Old Bergen Church
Encyclopedia
The Old Bergen Church is located in Jersey City
, New Jersey
and is the oldest continuous congregation in New Jersey dating back to 1660. The congregation embraces a combination of Reformed Church in America
and Presbyterianism
.
The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places
on August 14, 1973. The original church building was constructed in 1680 and the current church was built in 1841.
in 1660. The first services were held in a log schoolhouse. In 1680 an octagonal, sandstone
church was built by William Day. The church was located on Vroom street, between Bergen and Tuers Avenues. The congregation outgrew the original church and a second church was erected in 1773. This church was also made of sandstone and was located at the corner of Bergen Avenue and Vroom Street. The third and current church was built in 1841 by William H. Kirk and Company and Clark and Van Nest. The congregation is currently affiliated with the Reformed Church in America
(RCA) and Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (PCUSA).
are affiliated with the church.
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and is the oldest continuous congregation in New Jersey dating back to 1660. The congregation embraces a combination of Reformed Church in America
Reformed Church in America
The Reformed Church in America is a mainline Reformed Protestant denomination in Canada and the United States. It has about 170,000 members, with the total declining in recent decades. From its beginning in 1628 until 1819, it was the North American branch of the Dutch Reformed Church. In 1819, it...
and Presbyterianism
Presbyterianism
Presbyterianism refers to a number of Christian churches adhering to the Calvinist theological tradition within Protestantism, which are organized according to a characteristic Presbyterian polity. Presbyterian theology typically emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the authority of the Scriptures,...
.
The church was added to 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...
on August 14, 1973. The original church building was constructed in 1680 and the current church was built in 1841.
History
The congregation was formed in the village of BergenBergen, New Netherland
Bergen was a part of the 17th century province of New Netherland, in the area in northeastern New Jersey along the Hudson and Hackensack Rivers that would become contemporary Hudson and Bergen Counties...
in 1660. The first services were held in a log schoolhouse. In 1680 an octagonal, sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
church was built by William Day. The church was located on Vroom street, between Bergen and Tuers Avenues. The congregation outgrew the original church and a second church was erected in 1773. This church was also made of sandstone and was located at the corner of Bergen Avenue and Vroom Street. The third and current church was built in 1841 by William H. Kirk and Company and Clark and Van Nest. The congregation is currently affiliated with the Reformed Church in America
Reformed Church in America
The Reformed Church in America is a mainline Reformed Protestant denomination in Canada and the United States. It has about 170,000 members, with the total declining in recent decades. From its beginning in 1628 until 1819, it was the North American branch of the Dutch Reformed Church. In 1819, it...
(RCA) and Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. (PCUSA).
Notable burials
The Old Bergen Church Cemetery and the Speer CemeterySpeer Cemetery
Speer Cemetery is located on Vroom Street near Bergen Square in Jersey City, New Jersey.Slightly over one acre, the burial ground had been used by the De Mott family, early settlers to Bergen, New Netherland from the 1660s. Although it has been called the "oldest cemetery of European settlers in...
are affiliated with the church.
- Jane TeursJane TeursJannetje Van Reypen Tuers was American Revolutionary War Patriot and had a role in confirming information about a British conspiracy with Benedict Arnold to take over West Point....
(d. 1834) - American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary WarThe 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...
patriot.
See also
- Bergen, New NetherlandBergen, New NetherlandBergen was a part of the 17th century province of New Netherland, in the area in northeastern New Jersey along the Hudson and Hackensack Rivers that would become contemporary Hudson and Bergen Counties...
- Bergen SquareBergen SquareBergen Square, at the intersection of Bergen Avenue and Academy Street in Jersey City, is in the southwestern part of the much larger Journal Square district...
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Hudson County, New Jersey
- Oldest churches in the United StatesOldest churches in the United StatesThe designation of the oldest church in the United States requires careful use of definitions, and must be divided into two parts, the oldest in the sense of oldest surviving building, and the oldest in the sense of oldest Christian church congregation...
- Van Wagenen HouseVan Wagenen HouseThe Van Wagenen House, also known as Apple Tree House is located near Bergen Square in Jersey City, New Jersey. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 16, 2006.-History:...
- List of cemeteries in Hudson County, New Jersey
- VoorleserVoorleserVoorleser was the title given to a highly responsible citizen in colonial Dutch settlements in North America, who had semi-official duties in local law, education and religion.-Origin and use:...
External links
- List of burials
- http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=bergen+and+highland+ave+jersey+city&sll=40.825063,-74.099715&sspn=0.007924,0.013797&g=12+Meadow+Rd,+Rutherford,+Bergen,+New+Jersey+07070&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Bergen+Ave+%26+Highland+Ave,+Jersey+City,+Hudson,+New+Jersey+07306&ll=40.726877,-74.067324&spn=0.001968,0.003449&t=h&z=18&layer=c&cbll=40.72696,-74.067292&panoid=GEWXVURwN1EqCJd5vqaXEQ&cbp=12,291.65,,0,-19.35View of Old Bergen Church] via Google Street ViewGoogle Street ViewGoogle Street View is a technology featured in Google Maps and Google Earth that provides panoramic views from various positions along many streets in the world...