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Middlebush Reformed Church

February 27, 2024

Middlebush Reformed Church, known as "the church with the red doors", is located at 1 South Middlebush Road at the corner of Amwell Road in the Middlebush section of Franklin Township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States.[1][2] It is the fourth oldest church in Franklin Township.[3][4] It was organized in 1834,[5][6][7] and the New York Times noted their first church was built in Colonial times and was one of the landmarks of the region.[8] The church is a contributing property of the Middlebush Village Historic District that was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 24, 2007.[9]

Middlebush Reformed Church
Middlebush Reformed Church
40°29′50″N 74°31′42″W / 40.4972°N 74.5284°W / 40.4972; -74.5284
CountryUnited States
DenominationReformed Church in America
WebsiteMiddlebushReformedChurch.com
History
FoundedMarch 19, 1834 (1834-03-19)
Middlebush Reformed Church
Location1 South Middlebush Road, Middlebush, New Jersey
Built1919
Part ofMiddlebush Village Historic District (ID07000354)
Designated CPApril 24, 2007

The church is a part of the Reformed Church in America.

History edit

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.[10] The initial three member committee included the first Reverend of the church Jacob Schultz.[11] The settlers had "migrated from Manhattan Island seeking more tillable land".[12] Residents were previously traveling to Reformed churches in Hillsborough, New Jersey; Franklin Park, New Jersey; or New Brunswick.[13] 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.[10] One descendant, Mary Amanda Voorhees, "Miss Amanda", later served as the church's organist for forty-five years.[7] "[S]ervices continued there until 1835, when the white frame church was completed".[10] 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 and Lebanon, New Jersey was contacted. The new church building was dedicated on February 19, 1835.[14] The final cost was $3,989.[3] Schultz was formally installed as pastor on December 30, 1835.

Lightning destroyed the church building on July 2, 1917,[10] the New York Times noted part of the furniture was saved and the loss was estimated at $50,000.[8] Congregation members who lived nearby rescued furniture and the church membership book. A kerosene lamp was saved, and is currently hanging in the church.[10][13] Planning for the new building at the same site started immediately but construction was delayed by World War I.[7] The Gothic revival building was rebuilt using stone from the Martinsville, New Jersey quarry.[7][13] The church was rededicated in 1919.[7]

In 1972 the church set up a "mini" school.[15]

In 2003 the church started a living nativity which includes four readings from the Bible and ends with the adoration of the magi.[16][17] The annual Christmastime event includes "costumed characters, live animals and carollers".[16]

The church celebrated their 175th anniversary in 2009.[13] They buried and sealed a time capsule to be opened at the congregation's 200th anniversary in 2034, 25 years later.[5]

Pastors edit

Pastors have included the following:[4]

  • Jacob I. Schultz (1792-1852), 1834-1837[11][18]
  • John Addison Van Doren, 1838-1865[11][18][19]
  • George Swain (pastor), 1866-1868[11]
  • Stephen L. Mershon, 1869–1874
  • James Le Fevre, 1875-1902[20]
  • John A. Thomson (pastor), 1902-1920 [18][21][22]
  • Frank A. Langwith, 1921-1926[23]
  • Harold W. Nelson, 1926-1928[18][24]
  • Russell W. Shepherd, 1928-1930[18]
  • Marinus Den Herder, 1931-1932[18]
  • Cornelius Van Leeuwen, 1934-1937[18]
  • Frank A. Langwith, 1937–1948
  • David W. Jenks, student, 1949-1952 [18][25]
  • Vernon L. Dethmers, 1952-1960[18]
  • Charles B. Bridgman, 1961-1973[18]
  • Ronald L. VanderBeek, 1974-1986[18][26]
  • John J. Arnone, assistant, 1981–1982
  • Gerald L. Vermilye, interim, 1986
  • Taylor Holbrook, 1986-1998[18][27][28]
  • Ross Rettig, 1999-2001[18][29]
  • George Montanari, 2002-current [18][30]

