We are a church with roots in two historic congregations. In 1825, Dr. Oliver Dean became superintendent of the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company, and brought Universalist ministers to Manchester to preach on Sundays. Not long after, in 1833, members who had been attending the Universalist services formally organized the First Universalist Society at Amoskeag. In 1840, a Universalist Church was built at 30 Lowell Street on land donated by the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company. Then in 1914, this thriving Universalist congregation built the beautiful fieldstone church we still occupy at 669 Union Street,  in the block between Prospect and Myrtle streets. Into it were placed the stained-glass windows, pews, and the bell from the previous church.

Meanwhile, Ezekiel Straw and Daniel Clark had hired the Manchester Town Hall for three dollars a Sunday so that a small group of people could gather there to hear “Unitarian preaching.” By the following year, thirty-nine people in the group hired a Reverend Wellington, and they rented a small chapel. The church was formally organized in 1842, and by 1872, a fine new church, located on the corner of Beech and Concord streets, was built in 1872 on a lot donated by Amoskeag Mills. The Unitarian membership over time included three governors, five mayors, and three judges.

In 1953, the Universalists welcomed the Unitarians into the stone church on Union Street, following a similar pattern in communities around the country. Bylaws for the Unitarian – Universalist Church were accepted in 1957. In 1961, the national Unitarian and Universalist denominations formally consolidated, creating the Unitarian Universalist Association. The sale of the Manchester Unitarian church building in 1964 created an endowment for the combined society, and in that same year an addition which blends harmoniously with the original building was built onto the north end of the stone church.

Today, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Manchester continues to flourish and works to provide a welcoming and inclusive community. We provide outreach and support to the wider community of Manchester through volunteer efforts of our members and ministries, as well as financial contributions to local organizations through our “Share – the – Plate” program.