Category: Historic Churches and Cemeteries

South Presbyterian Church 150 West Church Street Bergenfield, NJ 07621

South Presbyterian Church 150 West Church Street Bergenfield, NJ 07621

South Presbyterian Church

150 West Church Street

Bergenfield, NJ 07621

(201) 384-8932

https://www.southpresbyterian.net/history

Open: Sundays during service time

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Profile/R4960NKjustinw/mediabatch/13264450?m=19905

The South Presbyterian Church at 150 West Church Street in Bergenfield, NJ

The historic marker in front of the church

I was in Bergenfield, NJ recently to visit the Bergenfield Museum and I walked around this beautiful church and the graveyard next to it. What a beautiful, graceful building and the cemetery had an old New England charm about it. The graveyard held the graves of many of the original family members who founded the County and lived in Bergen County since the late 1600’s.

The inside of the church

The church sat in this beautiful area right next to Cooper Park off Downtown Bergenfield. I can’t wait to take a look inside one day.

The inside of the church during Sunday services

The Mission Statement from the Church:

(from the church website)

“As followers of the risen Lord, we, the South Presbyterian Church family, commit ourselves to proclaim the gospel, witness to the promise of God’s Kingdom, and nurture all children of God. In our community and throughout the world, we will serve in Christ’s name through worship and mission. We will serve through open worship, willing service and compassion to all for the glory of God wherever our lives shall take us.”

The historic marker of the church

History of the Church:

(from the church website)

SOUTH CHURCH is descended from the first Schraalenburgh congregation established in 1723. The first church building was constructed beginning in 1724, and fully completed by 1728. This was approximately 36 feet square with a Dutch hip roof ascending to a central belfry and steeple.

 The front of the church cemetery

This church stood atop a small hill just west of Long Swamp Brook, facing south and fronting on the new county road laid down in 1717. Using today’s landmarks, we can describe the site as the southeast corner of the present cemetery, directly across Church Street from the South Church House. For more than seventy years, this small church building served the farmers of Schraalenburgh. The site of the new church was apparently chosen because of the presence of a large spring across the road near Long Swamp Brook. 

 The historic graveyard with some of the original families of Bergen County

The philosophy of the Dutch Reformed Church shaped the growth and development in the early years of the church’s existence. In the more than two and a half centuries of its history, the members of the congregation had to choose many times between the strictly puritanical concepts and the more convenient religious beliefs, and invariably chose the puritanical. Some members were the patriots of the Revolution while others were Tories. In 1799, the new South Schraalenburgh Church was built a short distance to the west of the original building.

 The historic cemetery during the Fall of 2024

Because of differences within the congregation in the late 1700s, two groups were formed and when a decision was made to build a new church, the opposing group withdrew, purchased land and built the North Schraalenburgh (now Dumont) Reformed Church in 1801. In May 1866 the congregation voted to enlarge and remodel the building, adding 15 feet to the north end and replacing part of two windows in the front with doors on each side of the original single door, as you see it now.  This was completed in 1867.

 The Church graveyard

In the past century, the building has had its share of modernizations— candlelight gave way to oil lamps, and in turn to electrification. Heat was installed,  first coal fired, then oil, now gas, although the old drafts persist to this day. However, the charm and grace of the old Dutch Church at Schraalenburgh have remained. The South Church House completed and dedicated in September 1952, on the corner of West Church and Franklin Avenue, is used by the church for various classes and events and many community organizations meet there.  In 2002 South Presbyterian Church celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the Church House.

 The historic graveyard at the side of the church in the oldest part

The South Presbyterian Church was placed on the National Registry December 6, 1975 and the Manse on August 24, 1979, both through the efforts of Mrs. Adrian Leiby. In 1913, after much discussion, the congregation chose to unite with the Presbyterian Church. Today, after almost 3 centuries of building and remodeling, separating and uniting, South Presbyterian Church in Bergenfield remains committed to the values of those Christian farmers who first gathered at this site to worship in 1723. . . steadfast in purpose and faith.

