In 1834, the First Universalist Society was founded by the Reverend Harlow Sage in a small community growing in the Ohio woods. The new Universalist religious movement had been established on the east coast and was spreading west with the pioneers. The Universalists believed in the then radical notion of Universal Salvation, and they preached and lived the gospel of the love of God for all people. For their unorthodox beliefs, Universalists were sometimes ridiculed and called “no hellers.”

The founding mothers and fathers of our church were prominent leaders of the community first called Lennox, and later Olmsted Township. Early church members included the pioneer settlers Asher Coe, Isaac Stearns, Aaron Olmsted, and their families. These familiar names are found today on roads, schools, cemeteries, and in the name of the city of North Olmsted.

The Universalists first shared a Union Meeting House with the Methodist and Presbyterian congregations. In 1847, using hand tools, they built the First Universalist Church at the intersection of Butternut and Coe Ridge (now Lorain) Roads. The church was designed by local architect John Ames in simple Greek Revival architecture, typical of the early Ohio Western Reserve. In 1851, the church bell was brought by wagon from Boston, a gift from members Asher Coe and Aaron Olmsted. That bell has been used over the years to toll for deaths, ring fire alarms, and to call members to church services, as it does to this day.

The Universalists believed in making this world a better place. They were abolitionists and there is evidence that the church participated in the Underground Railroad. There are stories that slaves were hidden in the belfry. Church members were early supporters of women’s rights, and a woman served as a minister in the 1800’s. Both women and men signed the membership book and voted at meetings, long before women had the right to vote.

Over the years, the church has been renovated and upgraded several times. Stained glass windows were added during a major renovation in the 1880’s. A single front door became double doors to better accommodate caskets for funerals. The church served as a hub of the community. A large brick building, Coe Hall, was built behind the church, and used for the church school, meetings, plays, social events, and community gatherings. 

As the city of North Olmsted grew, Lorain Road became a busy four lane road. The church foundation was being compromised by heavy truck traffic. In 1963, the congregation decided to save the old sanctuary and move it about a block away, to its present location. The original property was sold, and the money was used to pay for the new land, the move, the new foundation, and a new wing for the Sunday School. The exterior of the sanctuary retains its original appearance. It is listed on The National Register of Historic Buildings and is a North Olmsted historic landmark.

The Universalist Church of America merged with the American Unitarian Association in 1961. The church is now known as the Olmsted Unitarian Universalist Congregation. Although the theology of the early Universalists has changed over the years, the church maintains strong ties to its Universalist heritage. Today’s members strive to maintain a community based on respect, love, and human equality, and continue to work to make the human and natural world a better place.