First Baptist Church of Ossining facts for kids
Quick facts for kids First Baptist Church of Ossining |
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West and south elevation, 2009
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Baptist |
| Leadership | The Rev. Dr. Gordon S. Anderson |
| Location | |
| Location | Ossining, NY, USA |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | J. Walsh |
| Architectural type | John Hoff |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| Completed | 1874 |
| Construction cost | $75,000 |
| Specifications | |
| Direction of façade | South |
| Materials | Brick, wood and slate |
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
| Added to NRHP | January 12, 1973 |
| NRHP Reference no. | 73001288 |
| Website | |
| Historic First Baptist Church of Ossining | |
The First Baptist Church of Ossining is a historic church located in the village of Ossining, New York. It is a beautiful brick building with a tall wooden steeple, built in the 1870s. This church is one of Ossining's most famous landmarks. In 1973, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places, which lists important historical sites. Later, in 1989, it became part of the Downtown Ossining Historic District, another important historical area.
First Baptist Church is the oldest religious group in Ossining. It started with simple prayer meetings in the late 1700s. Elijah Hunter, who also helped found Ossining, began holding these meetings at his home in 1786. In the church's early days, all members, including both free people and those who were enslaved, were treated equally in the congregation. The church later played a big part in helping to create other churches for African-American communities nearby.
Contents
History of the Church
Early Beginnings and Growth
Elijah Hunter, a captain from the Revolutionary War, started the prayer meetings that led to this church. In 1786, he held these meetings at his house in Ossining. The group grew quickly. Four years later, in 1790, 33 people officially formed the church.
For a while, they continued to meet in homes. Then, in 1815, Elijah Hunter donated the land for a small meeting house. This was built on the same spot where the church stands today. From the very beginning, the church welcomed everyone. All members were considered equal, no matter their social standing.
Building a New Home
The first church building was changed in 1834 and again in 1850. At first, the church didn't have a special place for baptisms. These important ceremonies took place in a small cove on the Hudson River. This spot was just south of where Ossining's train station is now. In 1865, the church added the white marble baptistry that is still there today.
By the 1870s, the church needed a bigger building. The congregation decided to build a new one. J. Walsh, an architect from Brooklyn, designed the new church. His design was in the Gothic Revival style, with triangles and quatrefoil shapes. These shapes represented the Trinity and the four Gospels. The new church was finished in 1874. It cost $75,000 to build, which was a lot of money back then! A local builder named John Hoff constructed it. The church was able to pay for it entirely with donations from its members, without needing a loan.
Community Support and Modern Updates
In the late 1800s, the church continued its tradition of supporting the local African-American community. In 1890, during its 100th-anniversary celebration, an African-American minister asked for help. He wanted to start a Baptist church for the Black community in the village. First Baptist Church and its members helped make this happen. The Star of Bethlehem Baptist Church was then founded on South Spring Street. It is still holding services today.
In 1916, the church building got electricity. Almost a century later, after its 200th anniversary, the church and its supporters worked to restore all the original stained glass windows. Since then, there haven't been any major changes to the building.
The Church Building
Location and Surroundings
The church sits on a triangular piece of land in the heart of Ossining. This area is where the village first began. Main Street is to the northwest, Church Street to the southwest, and South Highland Avenue (U.S. Route 9) is to the east. Ellis Place is right across from the church. The church block is just south of where Croton Avenue (New York State Route 133) meets the main roads.
Around the church, you can see other buildings. A former bank is at the northern tip of the triangle. Across Main Street, there are old brick commercial buildings from the 1800s. The Old Croton Aqueduct, a famous historical trail, crosses Main Street just west of the church. Across Church Street, there's a large parking lot. Ossining High School is a short distance away to the southeast. Another church, Trinity Episcopal Church, is on the north corner across from First Baptist.
Outside the Church
A low metal fence surrounds the church property. Tall, old trees provide shade on the east side. The church building itself is made of brick and has one and a half stories. It has a T-shape and sits on a stone foundation. The roofs are very steep and covered with slate shingles. There are four small dormer windows on each side of the roof. On the east corner of the front (south) side, there is a tall steeple where the main entrance is. The west side of the church has a wing with a slanted roof.
