The Readington Reformed Church is a historic church located at 124 Readington Road,
Readington Village, an unincorporated community located within
Readington Township in
Hunterdon County, New Jersey
Hunterdon County is a county located in the western section of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was 128,947, making it the state's 18th-most populous county,[Dutch Reformed Church
The Dutch Reformed Church (, abbreviated NHK) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the original denomination of the Dutch Royal Family and ...]
in the county. The current building was built in 1865. The
churchyard is known as the Readington Reformed Church Cemetery. The church was added as a
contributing property of the
Readington Village Historic District by 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 24, 1991.
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History
The first church was organized in 1719 by a local congregation of the Dutch Reformed Church. They constructed a log church located near the confluence of the
North Branch and
South Branch into the
Raritan River
Raritan River is a major river of New Jersey. Its watershed drains much of the mountainous area of the central part of the state, emptying into the Raritan Bay on the Atlantic Ocean.
History
Geologists assert that the lower Raritan provided t ...
, about three miles east of Readington, in what is now
Branchburg in neighboring
Somerset County.
[ On February 21, 1720, Reverend ]Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen
Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen ( – ) was a Dutch-American Dutch Reformed minister, theologian and the progenitor of the Frelinghuysen family in the United States of America. Frelinghuysen is most remembered for his religious contribution ...
preached the first sermon there.
In 1738, the congregation left its original site and built its second church, a new frame building in Readington.[
Frelinghuysen was pastor until 1748 and was succeeded by his son, Reverend John Frelinghuysen.
The Reverend Johannes Arondeus served as ''Conferentie'', the pastor of the Classis ( orthodox ) Church of Amsterdam, at Readington Reformed Church from 1747 to 1754.
The Reverend ]Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh
Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh (22 February 1735/6 – 30 October 1790) was an American Dutch Reformed clergyman, colonial and state legislator, and educator. Hardenbergh was a founder of Queen's College—now Rutgers, The State University of New J ...
, later the first President of Queens College (now Rutgers University
Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...
), was ordained in 1757 and served the congregation for twenty five years.[
The Reverend Peter Studdiford served from 1787 until 1826. In 1825, the congregation was large enough to form a new church at North Branch village.
Two church buildings were constructed during the pastorate of Reverend John Van Liew, who served over forty years, from 1828 until his death in 1869. The first was a new church dedicated on December 22, 1833, which burned down on March 22, 1864. The second was the construction of the current building, dedicated on July 20, 1865.
The tall church steeple was blown over by a cyclone on January 3, 1913 and replaced by shorter version. After a restoration project one hundred years later, a new steeple was dedicated on October 27, 2013.]
Notable burials
* Peter Studdiford ( – ), pastor, Readington Reformed Church and Bedminster Reformed Church
* John Van Liew ( – ), pastor, Readington Reformed Church
See also
* North Branch Reformed Church
* Readington Village Historic District
References
Bibliography
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External links
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{{Authority control
Readington Township, New Jersey
Reformed Church in America churches in New Jersey
Churches in Hunterdon County, New Jersey
Cemeteries in Hunterdon County, New Jersey
Historic district contributing properties in New Jersey
National Register of Historic Places in Hunterdon County, New Jersey
1719 establishments in New Jersey
19th-century Reformed Church in America church buildings
Religious organizations established in 1719
Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey