The Ledyard Congregational Church parsonage is a pre-1750 house on several acres of former farmland. In 1875, the local farmer Henry Bill deeded his home and farm to the Ecclesiastical Society for the use of the church pastor and his family. The pastor was to farm the land to provide food for his family, in his spare time after his church duties. In the painting above, the parsonage is on the left. On the right is the way station, where travelers between Norwich and Groton could stop to rest their horses. (Modern street names are overlaid on the image.)
The home was completely renovated in 1875 when Bill deeded it to the church. In 1963, when Rev. Porter was hired, the parsonage badly needed repair. His family was housed in the Highlands while the parsonage was restored.
In recent times, pastors often prefer a housing allowance, so that they may build equity in a home of their own. The church has given each pastor the choice of living in the parsonage or not.
The responsibility of maintaining this lovely historic home is taken very seriously by the Ecclesiastical Society, and so the work of preservation continues.
-based upon the 1975 booklet Ledyard Congregational Church History
