Somerset County, New Jersey
Somerset County is a county located in the north-central part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States Census, the county's population was 345,361, an increase of 21,917 (6.8%) from the 323,444 counted at the 2010 U.S Cen ...
, United States. It is the fourth oldest church in Franklin Township. It was organized in 1834, and the ''New York Times'' noted their first church was built in
Colonial times
The ''Colonial Times'' was a newspaper in what is now the Australian state of Tasmania. It was established as the ''Colonial Times, and Tasmanian Advertiser'' in 1825 in Hobart, Van Diemen's Land
Van Diemen's Land was the colon ...
and was one of the landmarks of the region."Lightning Destroys Historical Church'' New York Times'', 4 July 1917. The church is a
contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distri ...
of the
Middlebush Village Historic District
The Middlebush Village Historic District is a historic district located in the Village of Middlebush, an unincorporated community within Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey. The district was added to the National Register of Histo ...
that 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 v ...
on April 24, 2007.
The church is a part of the
Reformed Church in America
The Reformed Church in America (RCA) is a Mainline Protestant, mainline Reformed tradition, Reformed Protestant Christian denomination, denomination in Canada and the United States. It has about 152,317 members. From its beginning in 1628 unti ...
.
History
It was organized by Dutch settlers on March 19, 1834 in the Colonial Farms area of what is now Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey. The initial three member committee included the first Reverend of the church Jacob Schultz. The settlers had "migrated from
Manhattan Island
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
seeking more tillable land". Residents were previously traveling to Reformed churches in
Hillsborough, New Jersey
Hillsborough Township is a township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. The township is centrally located in the Raritan Valley region within the much larger New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the tow ...
;
Franklin Park, New Jersey
Franklin Park is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Franklin Township, in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States.New Brunswick
New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...
. The few Dutch families initially met in a barn "in what is now O'Connor's Beef 'N Chowder House on Amwell Road" owned by the Voorhees family. One descendant, Mary Amanda Voorhees, "Miss Amanda", later served as the church's organist for forty-five years. " rvices continued there until 1835, when the white frame church was completed". Three locations for the church building were considered: one on Amwell Road north of the current location, one on South Middlebush Road south of the railroad tracks, and the current location on the corner of South Middlebush Road and Amwell Avenue. One acre of land was given for the church lot and about five more acres continuing along South Middlebush Road were purchased by the church. The acreage was divided into smaller lots and sold off in 1839. The cornerstone of the church building was laid on June 7, 1834. During construction, the search for a pastor began. Jacob I. Schultz (1792-1852), the pastor at
Whitehouse Station, New Jersey
Whitehouse Station, also spelled White House Station, is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Readington Township, in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. At the 2010 United States Census, the CDP's population was ...
and
Lebanon, New Jersey
Lebanon is a borough in Hunterdon County,in the U.S. stateof New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 1,358, Congregation members who lived nearby rescued furniture and the church membership book. A kerosene lamp was saved, and is currently hanging in the church. Planning for the new building at the same site started immediately but construction was delayed by
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. The
Gothic revival
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
building was rebuilt using stone from the
Martinsville, New Jersey
Martinsville is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Bridgewater Township, in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States.living nativity which includes four readings from the
Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
and ends with the
adoration of the magi
The Adoration of the Magi or Adoration of the Kings is the name traditionally given to the subject in the Nativity of Jesus in art in which the three Magi, represented as kings, especially in the West, having found Jesus by following a star, ...
."Church in Franklin to host annual living Nativity" Mary Ann Bourbeau, MyCentralJersey.com (combined website of ''Home News Tribune'' and ''Courier News''), 4 December 2009. The annual Christmastime event includes "costumed characters, live animals and carollers".
The church celebrated their 175th anniversary in 2009. They buried and sealed a
time capsule
A time capsule is a historic cache of goods or information, usually intended as a deliberate method of communication with future people, and to help future archaeologists, anthropologists, or historians. The preservation of holy relics dates ba ...
to be opened at the congregation's 200th anniversary in 2034, 25 years later.
* ''Centennial historical account of the Middlebush Reformed Church, Middlebush, N.J., 1834-1934.'' Middlebush Reformed Church (N.J.), 1934.
* ''Historical discourse delivered at the semi-centennial anniversary of the Reformed Church of Middlebush, N.J.'' James Le Ferve, Daily and Weekly Home News Printing House, 1884.
* ''Favorite recipes of the Middlebush Reformed Church'', Middlebush Reformed Church (N.J.), Cookbook Publishers, 1978.
* ''Writings on American history: Volume 38 of Carnegie Institution of Washington publication Annual report (American Historical Association)'', KTO Press, 1938.
* ''The Churches speak on--women's ordination: official statements from religious bodies and ecumenical organizations'', J. Gordon Melton, Gary L. Ward, The Churches speak series, Gale Research, 1991, 0810376474, 9780810376472.
* ''Historical discourse delivered at the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Reformed Church of Middlebush, N.J.'', John A. Thomson, Published by the Consistory, 1909.
* ''Historical discourse on occasion of the centennial anniversary of the Reformed Dutch Church of Millstone'', Edward Tanjore Corwin, J.J. Reed, Printer, 1866.
* ''Pre-revolutionary Dutch houses and families in northern New Jersey and southern New York'', Rosalie Fellows Bailey, Holland Society of New York, Dover Publications, 1968.