COOS: Our History

A Short History of the Church of Our Saviour

The Church of Our Saviour had its beginning in 1879 when a group of Episcopalians in Milford petitioned the Bishop to send a missionary to organize a church. Our first regular services were conducted by the Reverend Jacob LeRoy, Rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Nashua. A formal mission with a resident priest-in-charge was organized in 1899. Services were held in various residences and then in the basement of what is now the Methodist Church.

With the Reverend William E. Patterson as Vicar, work on the present building was begun in 1900 and the cornerstone was laid on June 7, 1901. It was built of native granite from the quarries of Young Sons and Company. The Youngs were among the founding families of the church and contributed generously to the construction of the original building which provided seating for 130 to 150 people.

The church grew slowly, often sharing clergy with neighboring parishes. We finally became a parish in 1956 during the tenure of the Reverend Harold W. Holder. The church was outgrowing its building and in 1958-59 an addition, including what is now known as the Holder Room, was built on the southeast corner of the original building, increasing worship and meeting space.

The church continued to grow as Milford and the surrounding areas grew. In 1984-85, while the Reverend Daniel Ferry was our Rector, another addition was put on to increase pew space and expand areas needed for church school, office and meeting facilities. The present building, seating about 240 people, may crowd the limits of our lot lines but it honors the past and continues an Episcopal presence in the midst of our community as it has for over 120 years.

The Rev. Dr. William C. Lutz was our Rector from 1987 through August, 1999. His tenure was marked by growth in a number of areas, including increased opportunities for education, pastoral care and outreach. The parish themes of worship, fellowship, and stewardship were highlighted. In 1995 the interior building space and exterior appearance and condition were re-evaluated. During the fall of that year, the process of restoring the exterior of the building began. By the fall of 1996, the work was completed. The last piece of the handicap accessible installation was completed just recently when the door from Amherst Street was "powered".

The Rev. David G. Robinson, Jr. became our fourth Rector in November, 2000. As we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone, we began to consider our future building needs. To that end, a Facilities Working Group was formed to study the possibilities. The result of their work was a parish decision in 2003 to build a new church home on donated land just south of town on Route 13. Five parish committees were formed to proceed with various aspects of planning for that facility, and work continues toward our goal of completing such a facility.