historic churches of dover nj

8/12/2019 Historic Churches of Dover NJ

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THE HISTORIC CHURCES OF DOVER

By George Laurie/Museum CuratorDover Area Historical Society

In the decades following the American Revolution, Dover, like most of Morris Countyand the rest of the country, was wild and lewd. The war had a demoralizing effect uponofficers and men. The restraints of religion had become irksome, infidelity had made rapid

progress and intemperance had greatly increased.(MunsellsHistory of Morris County1882)

Although Dover had yet no churches of its own, towns folks could travel by horse andwagon or walk to nearby Rockaway, to the Quaker meetinghouse or Millbrook.

Most families in Dover were beyond the reach of the local church thus the need forcircuit-riders. This paved the way for the Presbyterians and the Methodists to organize inDover.

The typical circuit rider was a young, single man who himself had already movedseveral time from village or town to the next. Before turning to preaching, many circuit ridershad been blacksmiths, carpenters, shoemakers, hatters, tanners, millers, shopkeepers, schooteachers, sailors and so on. They traveled light, carrying their belongings and books in theirsaddlebags.

At the time, Dover was a pretty wild town, miners, farmers, early pioneers settled in thisfrontier town and weekends were pretty wild. So trying to preach in Dover was not an easy

task

One early circuit rider who attempted to preach in Dover was Rev. Thomas Smith andhis colleague, the Rev. Owens. On one occasion, Rev. Smith attempted to hold a meeting inan old house where he preached a sermon to a few elderly ladies. An attack was made on thelife of Rev. Owens, where he was mobbed on the road just on the outskirts of town.

In December 1799 a gentleman of Dover invited Mr. Smith back to preach. Mr. Smithonce more entered this little village and was told there could be no preaching and any attemptwould cause a riot and the house would probably be torn down.

About 17-years later, Rev. Barnabas King of Rockaway was allowed to preach in Doverand held the first Sunday School service in 1816.

THE PRESBYTERIANS

When Mr. And Mrs. J. L. Allen moved to Dover in 1832 they saw the need to establish achurch and pastor. Those in favor of the plan were prepared to give generously toward thecause and those who opposed included the Newark Presbytery. Feeling the village was toosmall to support a church, the Presbytery did not want to weaken the Rockaway church.

Some of those expecting to join a new church in Dover were active members of theRockaway congregation. Finally, on April 23, 1835, the Rev. John Ford of Parsippany and theRev. Peter Kanouse, acting under the authority of the Presbytery of Newark, formed the First


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Presbyterian Church of Dover. With a membership of seven men and thirteen women, themeetings were held at the Stone Academy. Thus the first church organization of anydenomination was established in Dover in 1835.

THE METHODISTS

The first church built by any denomination in Dover was erected on the corner ofSussex and McFarlan Streets. The first Methodist Society in Dover was an offspring of the

Millbrook Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1838, the Rev. James Rogers was appointed toDover with the mission of building a church. On July 14, 1838, at a meeting of Doverinhabitants held at the old school house (little red school house)

THE LITTLE RED SCHOOLHOUSE

(This is a pictu re of THE LITTLE RED SCHOOLHOUSE once loc ated at the foo t of Morr is

Street. I t has also been referred to as the Academy and is often con fused with the Stone

Academy, which sto od direct ly across the street. The li t t le Red Schoolh ouse was bui l t

som etime in the late 1700s as a pu bl ic sc hoolho use.)

This circa 1840 sketch of Dover, commissioned by t he railroad authority (beforephotography) shows an active young village.

In the lower right hand corner is the completed, square-box shaped first Methodist churchbuilding facing south. In the rear of this picture you can see the Presbyterian Church steeplestill under construction. This would date this picture around 1842. Notice how active thevillage is by the number of smoke stacks. Dover was a real bustling boom town in the early1840s. This visual of Dover convinced the railroadrun a line to Dover in 1848.

THE GRACE METHODIST CHURCH OF DOVER

INTERIOR OF CHURCH IN 1925


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This is the Grace Methodist Church building at the corner of Sussex and McFarlanStreets constructed in 1890.

ORIGINAL CHURCH BUILDING AGAIN

The follow two photographs shows the original Methodist Church constructed in 1838converted into a duplex apartment house. This building was relocated to this location onNorth Sussex Street in 1890 prior to the construction of the current church.