Notes edit

  1. ^ "Church celebrates 175th anniversary". MyCentralJersey.com. February 27, 2009. Retrieved March 11, 2010. Middlebush Reformed Church, known as 'the church with the red doors,' is celebrating its 175th anniversary ... Middlebush Reformed Church is at Amwell and South Middlebush roads, Somerset.
  2. ^ Directory of churches in New Jersey, Volumes 14-21, New Jersey Historical Records Survey Project, 1941.
  3. ^ a b "Our History". Middlebush Reformed Church. Retrieved December 24, 2009. The first settlers traveled to New Brunswick, Six Mile Run and Hillsborough to attend Dutch Reformed Church services. About 1830, a plan for organizing a Dutch Reformed Church in Middlebush was suggested. Four years later, a group of people gathered at the home of Ralph Voorhees ... and began to organize a church. ... It is the fourth oldest church in Franklin Township.
  4. ^ a b The Middlebush Reformed Church.
  5. ^ a b "Through Tradition into Mission at Middlebush Reformed Church". Words from Wes. Reformed Church Press. March 23, 2009. Retrieved December 23, 2009. This year, 2009, is the church's 175th anniversary. ... Anniversaries of congregations like Middlebush are deeply meaningful.
  6. ^ Centennial historical account of the Middlebush Reformed Church. 1934.
  7. ^ a b c d e William B. Brahms (1997). Franklin Township, Somerset County, NJ: A History. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-9668586-0-3.
  8. ^ a b "Lightning Destroys Historical Church, New York Times, 4 July 1917.
  9. ^ Keen, Ann M. (April 24, 2007). "NRHP Nomination: Middlebush Village Historic District". National Park Service.
  10. ^ a b c d e Mary Ann Bourbeau (August 3, 2008). "Congregration [sic] in Franklin begins 175th anniversary celebration". MyCentralJersey.com. Retrieved March 11, 2010. In a tragic turn on July 2, 1917, the steeple was struck by lightning in the middle of the night, and the church burned to the ground. ... A kerosene lamp also was saved, and that lamp, now run on electricity, is currently hanging in the brown stone church.
  11. ^ a b c d Richard Holloway Steele, Historical discourse delivered at the celebration of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the First Reformed Dutch Church, New Brunswick, N.J., October 1, 1867, pp. 27, Published by the Consistory, 1867.
  12. ^ Words from Wes: Through Tradition into Mission at Middlebush Reformed Church Reformed Church Press, 23 March 2009.
  13. ^ a b c d "Franklin church celebrates its 175th anniversary". MyCentralJersey.com. March 25, 2009. Retrieved March 11, 2010. Members of Middlebush Reformed Church have created a memorial room to hold artifacts and mementos from the church's 175-year history. ...
  14. ^ Honeyman, A. Van Doren, ed. (1917). "Another Historic Building Destroyed". Somerset County Historical Quarterly. Vol. 6. p. 308.
  15. ^ Greenberg, Lenore (May 28, 1972). "Mini School Helps In Class Disorders". The New York Times. Retrieved March 11, 2010. In the alternate-school part of the program, a "mini" school was set up in the Middlebush Reformed Church, which has a white congregation in a semirural ...
  16. ^ a b "Church in Franklin to host annual living Nativity"[dead link], Mary Ann Bourbeau, MyCentralJersey.com (combined website of Home News Tribune and Courier News), 4 December 2009.
  17. ^ "Living Nativity being staged in Somerset", MyCentralJersey.com (combined website of Home News Tribune and Courier News), 5 December 2008.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n . Middlebush Reformed Church. 2000. Archived from the original on April 11, 2010. Retrieved March 11, 2010.
  19. ^ "Obituary". The New York Times. June 26, 1910. Tho deceased, who was the daughter of tho late Dr. Aran Doren, a pastor of the Middlebush Reformed Church, was 70 years of ago. ...
  20. ^ Rossiter Johnson, John Howard Brown, The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Volume 6, The Biographical Society, 1904.
  21. ^ Tom Kindre (2004). The Boys from New Jersey. Trafford Publishing. p. 9. ISBN 1-4120-2592-3. He lived with his uncle, John Thompson, who was a minister at the Middlebush Reformed Church, and at that time, with funds as they were, he lived in...
  22. ^ The Purple and gold, Volume 20. Chi Psi Fraternity. 1903. p. 158.
  23. ^ Rutgers alumni monthly, Volume 1, Issue 4. Rutgers University. 1922. p. 108.
  24. ^ Guide to Vital Statistics Records in New Jersey, Volume 2. New Jersey Historical Records Survey Project. 1941.
  25. ^ "Students Will Join in Service at Church". Schenectady Gazette. February 10, 1950. Retrieved March 11, 2010.
  26. ^ The acts & proceedings of the General Synod, Reformed Church in America, Volume 54. Reformed Church in America. General Synod, Reformed Protestant Dutch Church (U.S.). General Synod, The Board of publication and Bible-school work. 1974. p. 228.
  27. ^ Directory and financial reports, Volume 77. Reformed Church in America. General Synod. 1997. p. 227.
  28. ^ The acts & proceedings of the General Synod, Reformed Church in America, Volume 68. Reformed Church in America. General Synod, Reformed Protestant Dutch Church (U.S.). General Synod, The Board of publication and Bible-school work. 1988. pp. 10–21.
  29. ^ Directory and financial reports, Volume 80. Reformed Church in America. General Synod. 2000. p. 275.
  30. ^ LeRoy Koopman (2005). Taking the Jesus road: the ministry of the Reformed Church in America. p. 154. ISBN 0-8028-3125-7. Montanari later accepted a call to the Middlebush Reformed Church in Somerset, New Jersey.

