The Belleville Dutch Reformed Church, listed on 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 ...

as Reformed Dutch Church of Second River, is a historic church located in Belleville, Essex County,

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 ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Founded as a

Dutch Reformed 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 ...

church in 1697, it is named after the Second River, which is a tributary of the Passaic River. The church was rebuilt in 1725 and again in 1807. The church steeple was used as an

observation post An observation post (commonly abbreviated OP), temporary or fixed, is a position from which soldiers can watch enemy movements, to warn of approaching soldiers (such as in trench warfare), or to direct fire. In strict military terminology, an ...

during the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

. Over 62 Revolutionary soldiers are buried in the adjacent

graveyard A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

. The current church building was built in 1853.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reformed Dutch Church Of Second River Belleville, New Jersey Churches in Essex County, New Jersey Dutch-American culture in New Jersey Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey Presbyterian churches in New Jersey Reformed Church in America churches in New Jersey Former Dutch Reformed churches in the United States 1697 establishments in New Jersey Churches completed in 1853 19th-century Reformed Church in America church buildings Gothic Revival church buildings in New Jersey Former churches in New Jersey National Register of Historic Places in Essex County, New Jersey New Jersey Register of Historic Places

See also

References