First Presbyterian Church of Margaretville facts for kids
Quick facts for kids First Presbyterian Church of Margaretville |
|
|---|---|
East elevation, 2008
|
|
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Presbyterian |
| Location | |
| Location | Margaretville, New York, US |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian |
| Groundbreaking | 1894 |
| Completed | 1894 |
| Specifications | |
| Direction of façade | East |
| Materials | Wood, stone, metal |
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
| Added to NRHP | 2004 |
| NRHP Reference no. | 04000348 |
The Margaretville New Kingston Presbyterian Church is a beautiful old church located on Orchard Street in Margaretville, New York. It's a wooden church with lots of fancy details, built in the late 1800s.
This church was built soon after its community was formed. It has a special "open plan" inside. This design was popular with revivalists at the time. They believed it helped people worship better. A new part was added to the back of the church in the 1960s. Other than that, it looks much like it did when it was first built. In 2004, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's a very important historic building.
Contents
Church Design and Features
The church sits on the corner of Orchard and Mountain streets. The land here slopes up towards the Catskill Mountains. The church building is a bit higher than the street. This gives it a great view of Pakatakan Mountain and other scenery. The area around the church is mostly homes.
A path made of slate and some stairs lead up to the church. There is also a parking lot next to Mountain Street.
Outside the Church
The church is made of wood and sits on a stone foundation. It has a full basement below. The walls are covered with wooden siding. The roof is steep and made of metal. It has overhanging edges, called eaves. The triangular parts of the roof, called gables, have special fish-scale shaped shingles. The roof's edge is decorated with fancy, scroll-sawn wood. These decorations look like a three-leaf clover pattern.
On the front corner, there is a tall, square bell tower. It also has wooden siding. The main entrance has two double doors. Above these doors is a rounded window with a fancy design. There is also a similar window on the side. A round window with more designs is above both.
The top part of the tower holds the belfry, where the bells are. It has arched openings and decorated corners. The tower's pointed roof is covered with wood shingles. It has a small decoration on top.
Inside the Church
The front of the church has a large, three-part stained glass window. The sides of the church have projecting sections with narrow, arched windows. Each of these windows has a religious picture made of stained glass. You can see things like a Bible, a cross, or a dove.
Near the front on the west side, there is another double-door entrance. It has stone steps leading up to it. At ground level, there is a single door that goes to the basement. A newer section was added to the back of the church. This part covers most of the original back wall. However, a round window showing Jesus can still be seen.
Both entrances lead into small entryways, called vestibules. From there, more double doors open into the main room, called the auditorium. This is one large, open space. It has curved pews, which are benches for people to sit on. These pews are divided into three sections by aisles. There are also straight pews at the back.
The lower part of the walls is covered with beadboard. The upper part is plaster. The ceiling follows the shape of the roof. At the far end of the room, there is a raised platform. This platform is about 20 inches (51 cm) high. It has a wooden rail with a velvet curtain. On the platform, there is a lectern for the speaker. There is also space for a choir. The furniture on the platform seems to be original. It includes carved chairs and a communion table. There is also a piano and an organ. Behind this area is a community room. It's a large open space with a kitchen and bathrooms.
Church History
The church community started in 1891. People in Margaretville wanted a Presbyterian church. Many farmers from nearby New Kingston were moving to the village. They used to worship at New Kingston Presbyterian Church.
Building the Church
At first, the church members met in the local Baptist church. In 1892, a group was formed to find a place for their own church. They chose the current spot on what was then called Doolittle Avenue.
Two years later, in 1894, the church was finished and opened. This church looks similar to other Presbyterian churches built around the same time in Delaware County, New York. For example, the New Kingston and West Kortright Presbyterian Church are also on the National Register. All these churches are made of wood. They have bell towers on the corner. They also mix different Victorian architectural styles.
The person who designed the Margaretville church is not known. However, its design is very much like one found in a popular book of church plans. This book was by Benjamin Price and was supported by the American Methodist Church. The Margaretville church is almost the same, just without a Sunday school room from the original plan. The bell tower is an exact copy of the one at St. Mark's Baptist Church in Highland Falls, New York.
Worship and Design
The inside of the church was designed for worship. It followed an "auditorium plan." This plan was popular with Christian revivalists of that time. They believed it was important for each person to feel a personal connection to God. They wanted a space where everyone in the church could see the preacher's face. This was similar to the large tents used at camp meetings.
The curved pews, wide aisles, and corner entrances made the most of the space. They reminded people of the camp meeting tents. The raised platform brought the preacher closer to the people. This gave the preacher space to move and keep everyone focused. Music, textures, and colors were also used to help people focus. You can see this in the beaded walls and stained glass windows.
Changes Over Time
Since it was built, the church has not changed much. The biggest change was adding the back wing in 1964. This new part was for the Sunday school. To make room, an entrance was cut into the back of the building. About 10 feet (3 meters) was also cut off the platform inside. New lights and carpeting have also been added over the years.
See also
