English Church and Schoolhouse
Encyclopedia
The New Hempstead Presbyterian Church is located at the intersection of New Hempstead (Rockland County
Route 80) and Old Schoolhouse roads in New Hemsptead
, New York, United States. It is a wood frame
Federal style
building from the 1820s, the third church on the site.
When its congregation was established in 1734, it was the first by a group of English settlers in New York west of the Hudson River
. The building is the second oldest extant church in the county. In 1863 a school was built on nearby property and used by the local school district; it later became the oldest continuously-used public school building in the county. In 1977 the church and school, along with some other outbuildings, were listed on the National Register of Historic Places
as the English Church and Schoolhouse.
, a half-mile (1 km) west of Palisades Interstate Parkway
and just south of New Hempstead Village Hall. There is another large institutional building on the west side of Route 45, and some residences along the south side of New Hempstead Road. The generally flat terrain is wooded, buffering the church and the other institutional buildings in the area from backyards in a nearby residential subdivision to the northeast.
Located at the southwest corner of the property, closest to both roads, the church itself is a two-story three-by-three-bay
structure sided in clapboard
with a gable
d roof. There is a one-story addition on the rear (north) end. At the south (front) end, a shingled spire with belfry
topped by a weathervane rises.
The 12-over-12 double-hung sash window
s on the front facade
are flanked by louver
ed wooden shutters
. In the center of the attic is a smaller round-arched window with matching shutters. Above it is a small oculus
with radial muntin
s at the gable apex. The two side elevations are fully fenestrated with windows similar to those on the front. A fanlight
below an iron lamp surmounts the recessed double doors at the centrally located main entrance.
To the east of the church is a two-story wood frame manse
. The old schoolhouse is a one-room frame building to the northeast. Its interior is decorated in embossed tin with neoclassical
patterns. Behind them, to the north, are some more modern buildings and parking lots.
had been settled by the Dutch
in the late 17th century. English settlers began coming to the area after the purchase of the Kakiat Patent in what is now Rockland County in 1696. The New Hempstead area was purchased by a group of men from the Long Island
town of Hempstead in 1713 and gradually settled by migrants from that area.
By 1734, farms had been established, roads including the two that intersect at the church had been laid out, and there were enough settlers to establish the congregation
. It is the second oldest in the county after the Reformed Church of Tappan
. A meeting house
was built at the crossroads; over the next century the congregation grew enough that it would need to be replaced. During the Revolutionary War
the church was an important meeting place for political and military activities since Patriot
forces including units of the Continental Army
used the road for movements in order to avoid the eyes of British ships along the Hudson River
to the east.
The current church was built in 1827. It is the oldest extant Federal style church in the county. The schoolhouse was built in 1867 and expanded to two rooms in 1891. At that point its interior decoration was added.
In 1905 the church, having sold off some of its original land including the farmhouse that had served as its parsonage, built the manse. It bought back another acre (4,000 m²) to build a playground
for the school. Later it was transferred to the East Ramapo Central School District
and leased back from them.
Plumbing and heating was eventually added to the school. The one-story annex was built on the rear of the church in 1960. Murchison Hall, a modern church hall
, was built north of the older buildings the next year. Twelve years later, in 1973, fire damaged the roof and north wall of the church. They were restored to their original appearance. There have been no significant changes to the buildings since then.
is held at Murchison Hall. It is complemented by an adult Bible
study group and one devoted to contemporary issues. A youth group meets on Sunday afternoons.
On the last Saturday of every month, the church holds a fellowship breakfast at a restaurant in nearby New City
. The choir
rehearses every Thursday. Other outside groups the church it supports include Alcoholics Anonymous
and Habitat for Humanity. It publishes a monthly newsletter, The Carriage Stone.
Rockland County, New York
Rockland County is a suburban county 15 miles to the northwest of Manhattan and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area, in the U.S. state of New York. It is the southernmost county in New York west of the Hudson River, and the smallest county in New York outside of New York City. The...
Route 80) and Old Schoolhouse roads in New Hemsptead
New Hempstead, New York
New Hempstead, formally known as Kakiat , is a village in the Town of Ramapo, Rockland County, New York, United States located north of New Square; east of Wesley Hills; south of Pomona and west of New City...