The front of the church has a large, beautiful stained glass window. It has five parts and a pointed arch shape. This window starts from a stone band around the building. In the upper wooden parts of the window, you can see quatrefoils. These are shapes with four leaves, and they are a main design in the church's exterior. Two fluted wooden columns stand on either side of the window. They support a detailed wooden trim with more quatrefoils. This trim hides the large wooden beams that support the roof.
A smaller, two-part window on the front of the west wing looks similar to the main window. It also has a small quatrefoil. Around the corner, there is a side entrance with a pointed roof. This roof is supported by side brackets, and there's a large quatrefoil in the window above the door. Along the side of the church to the north, there are four small, three-part arched stained glass windows. These windows are separated by buttresses, which are supports built into the wall. Further north, another steep pointed section with quatrefoils and wooden trim covers a taller, narrow three-part arched window. At the very end, there is a smaller, narrower window with a matching quatrefoil. On the east side, there is a fifth window at the south end, and the rest of the windows are the same. The dormer windows on the roof, on both sides, also have wooden trim that forms quatrefoils.
Both ends of the back section of the church have large, pointed arches that are filled in (blind arches) with crosses. Below the west window, there are three narrow windows. The east side has two arched double-hung windows below the blind arch. There is also a third window to the north and a single diamond-shaped window to the south. The wooden trim on the west end matches the arch. The east end does not have this trim, but it has a row of bricks that stick out, following the roofline.
On the north side, the central part of the church sticks out a little. It has a window similar to the one at the front, but without the columns on the sides. Above it, you can see the exposed roof beams, but without the decorative wooden trim. The two sections at the back of the cross-shape have narrow windows in their exposed basement. They also have a single three-part pointed stained-glass window on the second story.
The Steeple
The steeple has four main parts. The first part has corner supports and two stone bands. The upper stone band is where the quatrefoil design above the main entrance begins. Another band, which flares out slightly, marks the start of the next part. This part has a narrow, pointed window in the middle of each side. Each window has diamond-shaped glass and some wooden trim in its arch.
Above each window, a square wooden column begins. This column divides the two louvered, pointed vents on each side. These vents are now made of painted metal. Smaller square columns start midway up each corner. All these columns rise through the decorative trim at the top of the third part of the steeple. They end in pyramids, which are topped by smaller, nested pyramids. The corner pyramids are taller than the central columns, and they all match the peaked roof of the steeple. At the very top of the steeple, there is a small Celtic cross.
Inside the Church
A heavy, double wooden door with a limestone-topped arch leads into the main worship area, called the sanctuary. Inside, you'll find lots of detailed carved woodwork with Gothic designs. The walls are made of plaster. A wide central aisle separates the box pews. The ends of the pews facing the aisle have a three-leaf design. Two narrower aisles run through the side sections from other entrances. The floor is carpeted. The beautiful stained-glass windows show scenes from the Bible that are important to the church's beliefs.
Round wooden columns, with decorative trim midway up, support the ceiling's exposed beams. Thinner columns support the balcony at the back of the church. There is also a three-sided balcony with the church's pipe organ above the altar. This area is raised about five feet off the floor. On top of it is an 8 by 10-foot white marble baptistry. The rooms in the basement are used for Sunday school classes, meetings, and office space.
The Church Today
First Baptist Church in Ossining follows traditional Baptist beliefs. Their website states that "The Bible is the inspired and only infallible Word of God and our rule and guide for Faith, Life and Doctrine." This means they believe in the Trinity (God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), the divinity of Christ (that Jesus is God), and that people can be saved through "repentance and faith in the blood of Christ alone."
The church offers adult Sunday school and a special "junior church" for children every Sunday. Communion is held on the first Sunday of every month. Services are shown on local cable channels in the Ossining area. You can also watch them online through streaming video at telemissions.com. During the week, there are fellowship groups for men and women, along with Bible study groups. The church also runs a thrift shop. To help the growing Latin immigrant community in the area, two services are held in Spanish every week.
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