Historical Highlights

1830 -- First Unitarian founded

1832 -- First building constructed at corner of Muhammed Ali and Fifth

1833-1839 -- James Freeman Clarke was the second minister. Probably the most notable of all the church's minister's he was a member of the Transcendentalists, edited "The Western Messenger" while he was in Louisville (a literary magazine of great sophistication with contributors from both Europe and the East Coast), was a significant reformer of Unitarian liturgy, and wrote the first scholarly work published in the United States on World Religions.

1840s -- First Universalist founded

1850s --The Rev. John Healy Heywood minister. Outspoken abolitionist.

1861 - 1864 -- Church a leading institutional supporter of the Union in Louisville; members active in US Sanitary Commission

1865-80 -- Religiously "conservative" (i.e. supported Boston Unitarianism) in the denominational battles between the "old guard" and the Free Religious Association

1870 -- Unitarian and Universalist churches merged, built on corner of 4th & York

1880 -- Rev. Heyward, minister from 1840 to 1880; holding an office equivalent to the Superintendent of Schools; founder of Male High School; active in the founding of the Ky. School for the Blind, etc. etc., retired

1880s - 1920s -- Religiously "conservative" (for a liberal church) and with a membership composed of many socially prominent people, the church gradually became more and more liberal.

1920s -- Joined by many members of the progressive "People's Church" when it dissolved.

1950s -- Robert T. Weston, a very progressive and dynamic minister attracted many new members. He attracted the city's attention with a sermon attacking McCarthyism.

1957 -- Under Weston's leadership the church established a "Suburban Chapel," now the Thomas Jefferson Unitarian Church on Old Brownsboro Road

1950s - 1960s -- Now a predominantly Humanist church, members were active in the Civil Liberties Union, the Civil Rights Movement, anti-Vietnam War efforts, and, prior to Roe vs. Wade, did abortion counseling.

1960s - 1980s -- Under the leadership of Robert Reed, now minister emeritus, the church was active in establishing the Neighborhood Development Corporation and the HELP Office (now Central Louisville Community Ministries). First Unitarian was the only church in Louisville willing to share its building with the Metropolitan Community Church, a religious community organized by gay and lesbian Christians. The Religious Coalition for Abortion Rights was founded with the active support of members of First Unitarian.

1985 -- Just before Christmas a fire completely destroyed the church. Heywood House, the building next door which had been purchased a few years before did not burn. For just over a year the church met in a hall made available by Spalding University and maintained offices and religious education classes in Heywood House.

1986 -- Richard Beal began his duties as minister.

1987 -- Having decided to remain a downtown church and to rebuild at 4th & York, the church moved to S. 41st Street for a two year period while rebuilding took place.

1989 -- The first service in the new building took place on March 26

1990s -- We engage a full-time professional Religious Education Director for the first time (a position now held by Lisa Willner); we become a "Welcoming Church," meaning we have taken all the steps necessary to be officially recognized as fully open to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons; we enter into a "partner church" relationship with the Unitarian congregation in Enyed, Romania; we take an active role in supporting the Fairness Campaign; we begin a "restructuring" process to better meet the needs of members whose changing lifestyles no longer allow the traditional volunteer support of the church.

1997 -- We began to create a webpage.

2001 -- David Parke began his duties as interim minister.

2002 -- Norbert "Norm" Stewart began his duties as minister.

2003 -- We passed a congregational resolution opposing the war in Iraq.

2004 -- We passed a congregational resolution supporting same sex marraige. We displayed a banner proclaiming "Civil Marriage is a Civil Right" on the outside of our sanctuary, on the Fourth Street side, and hold a dedication service, in which several Louisville ministers participate. 4239