Reformed Church of Beacon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Reformed Church of Beacon
East elevation, 2021
Religion
Affiliation	Reformed Church in America
Location
Location	Beacon, NY, United States
Architecture
Architect(s)	Frederick Clarke Withers
Architectural type	Church
Architectural style	High Victorian Gothic
General contractor	J.F. Gerow, Samuel Bogardus
Completed	1860
Specifications
Direction of façade	East
Materials	Brick
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Added to NRHP	1988
NRHP Reference no.	88001438
Website
Reformed Church of Beacon

The Reformed Church of Beacon is a really old and important church building in Beacon, New York. It was first called the Reformed Dutch Church of Fishkill Landing. The church group that used to meet here says it's the oldest church building in Beacon.

You can find it on NY 9D, about half a mile south of Beacon's main town area. It sits on a hill and looks out over the Hudson River. A famous architect named Frederick Clarke Withers designed it. It was built in 1860. The church uses a special style called High Victorian Gothic. This was one of the first times this style was used in the United States.

In 1988, the church and its old graveyard were added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means they are important historical sites. This church is one of only a few buildings designed by Withers in this style.

What the Church Looks Like

The church and its cemetery are on a piece of land about 2.2 acres big. This land is between Ferry Street (Route 9D) and Beekman Street. The part where the church stands is flat and open. But the area behind it, where the cemetery is, is covered in trees and slopes downhill. There's also a parking lot and the building that used to be the church's parsonage (where the minister lived).

The Church Building

The church building is about two and a half stories tall. It is made from red brick laid in a pattern called English bond. The main entrance is on the east side. It has two big wooden doors with a small Gothic-style window between them. Most of the sides have tall Gothic windows. There are strong brick supports, called buttresses, between these windows. The back of the church has many windows. A small section sticks out to the south. The church's tall, pointed tower, called a spire, rises nearby. It was added later.

Inside, the main worship area, called the sanctuary, has a red carpet over a wooden floor. There are 98 oak pews (church benches) for people to sit on. The walls are smooth plaster. The lower part of the walls has narrow wooden panels, called wainscoting. The ceiling is shaped like an arch, which is called a vaulted ceiling. It's made of wood and has large wooden beams, called trusses, supporting it.

At the back of the sanctuary, behind the altar, you can see the pipes of the church's pipe organ. This organ is special because it uses a "tracker action" system. It's the only one of its kind in the entire Hudson Valley.

Near the main entrance, there's a small upper level called a gallery. This area is now used as the choir room. On the west side, there's a larger room. This room was used for Sunday school and as a place for talks. It has similar decorations to the sanctuary. But here, the wood is painted white and the plaster is blue. From the south side of this room, a small kitchen and hallway lead to stairs. These stairs go down to the basement and up to the bell tower.

The Cemetery and Parsonage

The cemetery is located on the land behind the church, sloping downhill towards Beekman Street. The oldest graves here date back to 1813. The cemetery shows different kinds of funerary art from that time. It is now quite overgrown and some parts are in disrepair.

Some notable people were buried here. One was Abraham H. Schenck, and another was James Mackin. William Few, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, was also buried here for a time. His body was later moved to Saint Paul's Church in Augusta, Georgia.

Cemetery, now overgown, in 2009

North of the church is the parsonage. This is a two-story wooden building. It has a large addition on its north side. It was likely built in the mid-1800s. This building has been changed a lot over the years. Because of these changes, it is not considered a "contributing resource" to the historic listing. This means it doesn't add to the historical importance of the church and cemetery for the National Register of Historic Places.

Church Style and Design

The architect, Frederick Clarke Withers, was a very religious person. When he designed churches for his own faith, he usually followed a more traditional English church style. You can see this in his other nearby church, St. Luke's Episcopal Church, which he built ten years later.

However, when Withers designed for other church groups, he was more flexible. The Reformed Church of Beacon is a rare example where he used the High Victorian Gothic style for a church. This style is more common in his other buildings, like the Eustatia house in Beacon.

The High Victorian Gothic style often uses many colors in its design. This church shows that with different colored bricks on its outer walls. The wide roof, which has cross-shaped sections called gables, is covered with colorful slate tiles. Withers wanted to use black bricks to balance the colors, but they weren't made locally yet.

This church is one of the first examples of the High Victorian Gothic style in America. It was influenced by other famous architects and writers of the time.

Church History

The church group started in 1813. Back then, this area was a small town by the river called Fishkill Landing. A small white wooden church was built on the same spot where the current church stands. The cemetery was also started at the same time. The first person was buried there in 1813.

By the late 1850s, the church group had grown a lot. They needed a bigger building. So, they hired Frederick Clarke Withers to design the new church. Local builders Samuel Bogardus and J.F. Gerow helped construct it. The church opened just before the American Civil War began.

In 1861, a famous speaker named Henry Ward Beecher visited the church. He was known for speaking out against slavery. He told the people that everyone should have freedom.

After the Civil War, in the 1870s, both the town and the church continued to grow. Some changes and additions were made to the building. The original back section of the church was made smaller to make room for a new steeple. In 1873, the whole building was repaired and redecorated. The old stone belfry (where the bells were) became unstable and was taken down in 1887. The church's organ was installed in 1895.

In 1907, one church member gave the land and house north of the church to be used as a new parsonage. The old parsonage was sold in 1911 and moved to Beacon Street.

Images for kids

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  Cemetery, now overgown, in 2009