Brief History of The Union Church

It was in 1862 that William Robbins originally established the village of Hinsdale, and only four years later, a meeting was held in the Burlington train depot to consider the question of starting a Christian Church within the community. The actual organization of the church, however, took place two months later on August 12, 1866, with ten members participating. Finally, on October 16, 1866, the church was officially recognized as the Congregational Union Church of Hinsdale.

From 1866 to 1871, members of this new church met in both the train depot and in Academy Hall, a building on the site of the present Middle School. Eventually though, Mr. Robbins graciously donated some land and ground was broken for a new church building on the site where our present church is today. Unfortunately, when the basement of this new structure was completed, funds promptly ran out, and the congregation was forced to meet underground for the next eight years. However, in 1881, building began anew, and on August 6th, a new stone edifice, complete with its impressive bell tower, was finished and dedicated—free of debt.

In time, the original church structure was razed, and on October 15, 1916 (the 50th anniversary), the cornerstone of the present edifice was laid. It was at this point that discussion began with another church in Hinsdale to unite as one Christian body. After a little more than a year, the Presbyterian Church (which had lost their minister when he went away to war as an Army chaplain) agreed to join the Congregational Church to form Union Church of Hinsdale. The Presbyterians marched up the hill singing "Onward Christian Soldiers" as they came, and in May of 1918, these two groups, working in harmony, formed the basis of our present congregation—bound together not by a creed, but by personal loyalty to Jesus Christ.

For the next 40 plus years, Union Church continued to grow and flourish, all the while maintaining its Congregational affiliation. However, in June 1957, after some twenty years of preliminary work, the Congregational Christian Churches and the Evangelical and Reformed Churches around the country, merged to form the United Church of Christ. Then, in 1961, when local congregations were asked to vote on the merger, The Union Church of Hinsdale voted affirmatively and thereby became a part of The United Church of Christ, and has maintained this denominational affiliation ever since.