The
congregation of the First Universalist Church of
Olmsted was organized in 1834. As a beacon of hope and progressive religion for
the area, the church was one of the earliest Universalist congregations in
northern Ohio. Founding members of the church included early pillars of the
town, families such as the Stearnses, the Fitches, the Roots, the Kennedys and
the Coes. The congregation erected a building at the corner of Lorain and
Butternut Ridge roads in 1847. This historic landmark building was moved to its
present site in 1963.
The large bell in the belfry was cast in Boston in 1851, and
brought to North Olmsted by horse and wagon. The bell tower was used as a
station on the Underground Railroad to hide escaping slaves before and during
the Civil War.
The Universalist Church of
America merged with the American Unitarian Association in 1961, and thus the
church is now known as the OLMSTED UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CONGREGATION.
OUUC is one of more than a
thousand Unitarian Universalist churches throughout North America; the
denominational headquarters are on Beacon Hill in Boston. All UU churches are
autonomous congregations, retaining the authority to determine their own styles
of worship and call their own ministers.Unitarian Universalism is characterized by an emphasis on religious
freedom, the use of human reason in the quest for religious truth, and a
generous tolerance of diversity of thought in spiritual discourse.
The
congregation of the First Universalist Church of
Olmsted was organized in 1834. As a beacon of hope and progressive religion for
the area, the church was one of the earliest Universalist congregations in
northern Ohio. Founding members of the church included early pillars of the
town, families such as the Stearnses, the Fitches, the Roots, the Kennedys and
the Coes. The congregation erected a building at the corner of Lorain and
Butternut Ridge roads in 1847. This historic landmark building was moved to its
present site in 1963.
The large bell in the belfry was cast in Boston in 1851, and
brought to North Olmsted by horse and wagon. The bell tower was used as a
station on the Underground Railroad to hide escaping slaves before and during
the Civil War.