In 1678, Captain James Avery (1620-1700) of Groton petitioned the General Court in Hartford to establish a Congregational Church in Groton. His petition was denied and the New London church censured Captain Avery for his attempts to separate from the mother church.

At that time Groton was still part of New London. Many inhabitants belonged to the Congregational Church on the West bank, all of them paying taxes to support the minister. On Sundays they had to cross the Thames River to attend church in New London and rather than submit to the inconvenient and sometimes dangerous crossings, Groton members occasionally held unofficial religious meetings on their own side of the river.

In 1696, Captain Avery's son Lieutenant James Avery repetitioned the General Court; the second petition to establish a separate congregation was granted in 1702. The First Church of Christ, Congregational, of Groton, Connecticut, has been in existence ever since and descendants of the Avery family have continued to be active members through the centuries. The fieldstone church at 162 Monument Street, dedicated in 1902, is the congregation's fourth meeting house.

Past Meeting Houses