Heritage Universalist Unitarian Church has been part of the Cincinnati religious landscape for nearly two centuries.
Our roots reach back to the 1820s, when traveling Universalist preachers brought a radical message to a young Cincinnati: a loving God would ultimately reject no one. Local people drawn to that hopeful theology organized the First Universalist Society of Cincinnati on May 25, 1827. Pasted markdown
Much has changed since then. The congregation has changed names, worshiped in different parts of Cincinnati, survived periods of growth and decline, and repeatedly adapted its ministry to a changing city and a changing world.
The young congregation first worshiped downtown, eventually growing into a substantial Cincinnati church. By 1850, First Universalist counted 330 members, and during the nineteenth century its members included Cincinnati poets Alice and Phoebe Cary. Pasted markdown
In 1898, the congregation moved into an impressive new church on Essex Place in Walnut Hills, designed by noted Cincinnati architect Samuel Hannaford, whose other work includes Music Hall and Cincinnati City Hall. The building became home not only to worship but also to the Broadwell School, a Universalist high school, and to educational and publishing work serving the wider denomination. Pasted markdown
By the middle of the twentieth century, Cincinnati was changing, and so was the congregation. Construction of Interstate 71 dramatically altered the Walnut Hills neighborhood, while the Universalist and Unitarian denominations were moving toward their historic 1961 merger. First Universalist opposed that merger at the national meeting, but afterward became part of the newly formed Unitarian Universalist Association. Pasted markdown
In 1967 the congregation purchased a nine-acre property overlooking Salem Road in Anderson Township. Renamed Salem Acres Community Church (Universalist), the congregation began worshiping there in 1968—in a former residence where Sunday School classes met in upstairs bedrooms and worship took place in the parlor. Pasted markdown
By the early 1980s, the congregation was ready for another change. After selling Salem Acres in 1983, members spent two years worshiping in schools and other public spaces—a chapter still remembered as the “Nomad Years.”
In 1985, the congregation purchased property on Newtown Road beside the newly built Turpin High School and constructed the church that is still our home today. The first service in the new sanctuary was held on December 7, 1985, and the congregation took the name Heritage Universalist Unitarian Church. Pasted markdown
Heritage entered a period of renewed growth under the Rev. Elinor Artman, who served from 1989 to 2001. During her ministry, membership grew from 43 to 128. Pasted markdown
Rev. Bill Gupton began his ministry at Heritage in 2002 and served for more than two decades, becoming the longest-serving minister in the congregation’s history before retiring in May 2025. During those years, Heritage continued to grow and invested in its building, worship life, religious education, technology, and community presence. The existing history notes, for example, a major 2013 renovation of the sanctuary, kitchen, technology, and children’s spaces. Pasted markdown
In 2027, Heritage will mark the 200th anniversary of the founding of the First Universalist Society of Cincinnati.
Our surroundings, our name, and even the language we use for our faith have changed many times since 1827. But there is a recognizable thread running through the story: a conviction that love is larger than the boundaries people create, an openness to new understanding, and a willingness to become something new when the times require it.
We carry that history with gratitude—not simply to preserve what came before, but to help shape what comes next.
Rev. Bill Lyon began his ministry with Heritage in September 2025, opening another chapter in the congregation’s long story.
Today, Heritage is a community of more than 160 members. We gather in person and online for worship, learning, music, friendship, care, and justice work—and we continue asking the same fundamental question that has shaped this congregation through many generations:
How do we live our deepest values together, here and now?