Bloomingburg Reformed Protestant Dutch Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Bloomingburg Reformed
Protestant Dutch Church |
|
Front (south) elevation and west profile, 2008
|
|
| Location | Bloomingburg, NY |
|---|---|
| Nearest city | Middletown |
| Area | 1.5 acres (6,100 m2) |
| Built | 1821 |
| Architect | Peter Weller and George Miller |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 80002779 |
| Added to NRHP | 1980 |
The Bloomingburg Reformed Protestant Dutch Church is a very old and beautiful building in Bloomingburg, New York. It's located on Main Street. This church was built way back in 1821. It's one of the oldest churches in Sullivan County!
The church has a fancy wooden style called Federal. Most of it looks just like it did when it was first built. Only a few things inside have changed over time.
Its tall bell tower, which is about 80 feet (24 meters) high, can be seen from far away. It's a well-known sight in the area. In 1980, the church was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This list helps protect important historical places.
Today, the building is no longer used as a church. Instead, it's a museum that shares the history of the local area. Recently, people in the town voted to keep it as a museum. They decided not to sell it to another church group.
Contents
Exploring the Church Building
The church building has two stories. It is covered in white wooden boards called clapboard. Strong wooden beams support the building. These rest on a stone base.
The roof has a gentle slope and is covered with asphalt shingles. There is one chimney on the east side. You enter the church through the tower at the front.
The Amazing Bell Tower
The tower sticks out from the front of the church. It rises high into the sky. There are fancy decorations called cornices and modillions on the tower.
Each side of the tower has a window. The front and sides have small round windows. The back has a small rectangle window. For a long time, a painted clock face has been on the tower, showing the time 11:07.
Above this, the belfry (where the bell is) is shaped like an octagon. It's very decorative! Columns frame panels that are sometimes open with louvers and sometimes plain. The very top of the tower is an octagonal dome with a weathervane.
Entrances and Windows
The front of the church has three entrances. The main door is a pair of doors set back a bit. Above these doors is a beautiful fan-shaped window. Its thin strips of wood create intersecting arch shapes. The side entrances have similar designs.
Both sides of the church have many windows on both floors. These are large, double-hung windows with many small glass panes. The back of the church has fewer decorations. It has one window on each floor, like the side windows.
Inside the Church
When you enter the main door, you first step into a small entry area called a vestibule. This area separates the door from the main worship space, called the sanctuary. The side entrances lead right into the sanctuary.
The altar is made of plain wood. Above it, there's an oval-shaped frame on the wall. Across from it, a larger frame leads to stairs for the choir loft. Thin, round columns hold up the second-story balconies, which have railings.
Most of the walls inside have wooden panels up to the window sills. All the wooden parts inside, except for the altar and balcony railings, are painted white. Much of this wood is original! The ceilings are made of pressed metal.
Outside the front, stone steps lead to a stone path. This path goes down to Main Street. Behind the church, there's a small house called a parsonage. This was once where the church minister lived.
Church Design and Style
The Bloomingburg Reformed Protestant Dutch Church looks a lot like churches built in New England after 1800. It also shares some features with designs by a famous architect named Charles Bulfinch. It was common for builders back then to copy church designs from other places.
The church's tall steeple looks similar to a design found in a popular building book from 1797. This book was called The Country Builder's Assistant by Asher Benjamin.
However, the Bloomingburg church is also unique. For example, it doesn't have a small triangular shape (a pediment) on the front of its tower. Also, its three-bay front (meaning three sections on the front) was more common in New York. Many New England churches had five-bay fronts.
A Look at the Church's History
The story of this church began in 1819. Some members of an existing church wanted a pastor recognized by the Dutch Reformed Church. So, they started their own group: the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of Bloomingburgh. They chose a small hill overlooking the village for their new church.
Building the Church
The first stone of the church was laid in 1821. Church records show that Peter Weller, a church leader, and George Miller, a local builder, were in charge of construction. A year later, the church pews were finished. The church officially opened in December 1822.
When it first opened, the church looked a little different inside. The altar was at the entrance end. A small round window in the roof's peak opened to the back. These things were changed in the mid-1800s. The old box-shaped pews were replaced. The balconies were made longer, and the choir loft was built. A new bell was added in 1868.
Changes Over Time
In the late 1880s, the outside of the church got a makeover. The roof edges were extended, and decorative brackets were added. This was a popular style at the time. A special stained-glass window was put above the front door in 1901. Other stained-glass windows added later are now gone. New carpets and pews were installed around 1909.
To celebrate the church's 100th birthday in 1922, the parsonage (the minister's house) was built. In 1950, the roof was changed from tin to asphalt shingles. This was the last big change to the church's outside.
Becoming a Museum
By 1962, fewer people were attending the church. So, the congregation joined with the local Methodist Church. They formed the Community Church of Bloomingburg. The old Reformed Church building was used as a school for a while. But then, a new school part was added to the Community Church. The old church building was then sold to the county.
For a few years, the building was not well cared for. Some items inside were stolen, and there was vandalism. In 1977, a group called the Bloomingburg Restoration Foundation was started. Their goal was to preserve the church. They wanted to use it as a museum about local history. Today, you can visit it as a museum by making an appointment. In 1999, the county gave the church building to the Town of Mamakating.
Saving the Museum
In 2017, the town thought about selling the church building. At that time, the Bloomingburg Restoration Foundation was renting the building for just $1 a year. They took care of the building and used it for the community. The town planned to sell it to a church group from nearby Middletown.
The Foundation was worried about losing the museum. They said they had spent a lot of money fixing up the building. They added carpeting, a bathroom, and a new furnace.
In 2018, the Bloomingburg Restoration Foundation gathered enough signatures from local people. This allowed them to force a special vote, called a referendum, on the sale. The people of the town voted by a large amount to reject selling the building. This meant the church building would stay as a museum for the community.
See also