Here is the Grace Methodist Church building again

. The corner stone to this church building was laid on August 22, 1838. The house islocated next to Browns Storage. It was very common to relocate buildings back then rather

than demolish them.

This is the only church building and perhaps the only building in Dover with two cornerstones. One dating 1838 and the other dating 1890. This new building was dedicated inJanuary 1891.

The first minister of this church was Rev. James O. Rogers. This church experienced asplit in 1876 and established a new church on the corner of Essex and Blackwell Streets..

THE PRESBYTERIANS

Meanwhile, the Presbyterians were busy on the other side of town holding theirmeetings in the Stone Academy and did so for seven years. This new church organizationbegan its useful career in Dover, not by building the first church house, but instead byinstalling the first full-time pastor. In August of 1835, the church appointed the Rev. JamesWyckoff as its first pastor .With the construction of the Methodist Church, the Presbyteriansmay have felt pressured to construct their own church building and in 1842 did so on thesouthwest corner of Blackwell and Prospect Streets.

The Stone Academy

(Here are som e views o f The Stone Ac ademy used as Dover f i rst churc h bu i lding by the

Presbyterians. This is one of Dovers most significant historic landmarks,The StoneAcademy is located on the Nat ional Registry of Histor ic Places.

The bui lding w as cons tructed in 1829 by Henry McFar lan to be used as a scho olhous e, pub l ic

bui lding and a church meet ing hous e.


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The Stone Academy s t i l l stands to day and is consid ered Dovers oldest building.Last used as a scho ol in 1876. I t was always used as a pr ivate school , never a pub l ic schoo l .

It may also have the distinction of being New Jerseys first parochial school.)

FIRST CHURCH BUILDING OF THE PRESBYTERIANS

This is a photograph of the first building of the Dover Presbyterians church constructed in1842. In this photograph you notice the steeple has been removed.

SECOND BUILDING OF THE PRESBYTERIANS

The second Presbyterian Church building was constructed on the southwest corner ofBlackwell and Prospect Streets.

Elder J. L. Allen left $10,000 toward the erection of this building and $5,000 for aparsonage, located just up the hill on Prospect Street. The second building was constructedand dedicated in 1872.

THIRD BUILDING OF THE PRESBYTERIANS


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The Hoagland Memorial Presbyterian Church was built by Mahlon Hoagland Jr. as amemorial to his wife, Martha D. Bigelow. The land was purchased from William H. Baker,former owner of the Baker Theater and was located on the once popular McFarland Park.

The Hoaglands were carpenters by trade and were responsible for many of the finestructures in Dover and Rockaway that included six rolling mills and the rolling mill in Dover.

At one time in Dovers history, all three Presbyterian churches proudly stood together

occupying the western end of Blackwell Street in the downtown district as seen in this lowerright-hand picture.

The skyline of the church looking across Mill Pond. Today the pond is covered by aparking lot and is the site of the Mill Pond Towers building.

FREE METHODISTS

The second oldest standing church in Dover is the Free Methodist church building locatedon N. Sussex Street. The Free Methodist Church was founded when some former Methodistsin Perry, New York, withdrew from their church because they opposed slavery. The society ofthe Free Methodist Church was organized in Dover in 1871. Their stone building at 53 NorthSussex Street was erected in 1872.

THREE VIEWS OF CHURCH OF FREE METHODIST CHURCH

The crude stone building was constructed on a lot donated by Manning Searing andwas dedication December 8, 1872 at a cost of $5000. The Free Methodists advocated

inexpensive buildings. It was here that church goers no longer had to rent their pews. Thepictures show the original church and the rear of the building. The next photo showsrenovations to the building to be converted into an apartment and retail business on NorthSussex Street.

THE METHODISTS (AGAIN)

Meanwhile, a division in the Methodist church in 1876 resulted in the formation of a newMethodist Society called the Second Methodist Episcopal Church of Dover. The Rev. C. S


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Coit was pastor when the church purchased a lot on the corner of Essex and Blackwell Streetand a new stone chapel was constructed in 1876.

The original stone church at the corner of Essex and Blackwell StreetsAnother view of thechurch as it looked before major additions were made.

