The Cold Spring Presbyterian Church is home to a congregation of worship and mission of the

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) The Presbyterian Church (USA), abbreviated PC(USA), is a mainline Protestant denomination in the United States. It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the US, and known for its liberal stance on doctrine and its ordaining of women and ...

and West Jersey Presbytery that began in 1714.

Building

The historic two-story red brick building located at 780 Seashore Road in the Cold Spring section of Lower Township, in

Cape May County Cape May County is the southernmost county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Much of the county is located on Cape May bound by Delaware Bay to its west and the Atlantic Ocean to its south and east. Adjacent to the Atlantic coastline are f ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. The current church building, known as "Old Brick", was constructed in 1823 by Thomas H. Hughes, who was also the architect of

Congress Hall Congress Hall, located in Philadelphia at the intersection of Chestnut and 6th Streets, served as the seat of the United States Congress from December 6, 1790, to May 14, 1800. During Congress Hall's duration as the capitol of the United State ...

Cape May, New Jersey Cape May is a city located at the southern tip of Cape May Peninsula in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States, where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the country's oldest vacation resort destinations, and part of ...

. This red brick building replaced a frame and shingle church erected in 1764, which itself replaced a 1714 log meetinghouse., reprinted in "The First Resort," Ben Miller, Exit Zero Publishing, 2009, Cape May, New Jersey. The church's cemetery, Cold Spring Presbyterian Cemetery, is the site of a 1742 grave (that of Sarah Eldridge Spicer) and of the most

Mayflower ''Mayflower'' was an English ship that transported a group of English families, known today as the Pilgrims, from England to the New World in 1620. After a grueling 10 weeks at sea, ''Mayflower'', with 102 passengers and a crew of about 30, r ...

descendants anywhere outside

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

. The church was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

on June 14, 1991 for its significance in settlement, architecture, religion, and government. With

History

The congregation was founded in 1714, following the settlement of the area by Connecticut Presbyterians. The first regular pastor was the Rev. John Bradner, who served from 1715 until 1721, when he moved to Goshen in

Orange County, New York Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 401,310. The county seat is Goshen. This county was first created in 1683 and reorganized with its present boundaries in 1798. Orange ...

. The Rev. Hughston Hughes served as pastor for one year, starting in 1726, before being dismissed for "his too free use of intoxicating drinks." The Rev.

Samuel Finley Samuel Finley (July 2, 1715 – July 17, 1766) was an Irish-born American Presbyterian minister and academic. He founded the West Nottingham Academy and was the fifth president and an original trustee of the College of New Jersey (later ren ...

served as pastor for several years. Finley, who was a graduate of the Log College, later became president of the College of New Jersey, the predecessor of

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

. Another Log College graduate, the Rev. Daniel Lawrence, served as pastor from 1752 until his death in 1766. His tombstone in the adjacent graveyard was inscribed The two hundredth anniversary of the church was celebrated on August 16, 1914. John Wanamaker, who attended when a child, contributed generously to the endowment fund. President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

sent a congratulatory letter. File:Cold Spring Presbyterian Church and Cemetery, NJ.jpg, Church and Cemetery File:Cold Spring NJ Old Brick Presby PHS723.jpg, On a pre-1923 postcard File:Cold Spring Presby from SW.JPG, View from the southwest. Note that the rear section was added since the postcard picture

2016 community

The congregation :''...continues to believe that everyone deserves to experience God's love in relevant and authentic way'' :''...The thriving faith community began a community-focused transformational initiative in 2016. Cold Spring Presbyterian Church delivers spiritual resources and experiences that are centered in God’s love and proclaim the abundant life through Jesus Christ to make greater Cape May a better place through worship, activities, events, and other ministries.''

Notable burials

* T. Millet Hand (1902–1956), represented

New Jersey's 2nd congressional district New Jersey's 2nd congressional district, based in Southern New Jersey, is represented by Republican Jeff Van Drew. He was first elected as a Democrat in 2018, but announced on December 19, 2019, that he would be switching parties. The distric ...

in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from 1945–1957. * J. Thompson Baker (1847–1919), represented

in the

from 1913–1915. * Thomas H. Hughes (1769–1839), represented New Jersey's at-large congressional district in the

from 1829–1833. * Charles W. Sandman Jr. (1921–1985), represented

in the

from 1913–1915. *Lieutenant

Richard Wickes Richard Wickes (died June 29, 1776) was an officer in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War. He served as the third lieutenant on the , captained by his brother Lambert Wickes. During the Battle of Turtle Gut Inlet, he was ...

(died June 29, 1776)

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, mortally wounded at the

Battle of Turtle Gut Inlet The Battle of Turtle Gut Inlet (June 29, 1776) was an important, early naval victory for the Continental Navy and the future "Father of the American Navy", Captain John Barry. It was the first privateer battle of the American Revolutionary War. ...

. File:Richard Wickes Gravestone.jpg,

File:Cold Spring Presby stone 1a.JPG, Memucan Hughes, II (1857)Find A Grave memorial for Memucan Hughes, II, 1810-1857
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References

External links

* *
Cape May Landmarks: Cold Spring Church
- ''

Cape May Times The ''Cape May Time''s was created in 2001 by Jane Kashlak, a former WNBC investigative producer and five-time New York Emmy Award winner. The online publication originated as a guide to local events and movie times. Since then it has grown to in ...

'' Article
Cold Spring Presbyterian Cemetery
at

The Political Graveyard The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information. The name comes from the website's inclusion of burial locations o ...

{{Authority control Lower Township, New Jersey Churches completed in 1823 19th-century Presbyterian church buildings in the United States Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey Presbyterian churches in New Jersey Cemeteries in Cape May County, New Jersey Protestant Reformed cemeteries U.S. Route 9 Churches in Cape May County, New Jersey National Register of Historic Places in Cape May County, New Jersey New Jersey Register of Historic Places 1714 establishments in New Jersey Cold Spring Historic American Buildings Survey in New Jersey

Building

History

2016 community

Notable burials

See also

References

External links