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 | |
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| Location | US 9 at Elizabethtown–Lewis Road, Lewis, New York |
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| Coordinates | 44°16′40″N 73°34′5″W / 44.27778°N 73.56806°W |
| Area | 8.6 acres (3.5 ha) |
| Built | 1812 |
| Architectural style | Early-late 19th-century vernacular |
| NRHP reference No. | 04001457[1] |
| Added to NRHP | January 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
edit- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ Brown, George (1905). Pleasant Valley, A history of Elizabethtown, Essex County, New York. Elizabethtown, New York: Post and Gazette. pp. 252–253.
- ^ 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".
- ^ "Inez Milholland Memorial, Lewis, N.Y., 1924". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
- ^ "Inez Milholland's Grave". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
- ^ Reiner, Alvin. "Lewis church celebrating 2 centuries". Press-Republican. Retrieved 2020-04-21.