THE FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

In 1906 under the leadership of Rev. A. B. Richardson, the official church boarddetermined to utilize the large vacant space in front of the chapel to construct a new, larger

auditorium. The church members and people in town responded generously and the cornerstone was laid on April 13, 1907.

Excitement is in the air as the church begins and new chapter in its growth.

The completed church in 1907, still looks pretty much the same today, except for thenew additions to the side of the church on Blackwell Street.

ST JOHNS EPISCOPAL CHURCH

On November 8, 1849, the first regular Episcopal services began in the upper chamberof the Stone Academy. The Rev. Charles Ranking of St Peters Church in Morristownconducted the regular services. On March 24, 1850, Charles and Henry McFarlan organizedthe first Sunday School called the St Johns Seminary. The congregation was organized as aparish in 1852. In 1866, Henry McFarlan and his wife Ann, deeded property at the edge of townwhich was designated as a future site for a church building.


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Ground was broken for a church building on October 18, 1866 but work was suspended.The church building was finally completed on May 27, 1871.

It was known as the first permanent church building in Dover. The building alonecosts $13,612 and the total cost was $15,637 and was largely financed by Henry McFarlan,George Richards and Mr. Eyland each contributing equal amounts. Pews were rented in thenew church until 1897.

A pipe organ was ordered in 1873 at a cost of $965.50. The church was first wired for

electricity in 1894 and redone again in 1927. A church bell was order from Troy, New York in1903 costing $325 and weighed 500 pounds. It was first rung on Easter Sunday in 1903.

During the great Flu epidemic of 1918, the church played a major role in helping thetown overcome its illnesses.

In 1956, the 70-year old Victorian Rectory of the church was razed to provide for off-street parking of church members. A new rectory was purchased at 61 Baker Avenue.

SWEDISH TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH

Between 1872 and 1874, religious services in the Swedish language were held in the

Presbyterian Church for those Swedish immigrants who came to Dover, many of them beingemployed by the railroad.

By 1886, the meetings were held in the old schoolhouse on Mt. Hope Ave. and a smallorgan was purchased for $15. Early in 1888, services were moved to a hall at the corner ofBlackwell and Mercers Streets. On March 9, 1889 the church was incorporated as the SwedishEvangelical Lutheran Trinity Church of Dover. A small lot was purchased at the corner ofMercer and Blackwell Streets and work soon began on a new church building on October 9,1894 and was completed and dedicated on April 30, 1895.

The Evangelical Lutheran Trinity Church of Dover enjoys the distinction of being the firstSwedish congregation to be organized in the State of NewJersey since colonial times


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In 1912, a parsonage was added and remained until 1972 when it was destroyed by fire. A

new parsonage was not constructed, instead a new Parish Life Center which remains in usetoday.

The final construction and remodeling to Trinity was made in 1984 with the need of morespace and easier access. The church remains The Little Yellow Church on theCorner

In the 1970s the church served as a nursing home, Market Street Mission, Dover WelfareDepartment and the church continues its outreach programs through the Food Cupboard, the

Faith Kitchen, the Mental Health Drop-In Center and Social Club and sponsors the Meals onWheels program and the Parish Nurse Program.

SWEDISH METHODIST CHURCH

In 1873, a large colony of Swedes and Danes migrated to Dover and erected a chapel at44 Grant Street at a cost of $2900. This became the first Swedish Methodist Church. Thechurch building still stands today as a private home.

This is the first chapel located at on Grant Streetwas dedicated on December 7, 1873.

The congregation moved to their new church building here at 21 Hudson Street. TheSwedish Methodist church ceased to exist in 1922 as its members scattered to otherMethodist churches in town. This building was later occupied by the Christian and MissionaryAlliance Church which occupied the building for many years and later moved to RandolphTwp..


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singers from many places to conduct meetings. Today it is called the Chapel In The Hills andis still active to this day. One interesting footnote. The Presbyterian Church still has a leanon this church building and if it ever becomes anything but a church, ownership reverts backto the mother church on W. Blackwell Street.

