains Show

Five days after the anniversary party, the Wilton Historical Society opens its annual Great Trains Show on Friday, November 27, at noon, at 224 Danbury Road. The society's 18th and 19th century buildings fill with model train layouts winding through miniature towns, with buttons for children to push, train engineers on hand to talk trains, and a lit miniature winter village.

This year the show keeps a new schedule: Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m., through Sunday, January 17. Admission is free for historical society members; for nonmembers it is $5 for children and $10 for adults. Tickets are sold at the door or in advance online.

300th anniversary of Wilton Parish: Sunday, November 22, 4 to 6 p.m., Wilton Congregational Church, 70 Ridgefield Road, Wilton. All ages welcome. Church office: 203-762-5591.

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