The Demarest family plot

The Church is especially beautiful at the holidays all decorated with wreathes and garland.

The South Church decorated for Christmas

The fences are so nicely decorated for the holidays

The outside of the church decorated for the holidays

The front of the church at dusk

The front doors are so welcoming at the holidays

The Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc. Project promoting the church for “Dark Tourism”:

In a recent project I created for my Marketing Students at Bergen Community College in Paramus, NJ, under the fictional company “Bergecco-Parc Consulting Inc.”, the Teams were tasked in creating a project that promoted the South Presbyterian Church for “Dark Tourism”, meaning that we promoted their historic cemetery for a historic walking tour concentrating on the Demarest family plot.

Here is a link to that blog on the project:

https://mywalkinmanhattan.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=57059&action=edit

Here are the videos on the Bergenfield, NJ Historic sites project:

We walked through the park again to my take note of its Depression era past and beautiful views and colors and made our way to the historic South Presbyterian Church and its historic graveyard where the second half of the project would take place.

South Presbyterian Church at 150 West Church Avenue

https://www.southpresbyterian.net/

https://www.facebook.com/southpres/

The historic marker for the church

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Profile/R4960NKjustinw/mediabatch/13264450?m=19905

My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:

https://visitingamuseum.com/author/jwatrel/page/2/

The Demarest Family plot in the church graveyard

Touring the South Church graveyard for the historical walking tour with members of the Church volunteer staff

The tour was lead by Bob Carpenter, a historian who is helping renovate this historical graveyard

The tour of the historical Demarest family plot, which ties into the museum building’s historical past, was lead by historian Bob Carpenter, who is helping the church renovate and restore the graveyard. Mr. Carpenter explained to us how he was fixing all the plots and historic tombstones and how the maintenance of the stones needs to be carefully done.

Mr. Carpenter explains how to maintain the tombstones in these historic graveyards

Video of the walking tour of the historic graveyard:

IMG_2497Download

Both the church volunteers and Mr. Carpenter explaining to the students how families were buried in the 1700and 1800’s

We finished the tour that afternoon inside the South Church to learn its history in the community. Though it will not be part of the project, the church offered the students a glimpse into Bergen County’s past as the original church was built before the Revolutionary War.

The Student Consultants touring the pews of the South Church

Once the tour was complete, the Student Consultants had a better understanding of the locations where the project will take place.

The new project will include walking tours, historical aspects of all three locations, and ways of creating a Destination Marketing Plan for domestic and foreign tourism. This will take place when the Student Consultants present their ideas to myself and the museum and church staffs.

The student consultants had four weeks to this project and put together their game plans. The had to put together commercials to promote the Bergenfield Museum, Coopers Pond Park and the historical cemetery of the South Church. As an extra credit assignment, I had the students develop a Halloween walking tour with food and create a separate commercial for this of which three of the for groups completed.

Here is their Presentation of the Project Promoting the Historic sites of Bergenfield, NJ. This section of videos was on promoting the South Presbyterian Church:

The South Church Cemetery is one of the oldest and historic cemeteries in Bergen County and home to the Demarest family plot, one of the most prominent families in Bergen County. The students were tasked with creating a short Walking Tour video promotion for the project to promote the South Church for tourism.

Team One:

Commercial Two:

Team Two:

Team Three:

Team Four:

*Special Note: I credit my Marketing 201 students at Bergen Community College with all of this work and the dedication that they gave the class. Excellent job everyone!

