First Congregational Church and Cemetery

First Congregational Church and Cemetery is a historic Congregational church and cemetery on US 9 at Elizabethtown-Lewis Road in Lewis, Essex County, New York.

First Congregational Church and Cemetery
LocationUS 9 at Elizabethtown–Lewis Road, Lewis, New York
Coordinates44°16′40″N 73°34′5″W
Area8.6 acres (3.5 ha)
Built1812
Architectural styleEarly-late 19th-century vernacular
NRHP reference No.04001457[1]
Added to NRHPJanuary 5, 2005

According to a church historian (Mrs. Milford Lee), a group of residents met in Elizabethtown on 12 June 1812 to organize a local Congregational church. Those present included Rev. Cyrus Comstock and Rev. Burbank, as well as fourteen local residents who became members of the church.[2] The church was built between 1823 and 1834 and slightly modified in the late 19th century. It is a rectangular, gable roofed frame building sheathed in clapboard siding. It features a large, central bell tower with an elegant Federal style belfry topped by a bell cast roof. Adjacent to the church is the 7.6-acre (3.1 ha) village cemetery established in the 1820s and still in use today.[3] Among those laid to rest in its cemetery is the suffragist Inez Milholland.[4][5]

The church became part of the larger United Church of Christ in February 1961.[6]

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.[1]

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. Brown, George (1905). Pleasant Valley, A history of Elizabethtown, Essex County, New York. Elizabethtown, New York, pp. 252-253.: Post and Gazette.CS1 maint: location (link)
  3. Nancy L. Todd (September 2004). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: First Congregational Church and Cemetery". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved 2010-07-14. See also: "Accompanying five photos".
  4. "[Inez Milholland Memorial, Lewis, N.Y., 1924]". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
  5. "Inez Milholland's Grave". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
  6. Press-RepublicanPress-Republican, ALVIN REINER. "Lewis church celebrating 2 centuries". Press-Republican. Retrieved 2020-04-21.


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