Chapel Hill Bible Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chapel Hill Bible Church |
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South profile and east elevation, 2009
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Non-denominational |
| Leadership | Pastor Mike Hannigan |
| Year consecrated | 1860 |
| Location | |
| Location | Marlboro, NY, USA |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural style | Picturesque |
| Specifications | |
| Direction of façade | east |
| Materials | Wood, stone, concrete, asphalt, glass and brick |
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
| Added to NRHP | January 7, 2005 |
| NRHP Reference no. | 04001450 |
| Website | |
| Chapel Hill Bible Church | |
The Chapel Hill Bible Church, once known as the Amity Baptist Church, is a church building near Marlboro, New York, in the United States. It's a small wooden church built in the mid-1800s, designed in a style called Picturesque Gothic Revival architecture. In 2005, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, which lists important historical sites. It is the southernmost historic property on this list in Ulster County.
This church building wasn't always in Marlboro. It was first built in what is now midtown Manhattan for a group of church members who had separated from another church. In the early 1900s, after the building was no longer used, a key member of the original church, who had moved to Marlboro, had the church taken apart and moved. He rebuilt it on his property on a hilltop overlooking the Hudson River. For 20 years, it was used for spiritual retreats by a group called the Brotherhood of the Kingdom. After another time when it wasn't used, the current church group started there in the 1970s.
Contents
The Church Building and Its Surroundings
The church property covers about 12.5 acres. It is located on the west side of a dirt driveway, off Bingham Road. This area is in the southern part of the Town of Marlborough. It's about 3 kilometers (1.5 miles) southwest of the main village of Marlboro. The church sits just west of the top of a 500-foot hill. It is also about 200 feet north of the Orange County border.
The land around the church is mostly rural. You'll see orchards where apples grow or thick woodlots (forests). A farmhouse is located across the driveway from the church. The church's land is mostly wooded, but there's a clear, wedge-shaped area to the northeast. In this open space, there's a sand volleyball court near the driveway. During warmer months, you might also see some playground equipment. From the open areas, you can enjoy wide views of the Hudson Valley to the east. You can also see the Shawangunk Ridge to the west.
The driveway curves south through a parking area. This parking area is southeast of the church. There's also a small basketball half-court with a hoop to the west. Another parking area is to the northeast. A small, modern garage is located at the bend in the driveway. This garage is not considered part of the historic property. A concrete walkway leads from the garage to the church entrance.
Outside the Church
The church building itself is shaped like a cross. It is a one-and-a-half-story building made of wood frame. It sits on a foundation of concrete at the front and sides, and stone at the back. Because the ground slopes downward, the basement is visible on the sides and back. This makes it look like an extra story. The church is covered in brown-stained cedar shingles. It has a steep gabled asphalt roof. This roof has three small gabled dormer windows on each side, east of the gabled transept (the part that sticks out like the arms of a cross). There is also one shed-roofed dormer with three windows on each side to the west. These windows have diamond-shaped colored glass. A short bell tower rises from the east (front) end of the church.
On the east side, which is the front, you'll find the main entrance. This entrance is surrounded by pointed-arch windows with three panes of glass. A small wooden vestibule (a small entry room) protects the main entrance. It has a gabled roof that matches the main roof. The entrance itself has a gentle arch. It is built with H-shaped wood and has beadboard siding on the outside. The inside edges are smoothed, and there's detailed quatrefoil (four-leaf shape) wood carving in the gable above. Narrow, pointed Lancet windows are on either side of the entrance. Above the entrance, there's an octagonal oculus, which is a round window.
The sides of the church have three windows, similar to those on the front, between the front and the transept. Below these windows, the basement has three six-over-six double-hung sash windows. The transept, which is one bay (section) wide, has another pointed window on its east and west sides. The south end of the transept has a group of three windows. The north transept has a fire escape on its east and north walls. This fire escape goes around a single round-arched window on that end. A shed-roofed addition fills the corner on the south side, between the transept and the apse (the rounded end of the church). This addition has a pointed window on its south face.
The west side of the church has a basement entrance. It also has a group of three windows, again with diamond-paned colored glass, on the apse. These are flanked by pointed windows on the sides, which have pent roofs (a roof with a gentle slope). Another octagonal oculus is in the rear gable above where the apse sticks out. Below the apse, the basement is made of mortared fieldstone (rough, natural stones). The windows, main entrance, and a second entrance on the south side are built with brick.