Further reading edit

  • 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.

External links edit

  •   Media related to Middlebush Reformed Church at Wikimedia Commons
  • Middlebush Reformed Church Official Website

February 27, 2024
middlebush, reformed, church, known, church, with, doors, located, south, middlebush, road, corner, amwell, road, middlebush, section, franklin, township, somerset, county, jersey, united, states, fourth, oldest, church, franklin, township, organized, 1834, yo. Middlebush Reformed Church known as the church with the red doors is located at 1 South Middlebush Road at the corner of Amwell Road in the Middlebush section of Franklin Township in Somerset County New Jersey United States 1 2 It is the fourth oldest church in Franklin Township 3 4 It was organized in 1834 5 6 7 and the New York Times noted their first church was built in Colonial times and was one of the landmarks of the region 8 The church is a contributing property of the Middlebush Village Historic District that was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 24 2007 9 Middlebush Reformed ChurchMiddlebush Reformed Church40 29 50 N 74 31 42 W 40 4972 N 74 5284 W 40 4972 74 5284CountryUnited StatesDenominationReformed Church in AmericaWebsiteMiddlebushReformedChurch comHistoryFoundedMarch 19 1834 1834 03 19 Middlebush Reformed ChurchU S Historic districtContributing propertyShow map of Somerset County New JerseyShow map of New JerseyShow map of the United StatesLocation1 South Middlebush Road Middlebush New JerseyBuilt1919Part ofMiddlebush Village Historic District ID07000354 Designated CPApril 24 2007The church is a part of the Reformed Church in America Contents 1 History 2 Pastors 3 Notes 4 Further reading 5 External linksHistory editIt was organized by Dutch settlers on March 19 1834 in the Colonial Farms area of what is now Franklin Township Somerset County New Jersey 10 The initial three member committee included the first Reverend of the church Jacob Schultz 11 The settlers had migrated from Manhattan Island seeking more tillable land 12 Residents were previously traveling to Reformed churches in Hillsborough New Jersey Franklin Park New Jersey or New Brunswick 13 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 10 One descendant Mary Amanda Voorhees Miss Amanda later served as the church s organist for forty five years 7 S ervices continued there until 1835 when the white frame church was completed 10 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 and Lebanon New Jersey was contacted The new church building was dedicated on February 19 1835 14 The final cost was 3 989 3 Schultz was formally installed as pastor on December 30 1835 Lightning destroyed the church building on July 2 1917 10 the New York Times noted part of the furniture was saved and the loss was estimated at 50 000 8 Congregation members who lived nearby rescued furniture and the church membership book A kerosene lamp was saved and is currently hanging in the church 10 13 Planning for the new building at the same site started immediately but construction was delayed by World War I 7 The Gothic revival building was rebuilt using stone from the Martinsville New Jersey quarry 7 13 The church was rededicated in 1919 7 In 1972 the church set up a mini school 15 In 2003 the church started a living nativity which includes four readings from the Bible and ends with the adoration of the magi 16 17 The annual Christmastime event includes costumed characters live animals and carollers 16 The church celebrated their 175th anniversary in 2009 13 They buried and sealed a time capsule to be opened at the congregation s 200th anniversary in 2034 25 years later 5 Pastors editPastors have included the following 4 Jacob I Schultz 1792 1852 1834 1837 11 18 John Addison Van Doren 1838 1865 11 18 19 George Swain pastor 1866 1868 11 Stephen L Mershon 1869 1874 James Le Fevre 1875 1902 20 John A Thomson pastor 1902 1920 18 21 22 Frank A Langwith 1921 1926 23 Harold W Nelson 1926 1928 18 24 Russell W Shepherd 1928 1930 18 Marinus Den Herder 1931 1932 18 Cornelius Van Leeuwen 1934 1937 18 Frank A Langwith 1937 1948 David W Jenks student 1949 1952 18 25 Vernon L Dethmers 1952 1960 18 Charles B Bridgman 1961 1973 18 Ronald L VanderBeek 1974 1986 18 26 John J Arnone assistant 1981 1982 Gerald L Vermilye interim 1986 Taylor Holbrook 1986 1998 18 27 28 Ross Rettig 1999 2001 18 29 George Montanari 2002 current 18 30 Notes edit Church celebrates 175th anniversary MyCentralJersey com February 27 2009 Retrieved March 11 2010 Middlebush Reformed Church known as the church with the red doors is celebrating its 175th anniversary Middlebush Reformed Church is at Amwell and South Middlebush roads Somerset Directory of churches in New Jersey Volumes 14 21 New Jersey Historical Records Survey Project 1941 a b Our History Middlebush Reformed Church Retrieved December 24 2009 The first settlers traveled to New Brunswick Six