, New York, United States. It is a wood frame
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
Federal style
Architectural style
Architectural styles classify architecture in terms of the use of form, techniques, materials, time period, region and other stylistic influences. It overlaps with, and emerges from the study of the evolution and history of architecture...
building from the 1820s, the third church on the site.
When its congregation was established in 1734, it was the first by a group of English settlers in New York west of the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
. The building is the second oldest extant church in the county. In 1863 a school was built on nearby property and used by the local school district; it later became the oldest continuously-used public school building in the county. In 1977 the church and school, along with some other outbuildings, were listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as the English Church and Schoolhouse.
Buildings and grounds
The church and its outbuildings are on a 7 acres (2.8 ha) lot at the northeast corner of the slightly oblique intersection, just east of New York State Route 45New York State Route 45
New York State Route 45 is a north–south state highway in central Rockland County, New York, United States. It spans from the village of Chestnut Ridge at the New Jersey – New York border, where it becomes County Route 73 in Bergen County, New Jersey, to U.S. Route 202 in...
, a half-mile (1 km) west of Palisades Interstate Parkway
Palisades Interstate Parkway
The Palisades Interstate Parkway is a long limited-access highway in the U.S. states of New Jersey and New York. The parkway is a major commuter route into New York City from Rockland and Orange counties in New York and Bergen County in New Jersey...
and just south of New Hempstead Village Hall. There is another large institutional building on the west side of Route 45, and some residences along the south side of New Hempstead Road. The generally flat terrain is wooded, buffering the church and the other institutional buildings in the area from backyards in a nearby residential subdivision to the northeast.
Located at the southwest corner of the property, closest to both roads, the church itself is a two-story three-by-three-bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
structure sided in clapboard
Clapboard (architecture)
Clapboard, also known as bevel siding or lap siding or weather-board , is a board used typically for exterior horizontal siding that has one edge thicker than the other and where the board above laps over the one below...
with a gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d roof. There is a one-story addition on the rear (north) end. At the south (front) end, a shingled spire with belfry
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
topped by a weathervane rises.
The 12-over-12 double-hung sash window
Sash window
A sash window or hung sash window is made of one or more movable panels or "sashes" that form a frame to hold panes of glass, which are often separated from other panes by narrow muntins...
s on the front facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
are flanked by louver
Louver
A louver or louvre , from the French l'ouvert; "the open one") is a window, blind or shutter with horizontal slats that are angled to admit light and air, but to keep out rain, direct sunshine, and noise...
ed wooden shutters
Window shutter
A window shutter is a solid and stable window covering usually consisting of a frame of vertical stiles and horizontal rails...
. In the center of the attic is a smaller round-arched window with matching shutters. Above it is a small oculus
Oculus
An Oculus, circular window, or rain-hole is a feature of Classical architecture since the 16th century. They are often denoted by their French name, oeil de boeuf, or "bull's-eye". Such circular or oval windows express the presence of a mezzanine on a building's façade without competing for...
with radial muntin
Muntin
Muntin or Muntin bar is a strip of wood or metal separating and holding panes of glass in a window. Muntins are also called "glazing bars", "muntin bars", or "sash bars". Muntins can be found in doors, windows and furniture, typically in western styles of architecture...
s at the gable apex. The two side elevations are fully fenestrated with windows similar to those on the front. A fanlight
Fanlight
A fanlight is a window, semicircular or semi-elliptical in shape, with glazing bars or tracery sets radiating out like an open fan, It is placed over another window or a doorway. and is sometimes hinged to a transom. The bars in the fixed glazed window spread out in the manner a sunburst...
below an iron lamp surmounts the recessed double doors at the centrally located main entrance.
To the east of the church is a two-story wood frame manse
Manse
A manse is a house inhabited by, or formerly inhabited by, a minister, usually used in the context of a Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist or United Church...
. The old schoolhouse is a one-room frame building to the northeast. Its interior is decorated in embossed tin with neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
patterns. Behind them, to the north, are some more modern buildings and parking lots.