Inside the Church
The sanctuary (the main worship area) is simply furnished. Gently curved wooden pews (church benches) with scroll armrests and recessed panels line the center aisle. They lead to the altar. The wooden floor is now covered with carpet. The plaster walls have beaded wainscoting (wooden panels on the lower part of the walls). Above, the wooden trusses (support beams) that frame the roof are visible. These trusses have smoothed lower parts and collar ties (horizontal beams connecting the roof rafters). At the end of the aisle, the altar is on a raised dais (platform). On the altar is a wooden lectern (a stand for reading) with details from Greek Revival architecture.
Walls separate smaller rooms in the transept and apse. The rooms in the transept are small prayer rooms. In the north room, there is a beautiful stained glass window. Inside the entrance to the south room, there is a beautifully carved wooden frame with religious motifs (designs). This frame supports the organ pipes.
In the basement, there are rooms that support the church's activities. These include the kitchen, bathrooms, a Sunday school room, and a fellowship hall. The original 1902 boiler (heating system) that was installed when the church was moved is still in the basement. The rest of the basement has modern finishes. These include linoleum floors, plaster walls, and walls covered with faux-wood panels. The ceilings are dropped ceilings, which are common in modern buildings.
A Look at the Church's History
In the early 1830s, some members of the Oliver Street Baptist Church in Lower Manhattan decided to form their own group. In 1832, they rented a hall on Broadway so that a young pastor, Rev. William R. Williams, could lead services. They soon began planning to build their own church.
Two years later, they leased land on Amity Street. On this land, they built the first Amity Street Baptist Church in 1834. This building was in the Greek Revival style, like an ancient Greek temple. It had six Ionic columns along its front. The architect, Samuel Dunbar, is thought to have copied his earlier design for the Thirteenth Street Presbyterian Church. Neither of these original buildings still exists today. The lectern in the current church, with its Greek Revival details, might be the only remaining piece from the first church.
As Lower Manhattan grew and changed in the early industrial era, it became less suitable for churches. Many churches sold their original properties in that area. They used the money to buy land and build new churches further uptown. Amity Street Church sold its first property, which was later turned into stables for horses. The church then moved to new land on 54th Street. Since the name "Amity Street" was no longer accurate for its location, the church became simply Amity Baptist Church.
The current church building was likely built as a chapel or an extra building on that 54th Street property around 1860. Its Picturesque style, which was even more noticeable with its original board-and-batten siding, was a popular design for many American Protestant churches at the time. Richard Upjohn, an Episcopalian architect from England, made the Gothic style popular for larger churches of his denomination. Baptists found that smaller, simpler versions of the Gothic style worked well for them, and many different versions were built.
In 1885, Williams passed away after leading the church he helped start for 50 years. He left a final message for the church members: "Pray and trust; love Him and serve Him, ardently and supremely. He will never forsake those who put their trust in him, never." This message is written on a wooden plaque that the church still has.
Leighton Williams, the son of the founder, took over as leader. In 1893, he bought the 200-acre property in Marlborough for retreats away from the city. He started holding annual meetings there for the Brotherhood of the Kingdom, a group he helped create with Social Gospel supporter Walter Rauschenbusch. After Leighton and his wife Nellie married in 1896, they visited the property more often. The church in New York City began to shrink and eventually sold its main building. The chapel remained. In 1905, Williams had the chapel taken apart and shipped to Ulster County. It was then rebuilt at its current location. He started holding services at what he called Amity Chapel of the Amity Baptist Church. Soon, it had one of the largest Sunday schools in the area. A schedule of weekly services from this time is also among the items kept by the church.
In 1914, Williams sold the building and its land to the church's trustees for $4,250. The church then updated the building. They added the transepts on the outside and installed heating and electric lighting inside. In 1915, the Brotherhood held its last retreat there. Sometime after 1919, the year a photo shows the church with its original board-and-batten siding, the current shingled siding was added. It was likely placed over the older siding.
The trustees handed the church over to a newer group, the Amity Foundation, in 1927. This group included the Williams family and other local Baptist pastors. By 1961, many of these founding members had passed away. The foundation became inactive, and the church was neglected once more.
Members of Moulton Memorial Baptist Church in nearby Newburgh re-established the church and foundation in 1962. Services were held under Rev. Edward Cuthbert for a few years, followed by another period of inactivity. Again in 1973, the foundation re-established the church, this time as the Chapel Hill Community Church. In 1987, it changed its name to the Chapel Hill Bible Church. At one point in the 1990s, the church group had fewer than ten members, and inactivity threatened again. However, it grew back to the point that the church considered hiring an assistant pastor.
Currently, the church holds Sunday school and services every Sunday morning. There is also a Wednesday evening Bible study group. Other church activities have been held on other weekday nights in the past. Missionaries supported by the church have served in Africa and Hungary.
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