Orchard Street Cemetery 44 Chestnut Street Dover, NJ 07801

Orchard Street Cemetery 44 Chestnut Street Dover, NJ 07801

Orchard Street Cemetery

44 Chestnut Street

Dover, NJ 07801

https://www.orchardstreetgatehouse.org/history

https://www.facebook.com/p/Orchard-Street-Cemetery-100057217459315/

Open: Sunday-Saturday Seasonal Check the website for the hours

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g46397-d28113226-r964248261-Orchard_Street_Cemetery-Dover_Morris_County_New_Jersey.html?m=19905

The entrance of the Orchard Street Cemetery and Gatehouse

The Orchard Street Cemetery in Dover, Morris County,  NJ was originally founded in 1851 when a group of men determined that a cemetery was needed in the Village of Dover, then part of Randolph Township.  One member of the group, William Young, the first baker in Dover who had his store on Dickerson Street traded his “garden plot” at the end of Orchard Street to this new endeavor in return for several building lots on Orchard Street.  The plot transferred from William Young to the Association was approximately one acre in size (Orchard Street Gatehouse Historical Society website).

The Gatehouse

The first thing you notice when you enter the cemetery is the Gatehouse. It needs a lot of work. Also it was not manned. Funny, the building looks like it belongs in a cemetery.

The historic plaque for the cemetery

The historic sign for the cemetery

The Cemetery is the final resting place of more than 3500 men, women, and children from the greater Dover area, primarily Dover, Randolph, Wharton, and Rockaway.  There are over 125 veterans from the War of 1812, the Civil War, The Indian Wars, the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, and Vietnam as well as well as peacetime veterans.  There are many of the founders of Dover, Wharton, and Rockaway, civic and industrial leaders, and ordinary citizens of the area.  Unfortunately, many burial records have been lost through the passage of time, fire, etc. so a full accounting of the burials will most likely never be realized as many people were buried without a stone memorial through choice or economic reasons (Orchard Street Gatehouse Historical Society website).

The entrance to the cemetery by the gate

When I visited the Orchard Street Cemetery, I noticed that most of the cemetery was designed into family plots, most gated or sectioned off. In each plot, you can see the generations of family members. There is a distinct change on the tombstones of family member marking the graves. Either is was prosperity of the family or just a sign of the times when people died where you see the changes in the tombstones and what they look like.

At least the families are housed together. Each of the family plots are marked by a gate or just a series of tombstones. Each of these family plots deserve respect and please remember this as you walk around the cemetery to pay your respects. There is a very positive feel to this cemetery.

I noticed the cemetery was broken into family plots separated by fencing

The Munson family plot

The Munson family plot

The Moller family plot

The Moller family plot

The Ford family plot

Deer watching me at the cemetery

The Hoagman Family plot

The Dickerson family plot

I had just come from the Bridget Smith House in Mine Hill and discovered that the Dickerson’s were once a prominent mining family who owned a large mansion just outside of Mine Hill.

The grave of Mahlon Dickerson

I found out from a member of the Cemetery Society that this is not the grave of the former Governor of New Jersey but a distant relative.

The Orchard Street Cemetery from the back of the cemetery

The Gatehouse at the front of the cemetery

The cemetery is an interesting look of how burying our dead has changed over the last 100 years.

The History of the Cemetery:

(this comes from the OrchardStreetCemeteryGatehouse.org website)

The Orchard Street Cemetery

The Orchard Street Cemetery in Dover, Morris County,  NJ was originally founded in 1851 when a group of men determined that a cemetery was needed in the Village of Dover, then part of Randolph Township.  One member of the group, William Young, the first baker in Dover who had his store on Dickerson Street traded his “garden plot” at the end of Orchard Street to this new endeavor in return for several building lots on Orchard Street.  The plot transferred from William Young to the Association was approximately one acre in size.

The inside of the cemetery

On September 11, 1854 following the passage of the “Rural Cemetery Act of 1854 by the New Jersey Legislature, the Dover Cemetery Association was founded during a meeting in the Village of Dover held at School House District No. 1.  The location of this school was to the east of Morris Street and to the south of the railroad tracks.  This puts it on the opposite side of the railroad tracks from the old Stone Academy.  The papers of incorporation were dated September 14, 1859 and duly registered with the County of Morris.