History
The lower western Hudson ValleyHudson Valley
The Hudson Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in New York State, United States, from northern Westchester County northward to the cities of Albany and Troy.-History:...
had been settled by the Dutch
Dutch colonization of the Americas
Dutch trading posts and plantations in the Americas precede the much wider known colonization activities of the Dutch in Asia. Whereas the first Dutch fort in Asia was built in 1600 , the first forts and settlements on the Essequibo river in Guyana and on the Amazon date from the 1590s...
in the late 17th century. English settlers began coming to the area after the purchase of the Kakiat Patent in what is now Rockland County in 1696. The New Hempstead area was purchased by a group of men from the Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
town of Hempstead in 1713 and gradually settled by migrants from that area.
By 1734, farms had been established, roads including the two that intersect at the church had been laid out, and there were enough settlers to establish the congregation
Local church
A local church is a Christian congregation of members and clergy.Local church may also refer to:* Local churches , a Christian group based on the teachings of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee, and associated with the Living Stream Ministry publishing house.* Parish church, a local church united with...
. It is the second oldest in the county after the Reformed Church of Tappan
Reformed Church of Tappan
The Reformed Church of Tappan in Tappan, Rockland County, New York is a historic church. It is a contributing property to the Tappan Historic District....
. A meeting house
Meeting house
A meeting house describes a building where a public meeting takes place. This includes secular buildings which function like a town or city hall, and buildings used for religious meetings, particularly of some non-conformist Christian denominations....
was built at the crossroads; over the next century the congregation grew enough that it would need to be replaced. During the Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
the church was an important meeting place for political and military activities since Patriot
Patriot (American Revolution)
Patriots is a name often used to describe the colonists of the British Thirteen United Colonies who rebelled against British control during the American Revolution. It was their leading figures who, in July 1776, declared the United States of America an independent nation...
forces including units of the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
used the road for movements in order to avoid the eyes of British ships along the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
to the east.
The current church was built in 1827. It is the oldest extant Federal style church in the county. The schoolhouse was built in 1867 and expanded to two rooms in 1891. At that point its interior decoration was added.
In 1905 the church, having sold off some of its original land including the farmhouse that had served as its parsonage, built the manse. It bought back another acre (4,000 m²) to build a playground
Playground
A playground or play area is a place with a specific design for children be able to play there. It may be indoors but is typically outdoors...
for the school. Later it was transferred to the East Ramapo Central School District
East Ramapo Central School District
East Ramapo Central School District is a school district headquartered in the Senator Eugene Levy Dr. Jack R. Anderson Education Center in the Town of Ramapo, New York, United States. The district serves areas of eastern Town of Ramapo, including Chestnut Ridge, New Hempstead, New Square, Spring...
and leased back from them.
Plumbing and heating was eventually added to the school. The one-story annex was built on the rear of the church in 1960. Murchison Hall, a modern church hall
Church hall
A church hall is a room or building associated with a church, general for community and charitable use . It is normally located near the church, typically in smaller and village communities. Activities in the hall are not necessarily religious, but are typically an important part of local community...
, was built north of the older buildings the next year. Twelve years later, in 1973, fire damaged the roof and north wall of the church. They were restored to their original appearance. There have been no significant changes to the buildings since then.
Programs
The church holds services every Sunday, with a fellowship hour afterwards. Sunday schoolSunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
is held at Murchison Hall. It is complemented by an adult Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
study group and one devoted to contemporary issues. A youth group meets on Sunday afternoons.
On the last Saturday of every month, the church holds a fellowship breakfast at a restaurant in nearby New City
New City, New York
New City is a hamlet , in the Town of Clarkstown Rockland County, New York, United States, part of the New York Metropolitan Area. The hamlet is a suburb of New York City, located 18 miles north of the city at the closest point, Riverdale, The Bronx...
. The choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
rehearses every Thursday. Other outside groups the church it supports include Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous is an international mutual aid movement which says its "primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." Now claiming more than 2 million members, AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio...
and Habitat for Humanity. It publishes a monthly newsletter, The Carriage Stone.