SACRAD HEART CHURCH

In 1905, the congregation of the Chapel of the Sacred Heart, an off-shoot of St. MarysChurch in Wharton, purchased a vacant lot on Bergen Street next to the Seven Sister rowhouses. The cornerstone to this new church was laid on September 24, 1905 and was

completed by Christmas. However, the dedication was held off until June 3, 1906. The churchseated 275 and cost $14,000.00 to build.

SACRED HEART PARISH SCHOOL

In 1924 a parish school was built and staffed by the Caldwell Dominican Sisters from itsopening until their withdrawal in 1977. The sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth staffed theschool for a number of years. It was staffed by the Sisters of Most Sorrowful Mother andseveral lay teachers. The 250 students range from Pre-K, full day kindergarten and grades 1-8The school closed in 2010.

On April 9, 1954, ground was broken for a new Sacred Heart Church at 4 RichardAvenue. The cornerstone was laid December 11, 1955, and the first Mass was held in the newChurch, March 12, 1956. It is of yellow brick Romanesque design by Daniel Source, of EastOrange. The contractor was NicholesD'Elia, of Jersey City. It seats 800 and cost $300,000. In1988,the interior was altered to provide for a "thrust" stage projecting into the congregation toaccommodate the communion table, and re-locating the baptistery to the center of thecongregation. A small organ was installed at the front of the church.

FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST SCIENCE

The First Church of Christ Science constructed this church in 1929 at 360 W. BlackwellStreet. Chartered on May 14, 1907, the church held its first services in the Palmer Buildingand later the Livingston buildings in downtown Dover.

In 1916, it was recognized as a church with a reading room at the same location.


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The dedication was held in 1945.

In 1966 the reading room was moved to 11 N. Bergen St. in the same store that HenryPlatte once used as a photo studio. The store front was renovated and used as a readingroom for the next 14 years.

The Reading Room then moved to its current location in 1980 at 36 N. Sussex St. in theHarry L. Schwarz building across from Town Hall.

In November 1999, the church was closed and the building was sold. The churchrelocated to the Christian Science Church at 114 Woodport Road in Sparta.Today the Reading Room remains active in Dover, open to the public 3 days a week between11 am to 3 pm. The public is always invited to stop in a say hello

CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE

On March 17, 1925, the Church of the Nazarene was organized in Dover under the DoverInter-denominational Holiness Association. On June 22 they began their regular services inthe rooms over the Dover Advance office on East Blackwell Street. Ground was broken for a

new church building on Hudson Street in 1929 and the new church was dedicated on January11, 1930. The church later moved to Denville and became the First Lakeland Church of theNazarene. The church is now called New Hope.

ABATH SHALOM SYNAGOGNE


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Abath Israel of Dover, an Orthodox Hebrew Congregation, was organized October 18,1917, with 32 charter members. They held services, in Hebrew, Friday and Saturday morningsand evenings, in a hall over the Pierson's Clothing Store at 6 West Blackwell Street.

The Dover Jewish Center was constructed in 1934. In August of 1978, the building was

sold and moved to a newer building at 18 Thompson Avenue.

The building located on Thompson AvenueToday, the congregation moved to Randolph Township.

FOUNDERS BAPTIST CHURCH OF DOVER

YOUNG MENS CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION

The Young Mens Christian Association was formed in 1868. Its members were drawn fromvarious churches in the area. Since the mines drew many foreign immigrants to the Doverarea, the YMCA opened an evening school to teach them to speak and read English. For manyyears, the organization was housed in a beautiful building facing the Commons at 76 BergenStreet. In 1981, it moved to its current location at 14 Dover-Chester Road in Randolph

Original YMCA building on Bergen Street. The YMCA today located in RandolphTownship.

SALVATION ARMY

Today this is the home of the Salvation Army an organization established in 1865 byWilliam Booth know as the Christian Mission until 1878 when it officially became TheSalvation Army. Dovers mission started in 1900 and held several locations around town,

before moving here.

Here the Salvation Army was housed on the second floor of the WoodhullGrocery Store at 14 South Morris Street.


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Here the Salvation Army band plays in the middle of the street. The SundaySchool at the time was between 150 to 175 members. This building was later demolished.

Many old-timers remember the Salvation Army located in the old Guenther Turn-Hall onRoute46, today the site of the Meineke Shop. Today the Salvation Army also runs a majoroutlet store of used clothing and furniture located in the old Acme Supermarket store onBassett Highway. The Salvation Army is an international movement preaching the gospel ofGod and meeting human needs.