The inside of the cemetery

A deed dated February 22, 1855 was signed by Jabez Mills and his wife Hannah selling approximately 4.5 acres of their property to the Trustees of the Dover Cemetery Association.  This deed was received and recorded on February 27, 1855 by the County of Morris.  The acquisition of this property brought the cemetery to its final boundaries and size of 5.4 acres.  It is believed based on gravestones in the cemetery that the entire property was being used as a cemetery prior to the date of the recording of the deed.  Further, some sections of the cemetery property may have been used prior to 1851 due to gravestones that predate the founding of the cemetery.  It is also known that there was an earlier Dover cemetery, the Morris Street Burying Yard located south of the train tracks along Morris Street. 

The Munson family plot

It is believed that a number of the remains that were interred there were disinterred and moved to the Orchard Street Cemetery.  Many stones in Orchard Street predate the cemetery founding and it can be inferred that either there were burials in the cemetery confines before it was founded or these are reinterments from the Morris Street Burial Yard, or both.  In addition, there was later a small cemetery on Grant Street next to what was the Swedish Methodist Church.  Around the turn of the 1900’s, this cemetery was closed and again, the remains within were disinterred and many were removed to Orchard Street.

The entrance to the historic Orchard Street Cemetery

The old Gate House at the entrance of the cemetery

Old North Reformed Church 120 Washington Avenue Dumont, NJ 07628

Old North Reformed Church 120 Washington Avenue Dumont, NJ 07628

Old North Reformed Church

120 Washington Avenue

Dumont, NJ 07628

(201) 385-2243

https://oldnorth.church/

https://www.facebook.com/oldnorthdumont

The Old North Church at 120 Washington Avenue

The Old North Church in Downtown Dumont, NJ is one of a series of Dutch Reformed Churches in Bergen County. This stately church still operates on a weekly basis and services are held on Sunday mornings. The cemetery to the back of the church is historic and interns some of the original families of Bergen County, NJ.

Old North is a Protestant Church affiliated with the Reformed Church in America. It is the oldest Protestant denomination with a continuous ministry in the United States and is a member of the Presbyterian/Reformed Family of Churches.

The actual Old North congregation dates back to 1724 and was organized in that year. A congregation of the settlers in what was known as Schraalenburgh (Dutch for “low ridge”) was formed at the time under the care of the “Church on the Green” in Hackensack.  In 1725, Schraalenburgh Church built – stood about a city block east of the present South Church, Bergenfield. It was octagonal in shape. The  Parsonage and minister for the church were located in Hackensack.

The historic sign of the church’s building

The Church Timeline:

(Taken from the Old North Church website)

1750 (Approximately) Congregation gradually divided into two – under the  leadership of two pastors both meeting in the same building.

1799 One congregation left and built the present South Church. The  second congregation continued to worship in the old church for  about two years.

1801 The second congregation built “North Reformed Protestant Dutch  Church of Schraalenburgh” on the land given by Major Isaac Kipp.  The building was erected by Peter Durie of New York, who later moved to Tenafly to be near the project

The inscription over the front door, in Dutch, reads, 

“Let peace come quickly to all. The North Church at Schraalenburgh built 1801.”

“In all places where I record my name, there shall I come to thee and bless thee.” Exodus 20:24 

1833 Services in Dutch entirely discontinued. 

1834 Parsonage (Pastor’s house) was built.

1836 Stoves were installed in four corners of Sanctuary.

1846 Sunday School is organized and met in the balcony. 

1859 Sanctuary was enlarged eighteen feet. The side walls now had four windows instead of the original three. The back west wall was reconstructed with red brick and the red sand stones that were on the west wall and are now part of the sides blending with the  original stones.

1868 The first furnace was installed in the Sanctuary.  The clear glass panes in the Sanctuary were replaced with colored stenciled glass from Germany.

1888 Organ was installed in front of Sanctuary (attributed to W.H. Davis) powered by a water motor.

1894 Town name was changed from Schraalenburgh to Dumont in honor of Old North parishioner and 1st Mayor, Dumont Clarke.

1911 Town clock installed in the steeple. 

1912 The first Church House built. 

1918 World War I, Church House used almost exclusively by soldiers from Camp Merritt.

1919  Camp Merritt Town Memorial monument placed on church property.  The flagpole (since replaced) made from artillery gun barrels was moved from Camp Merritt to church yard.  

