The First Church of Hanover, also known as the First Presbyterian Church of Hanover or the Hanover Presbyterian Church, is located on Mount Pleasant Avenue in
East Hanover,
Morris County,
New Jersey, United States. Established in 1718 in what was then the British
Province of New Jersey, it is a member of the
Presbyterian Church (USA)
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 is the oldest religious congregation in Morris County.
The congregation's current building, constructed in 1835, is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places.
[ With ]
History
The earliest record of the church is a deed dated September 2, 1718, from John Richard, "Schoolmaster," for three and a half acres of land adjoining the
Whippany River, "in consideration of ye love, good will, and affection which I have and do bear towards my
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
friends and neighbors in Whippany," "and especially of those who shall or may mutually covenant by subscription to erect a decent and suitable meeting house for the public worship of God."
Due to long traveling distance and population increasing, "so-called" sister churches emerged in
Morristown Morristown may refer to:
Places Canada
*Morristown, Nova Scotia (disambiguation)
United States
* Morristown, Arizona
*Morristown, Indiana
** Morristown station (Indiana)
*Morristown, Minnesota
** Morristown Township, Rice County, Minnesota
*Morris ...
,
Madison, and
Parsippany. The Hanover Church was then rebuilt in 1755 near its current location. The church stood slightly east of the present building and parallel to the roadway. It served as a hospital during the
Revolution when an epidemic of smallpox broke out among the soldiers quartered in and around Morristown. It has been said that
Washington and his staff occupied the manse which is now remodeled and still stands a bit beyond and across the street from the present manse.
In 1835 the current church building was constructed from timbers from an old building and oak trees from the surrounding property. A few of the timbers in the edifice bear the marks of the hooks which suspended the cots when the old building was used as a hospital during the Revolution. The belfry was constructed in accordance with a design by the architect, Sir
Christopher Wren
Sir Christopher Wren PRS FRS (; – ) was one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history, as well as an anatomist, astronomer, geometer, and mathematician-physicist. He was accorded responsibility for rebuilding 52 churches ...
.
Adjacent to the church property is a small cemetery. The cemetery contains many historic grave sites. One of the oldest graves is that of Ruth Burnet, 1750. The other grave sites are that of 52 soldiers, 38 from the Revolutionary War, 3 from the
War of 1812, 8 from the
Civil War, 1 from
World War I and 2 from
World War II.
See also
*
References
External links
First Presbyterian Church of Hanover- Official church website
{{DEFAULTSORT:First Church Of Hanover
Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey
Greek Revival church buildings in New Jersey
Gothic Revival church buildings in New Jersey
Churches completed in 1835
19th-century Presbyterian church buildings in the United States
Churches in Morris County, New Jersey
National Register of Historic Places in Morris County, New Jersey
East Hanover Township, New Jersey
New Jersey Register of Historic Places