Connecticut Farms Presbyterian Church
Encyclopedia
Connecticut Farms Presbyterian Church is located at Stuyvesant and Chestnut avenues in Union
, New Jersey
, United States
, near US 22
. It is the oldest church in the township.
Since the settlement of Connecticut Farms in 1667 by emigrants from that colony
, residents had to travel 4-5 miles (6-9 km) over poor roads every Sunday to nearby Elizabethtown (today Elizabeth
) to attend church. In 1730 they decided it was time to build their own place of worship and joined together to build a wood frame
structure in the center of town on a small rise. Not long afterward, a parsonage
was built nearby.
The original building lasted for half a century. In the latter years of the Revolutionary War
, Loyalist
troops under the command of Hessian general Wilhelm von Knyphausen
burned the church along with the surrounding town and the parsonage during the Battle of Connecticut Farms
, an unsuccessful British attempt to retake Morristown
.
During the fighting, Hannah Caldwell, the wife of Continental Army
chaplain
James Caldwell, was shot dead at the parsonage. His wife stayed at home with their baby and a 3 year old toddler. As the British moved into Connecticut Farms, Hannah Caldwell was shot through a window or wall as she sat with her children on a bed. It has been named after the family ever since, and today serves as a local history museum.
After the war ended, the citizens of Connecticut Farms rebuilt their town and its church in 1782. The current brick building has stood ever since, supported at some times through the sale of grass
and apple
s from the church's orchard
s In 1901 the parsonage was replaced with a new manse
next to the church, which was itself expanded in 1920 and 1949 with wings consistent with its existing Colonial stylings.
This history earned the church a listing on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1970. It was the first church in New Jersey to be listed.
Union Township, Union County, New Jersey
Union is a Township in Union County, New Jersey, United States. In the 18th century, the area that is now Union was then called Connecticut Farms...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, near US 22
U.S. Route 22
U.S. Route 22 is a west–east route and is one of the original United States highways of 1926, running from Cincinnati, Ohio, at US 27, US 42, US 127, and US 52 to Newark, New Jersey, at U.S. Route 1/9 near the Newark Liberty International Airport.US 22 also carries the names of the William...
. It is the oldest church in the township.
Since the settlement of Connecticut Farms in 1667 by emigrants from that colony
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, residents had to travel 4-5 miles (6-9 km) over poor roads every Sunday to nearby Elizabethtown (today Elizabeth
Elizabeth, New Jersey
Elizabeth is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 124,969, retaining its ranking as New Jersey's fourth largest city with an increase of 4,401 residents from its 2000 Census population of 120,568...
) to attend church. In 1730 they decided it was time to build their own place of worship and joined together to build a wood frame
Framing (construction)
Framing, in construction known as light-frame construction, is a building technique based around structural members, usually called studs, which provide a stable frame to which interior and exterior wall coverings are attached, and covered by a roof comprising horizontal ceiling joists and sloping...
structure in the center of town on a small rise. Not long afterward, a parsonage
Caldwell Parsonage
The Caldwell Parsonage is located along Caldwell Avenue in Union, New Jersey, United States. It was the home of the Rev. James Caldwell, a Presbyterian minister and active supporter of the Patriot cause during the Revolutionary War....
was built nearby.
The original building lasted for half a century. In the latter years of the Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, Loyalist
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
troops under the command of Hessian general Wilhelm von Knyphausen
Wilhelm von Knyphausen
Wilhelm Reichsfreiherr zu Innhausen und Knyphausen was a general from Hesse-Cassel. He fought in the American Revolutionary War, during which he led Hessian mercenaries on behalf of the British Empire.-Biography:His father was colonel in a German regiment under the Duke of Marlborough...
burned the church along with the surrounding town and the parsonage during the Battle of Connecticut Farms
Battle of Connecticut Farms
The Battle of Connecticut Farms, fought June 7, 1780, was one of the last major battles between British and American forces in the northern colonies during the American Revolutionary War. Hessian General Wilhelm von Knyphausen, in command of the British garrison at New York City, made an attempt...
, an unsuccessful British attempt to retake Morristown
Morristown, New Jersey
Morristown is a town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town population was 18,411. It is the county seat of Morris County. Morristown became characterized as "the military capital of the American Revolution" because of its strategic role in the...
.
During the fighting, Hannah Caldwell, the wife of Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
James Caldwell, was shot dead at the parsonage. His wife stayed at home with their baby and a 3 year old toddler. As the British moved into Connecticut Farms, Hannah Caldwell was shot through a window or wall as she sat with her children on a bed. It has been named after the family ever since, and today serves as a local history museum.
After the war ended, the citizens of Connecticut Farms rebuilt their town and its church in 1782. The current brick building has stood ever since, supported at some times through the sale of grass
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
and apple
Apple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
s from the church's orchard
Orchard
An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit or nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive...
s In 1901 the parsonage was replaced with a new manse
Manse
A manse is a house inhabited by, or formerly inhabited by, a minister, usually used in the context of a Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist or United Church...
next to the church, which was itself expanded in 1920 and 1949 with wings consistent with its existing Colonial stylings.
This history earned the church a listing on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1970. It was the first church in New Jersey to be listed.