Dr. John Spring began his ministry and served for 34 years. He was formerly Chaplain at Camp Merritt and saw the congregation through the difficult years of the Great Depression. 

During his ministry, Old North became mother church to a number of Reformed churches in  surrounding towns. Mrs. Spring served as organist & choir director.

The entrance to the church from Washington Avenue

1923  Organ rebuilt by Clark & Fenton, Nyack, NY., electrified and moved to the north wall.

1925  Old North charters Boy Scout Troop 64. 

1926  Steeple hit by lightning. The first church house burned.

1949  Old North charters Cub Scout Troop 131.

1954  Major repairs and Sanctuary redecorated.

1962  New Church House dedicated.

1969  Church steeple completely renovated and the clock was removed.

1972  New Tellers 26 rank pipe organ installed. The Choir organ division was given in honor of Mrs.       

          Spring. Sanctuary was redecorated.

1974  Old North celebrates its 250th Anniversary. New windows installed in Church House.

          Dr. Albert Van Dyke retires after 16 years of service.

1980  Complete renovation of downstairs kitchen.

1983  Reverend Richard Vander Borgh becomes 13th Pastor.

1990  The End of the Earth Church Korean Congregation shared usage of church.

1996  150th Anniversary of Sunday School.

1999   275th Anniversary Celebrated.

2000   Air conditioning installed in Sanctuary.

2001   200th Anniversary of Church building.  Church steeple painted.

2002   Cross replaces Reformed Church in America Coat of Arms in the sanctuary chancel.

2006   Light Alliance Korean Church of NJ shared usage of church.

2012   3-year major renovation of steeple and structures are complete.

2013   Installation of a state of the art Carillon–- sending forth music and hymns into the community.

2014   Reverend Richard Vander Borgh retires after 31 years.

2015   Reverend Susan E. Kerr installed as the 1st woman and14th minister of Old North Reformed     

           Church.

2017   Stair lift installed at Chapel entrance to make the Church House and the sanctuary accessible    

           for all. Handicapped bathroom and baby changing station are installed.

2018   Ye Old North Thrift Shoppe community ministry begun.          

           Community Thrift Shoppe begun in Church House ground floor.v. Richard and 

           Joan Vander Borgh. 

           Community Thrift Shoppe begun in Church House ground floor.

           The Light of Christ Church shares usage of space.

2019   Electronic LED sign installed. 

           Memorial Plaque dedicated for new Auditorium chairs.

The electronic sign in the front of the church.

2021   Legacy Project Renovations.

The Old North Church Cemetery:

The church cemetery to the back of the church has some of the original families of Bergen County buried in their yard. The graves go all the way up to 1911 (Wiki).

The signage for the Old North Church Cemetery

The graveyard contains some of the old families in Bergen County

Some of the oldest graves in the cemetery

Old Dutch Reformed Church 403 Broadway Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591

Old Dutch Reformed Church 403 Broadway Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591

Old Dutch Reformed Church

403 Broadway

Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591

https://reformedchurchtarrytowns.org/old-dutch-church/

https://www.facebook.com/theolddutchchurch/

Open: During Church Services and special events-Check their website.

My review on TripAdvisor:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g48622-d104751-Reviews-Old_Dutch_Church_and_Burying_Ground-Sleepy_Hollow_New_York.html

The Old Dutch Reformed Church of Sleepy Hollow

I love visiting the Old Dutch Reformed Church of Sleepy Hollow and its cemetery. The church itself is steeped in history but made famous by “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Erving, a local resident. The church was the inspiration for the book and to this day it is still celebrated during the Halloween season with Open Houses and storytelling. I have visited the church to hear storyteller Jonathan Kurk tell the story of Ichabod Crane and then at Christmas to hear “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens. These are musts when you are visiting the church.

