The church was built in 1871, and was original known as the Saint Thomas Episcopal Church, honoring Thomas Brownell, the founder of Hartford's Trinity College. It was acquired by the Baptist congregation of Rev. John C. Jackson in 1925; this congregation had been founded in 1871 by a group of freed slaves from Virginia. Jackson was an early force in advancing civil rights in Connecticut, and is credited with securing a position for the first African-American teacher in the city's public schools. Members of the congregation have also historically occupied important civic and social positions in the community.