WORD OF LIFE CHURCH

In 1989 Pastor Sal Bellini started the Word of Life Christian Ministries as a simple Biblestudy group at a VFW Hall in Whippany. Not long thereafter, a group of young rock musiciansand some friends gave their lives to the Lord. These young people became part of the Wordof Life music ministry. Sunday services were moved to the Bellinins home in Randolph twp.The church moved briefly to the Madison Hotel in Madison until the Methodist church inBoonton became available. However, it wasnt long again until the congregation had to move

again, this time to an old car dealership building on Blackwell Street. It was at this locationthat townspeople began to gain interest in the church. Finding a large commercial buildingbecoming available the church moved again to 67 Bassett Highway. The owner was good tothe church and offered renovations and build offices, a childrens facility and a sanctuary.This was finally the place to call home.

PASTOR BELLINI

On June 8, 2003, Pastor Sal Bellini passed away after a long illness. His funeral wasattended by over 200 people and was a testimony to the great impact Pastor Sal had on Doverand the surrounding area. Today the church continues its great mission work in Morris

County and Dover.

INGLISH LATINO AMERICANA SIGN

(70 HUDSON ST)Rembember this church at 70 Hudson Street?


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UNITED LATIN AMERICAN PENTECOSTAL CHURCH"United Latin American Pentecostal Church (Iglesia Pentecostal UnidaLatinoamericana)"

Today, this church site is the home of the United Latin American Pentecostal Church ofDover. Around 1995 native Columbians living in the Dover area realized the need for theirhome church from Columbia, which happens to be the second largest church organization inthat country and a group of four individuals got together and held services in the basement ofa Randolph home. One year later the group rented the basement of the Bergen Building onBergen street and grew to about 30 members.

Realizing the need for a larger church building, efforts began to find a new location. In2001, the congregation was able to secure this site and with a membership of 60 was able tomove in. Today, the church has over 120 members with Rev. Nestor Rivera as their pastor.The church offers several community outreach programs reaching out to families in need.

The United Latin American Pentecostal Church soon hopes to open a Day Care center on itlarge, fenced in property on Hudson Street.. Truly another success story for a Dover churchbeing blessed by the will of God.

HOLY ROSARY CHURCH

GOOD SHEPERD LUTHERAN CHURCHThe Good Sheperd Lutheran Church was organized in 1914 and held services in the

basement of the Swedish Trinity Lutheran Church on Blackwell Street. The Good SheperdLutheran church was founded to serve the Germans who had migrated to Dover to work at the

Guenther Hosiery Mills and Picatinny Arsenal. The first pastor was Rev. Baier who alsofounded the King of King Lutheran Church in Mt. Lakes and the Lutheran Church in MorrisPlains. While living in Dover, Pastor Baier would take the train to Boonton a conduct services,would return to Dover for afternoon services and get a ride to Morris Plains to hold servicesthere.

In the 1950s as the church grew and purchased a lot on Myrtle Ave. and constructed achurch. By the 1960s when parking became an issue, the church purchased property in theMt. Fern section of Randolph Township and moved there in the 1970s.Today the Church is located at 319 Quaker Church Road. The Rev. John D. Reynolds ispastor.

NEW LIFE FAMILY
http://www.ipul.us/quienes.htmhttp://www.ipul.us/quienes.htmhttp://www.ipul.us/quienes.htm


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The New Life Family Church is a new kind of church designed to meet your needs intodays world. The beautiful, newly renovated facility located at 158 W. Clinton Street (The oldPicture Frame factory on Rt. 15) is where one can enjoy upbeat music and hear positive,practical Bible messages which will strengthen and encourage one to face the challenges oflife. Children can be trusted to the care of dedicated, trained workers who minister Godsword through puppet shows, videos and games. And the kids will love the cool game room.The church also serves a Sunday brunch for the whole family. The New Life Family Churchprides itself as offering a positive experience at attending church on Sunday.