The Old Dutch Reformed Church of Sleepy Hollow

Though the cemetery stretches for miles it is the part by the church that is the most interesting. The tombstones are over 300 years old and some weather beaten to wear the tombstones are unknown. Still it has that classic look with faded cracked tombstones and large shade trees where you might think a ghost or ghoul would pop out. It is a classic Dutch Church cemetery of the Hudson Valley and I highly recommend the cemetery walking tour where you can visit the graves of many famous resident of the cemetery including Washington Irving. Whether the fall or the spring, it is fascinating to walking among the graves and just pay your respects to these people.

The gates leading to the cemetery

The Church that inspired a legend:

(From the Reformed Church website)

When Washington Irving set his ghost story about the Headless Horseman at the Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow, he made the church world-famous. Ever since the publication of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in 1819-20, visitors have come to see where Ichabod Crane led the choir and courted Katrina Van Tassel among the old gravestones in the churchyard and looked for the grave of the Headless Horseman in the Old Burying Ground.

The inside pew of the church

The church was already old when Irving first saw it, when he was a teenager. It was built in 1685 and formally organized as Dutch Reformed in 1697. It served as the congregation’s home for more than 150 years, until a new building was constructed. Even then, it was retained for worship on summer Sundays and special holidays. This custom continues today.

The pews and pulpit inside the Old Dutch Reformed Church

This inscription on the bell that hangs in the belfry of the Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow has been a comfort to the congregation through war and peace, personal joys and tragedies, since it was commissioned in Holland and installed in the belfry. Most historians date the church’s construction to 1685, the year engraved on the bell.

The back part of the pees

The church is recognized as the oldest extant church in New York and a National Historic Landmark. The Old Dutch Burying Ground, which surrounds it on three acres, is believed to predate the church. Washington Irving is buried just up the hill, in the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery adjacent.

The historic marker

During Holy Week and Easter, the Reformed Church holds Good Friday services and an Easter Sunrise service at the Old Dutch Church. Summer worship services at Old Dutch feature “Seven Sundays of Worship and Music,” with guest musicians each Sunday morning during the season.

The Church’s historic marker

The History of the Church:

(from the church website)

The Reformed Church of the Tarrytowns in Tarrytown. NY , serves both Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow, NY. It was constructed in 1837 as an extension of the Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow to serve the Tarrytown community.

The graveyard by the church in the Fall of 2024

The new community of Dutch Reformed would have had its own Elders and and Deacons shared a minister with the Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow. That church has a similar arrangement with the Dutch Reformed at Cortlandt Manor dating from 1697 when the Sleepy Hollow community was first recorded as established, though the structure had been completed in 1685 and the community had been there for long before. The Cortlandt Manor community had its own Elders and Deacons but recognized the community at Sleepy Hollow as its head, and regularly went down to the village for services and to record their births and marriages.

The oldest part of the graveyard near the church

The community at Tarrytown became independent from Sleepy Hollow in the 1850s and soon after dropped the “Dutch” association from its name. As the Sleepy Hollow community diminished and the Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow became less used, the Tarrytown community adopted the name for their landmark church the Reformed Church of the Tarrytowns, adding that it was a “continuation of the Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow.”

The family plots in the oldest part of the graveyard

Presenting an impressive façade on North Broadway, the structure’s steeple remains the highest point on North Broadway and the tallest physical structure in Tarrytown, despite not being built on the heights of the city. The church’s porch of four columns supporting an extended pediment offers a refined architectural addition to the business district of historic Tarrytown.

The Historic church and cemetery

The Church’s cemetery

The tree is so old that the tombstone is inside of the trunk

During my many visits to the church, I have heard Master Storyteller Johnathan Kruk perform and tell his stories of “The Headless Horseman” during Halloween and of “Scrooge” during Christmas time. Here are some of his videos of his performances.

Storyteller Jonathan Kruk singing the story of the ‘Headless Horseman”

The Church Marker

The famous bridge was once here

Master Storyteller Jonathan Kurk telling the story of the ‘Headless Horseman”. He is excellent!

The graveyard in the Fall of 2024