Mile Run and Hillsborough to attend Dutch Reformed Church services About 1830 a plan for organizing a Dutch Reformed Church in Middlebush was suggested Four years later a group of people gathered at the home of Ralph Voorhees and began to organize a church It is the fourth oldest church in Franklin Township a b The Middlebush Reformed Church a b Through Tradition into Mission at Middlebush Reformed Church Words from Wes Reformed Church Press March 23 2009 Retrieved December 23 2009 This year 2009 is the church s 175th anniversary Anniversaries of congregations like Middlebush are deeply meaningful Centennial historical account of the Middlebush Reformed Church 1934 a b c d e William B Brahms 1997 Franklin Township Somerset County NJ A History Arcadia Publishing ISBN 0 9668586 0 3 a b Lightning Destroys Historical Church New York Times 4 July 1917 Keen Ann M April 24 2007 NRHP Nomination Middlebush Village Historic District National Park Service a b c d e Mary Ann Bourbeau August 3 2008 Congregration sic in Franklin begins 175th anniversary celebration MyCentralJersey com Retrieved March 11 2010 In a tragic turn on July 2 1917 the steeple was struck by lightning in the middle of the night and the church burned to the ground A kerosene lamp also was saved and that lamp now run on electricity is currently hanging in the brown stone church a b c d Richard Holloway Steele Historical discourse delivered at the celebration of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the First Reformed Dutch Church New Brunswick N J October 1 1867 pp 27 Published by the Consistory 1867 Words from Wes Through Tradition into Mission at Middlebush Reformed Church Reformed Church Press 23 March 2009 a b c d Franklin church celebrates its 175th anniversary MyCentralJersey com March 25 2009 Retrieved March 11 2010 Members of Middlebush Reformed Church have created a memorial room to hold artifacts and mementos from the church s 175 year history Honeyman A Van Doren ed 1917 Another Historic Building Destroyed Somerset County Historical Quarterly Vol 6 p 308 Greenberg Lenore May 28 1972 Mini School Helps In Class Disorders The New York Times Retrieved March 11 2010 In the alternate school part of the program a mini school was set up in the Middlebush Reformed Church which has a white congregation in a semirural a b Church in Franklin to host annual living Nativity dead link Mary Ann Bourbeau MyCentralJersey com combined website of Home News Tribune and Courier News 4 December 2009 Living Nativity being staged in Somerset MyCentralJersey com combined website of Home News Tribune and Courier News 5 December 2008 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Our History MRC Pastors Middlebush Reformed Church 2000 Archived from the original on April 11 2010 Retrieved March 11 2010 Obituary The New York Times June 26 1910 Tho deceased who was the daughter of tho late Dr Aran Doren a pastor of the Middlebush Reformed Church was 70 years of ago Rossiter Johnson John Howard Brown The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans Volume 6 The Biographical Society 1904 Tom Kindre 2004 The Boys from New Jersey Trafford Publishing p 9 ISBN 1 4120 2592 3 He lived with his uncle John Thompson who was a minister at the Middlebush Reformed Church and at that time with funds as they were he lived in The Purple and gold Volume 20 Chi Psi Fraternity 1903 p 158 Rutgers alumni monthly Volume 1 Issue 4 Rutgers University 1922 p 108 Guide to Vital Statistics Records in New Jersey Volume 2 New Jersey Historical Records Survey Project 1941 Students Will Join in Service at Church Schenectady Gazette February 10 1950 Retrieved March 11 2010 The acts amp proceedings of the General Synod Reformed Church in America Volume 54 Reformed Church in America General Synod Reformed Protestant Dutch Church U S General Synod The Board of publication and Bible school work 1974 p 228 Directory and financial reports Volume 77 Reformed Church in America General Synod 1997 p 227 The acts amp proceedings of the General Synod Reformed Church in America Volume 68 Reformed Church in America General Synod Reformed Protestant Dutch Church U S General Synod The Board of publication and Bible school work 1988 pp 10 21 Directory and financial reports Volume 80 Reformed Church in America General Synod 2000 p 275 LeRoy Koopman 2005 Taking the Jesus road the ministry of the Reformed Church in America p 154 ISBN 0 8028 3125 7 Montanari later accepted a call to the Middlebush Reformed Church in Somerset New Jersey Further reading editCentennial 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 External links edit nbsp Media related to Middlebush Reformed Church at Wikimedia Commons Middlebush Reformed Church Official Website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Middlebush Reformed Church amp oldid 1205553933, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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