CHURCH OF LATTER DAY SAINTS

The Dover Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is located at 103 BassettHighway. It was in the Spring of 1820, when 14-year old Joseph Smith went into a grove oftrees near his home in Palmyra, New York and prayed to learn which church he should join. Inhis prayers, he learned that the church originally organized by Jesus Christ was no longer onthe earth. Joseph Smith was chosen by God to restore the Church of Jesus Christ to theearth. The church was finally organized in Fayette, New York on April 6, 1830. Today it hasgrown to an organization with members and congregations throughout the world.

MT ZION BAPTIST CHURCH

Pastor Andre L McGuire was called to the Mt Zion Baptist Church in Dover inSeptember, 1999. Since coming to Dover, Pastor McGuire has worked tirelessly building aSunday School program, Bible study group, and prayer services which he considers asimportant as the Sunday morning worship service.

While at Mt Zion, the membership of the church has slowly but surely showed a steadyincrease with new ministries being born. Mt Zions ministries now include The Angels of Ziona Dance Ministry, Devotion Team, Food Ministry, Mens and Womens Bible Study groups anda Media Ministry which includes a popular Web site.

THERE ARE OTHER CHURCHES IN THE DOVER AREA THAT HAVE HAD JUST AS MUCH OF

AN HISTORIC IMPACT ON DOVER AS DID THE DOVER CHURCHES. WELL BRIEFLY COVERA FEW OF THOSE CHURCHES.

ST MARYS CHURCH


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ST MARYS PARISH

St Marys, the first Catholic parish in northwest Morris County, was founded in 1845,primarily for the Irish immigrants who were drawn to employment in the mines around theDover area. A simple, single-story church, was built in 1846 diagonally across the street fromthe present day church. In 1872, the corner stone was laid for the new church, which stillstands to this day. In 1899, the present rectory was built.

The Bishop of Newark, JamesRooseveltBayley, blessed the cornerstone of the newchurch. The building stone came from mines near the church, which parishioners helped cartto the site. The style of St Marys resembles churches put up in Ireland from 1840 to the1860s.

QUAKER FRIENDS MEETINGHOUSE

The Quaker meeting house was built on Lamsons Farm along the Quaker-Church Roadin 1748. A large colony of Quakers settled here as part of the William Penns Return of 1715which included all land in Dover, south of the Rockaway River. Most Quakers at the time werefarmers, providing fresh produce to Dover citizens. Dovers first butcher, who supplied freshmeat to residents, was a Quaker, Mr. Brotherton.

This landmark along the Quaker-Church Road is on the National Register of Historic

Places is also recorded in the Library of Congress in the Historic American Buildings Surveyfor architectural interest. It is in the same structural condition as when first build in 1758. Stillin use today by the Society of Friends (Quakers) it is the most important historic place in theentire area west of Morristown. Seven generations of the Brotherton family have kept themeetinghouse preserved, and many are buried in the cemetery behind the Quaker Church.

MT FERN CHURCH


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Even though this church is not located in Dover, it retains much of Dovers earlyhistory. Organized in 1883, the first service at Mt Fern was held on November 11, 1883. TheRev. Robert D. Jenkins of Dover was the first pastor of the church. He and his wife, ElizabethCox Jenkins moved from England and settled in Dover in 1869. The Mt Fern Methodists werea splinter group from the Millbrook Methodist Church because of a dispute over burial rightsin the Millbrook Cemetery. Apparently a miner by the name of Mr. Feebie was accidently killedin a mining accident. Noting that Mr. Freebie was an Englishman, the congregation atMillbrook refused his burial in that cemetery. Apparently, anti-British feelings were still verystrong at that time in history. John Spargo was fed up with the whole issue and decided thatMillbrook was too far to walk to every Sunday, so he organized the Mt Fern Church. AuthorCharles Platt writes in his Dover History book of a great 4 of July celebration in 1914 wherehundreds of people marched from downtown Dover up to Mt Fern for a massive celebrationand raised over $300 to support the church.

MT HOPE MINERS CHURCH

The Mount Hope Miners Church was erected in 1868 through the efforts of the Mt HopeMining Company for the convenience of its employees. The church was never officially anyone single denomination, however Methodists made up a large majority of the miners. In the1870s, the church basement was used as a public school. The church building was closed inthe 1980s and sits vacant to this day. There are efforts underway for the historic restorationof the church building.

MILLBROOK METHODIST CHURCH


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historic churches of dover nj

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