South Granville Congregational Church
Encyclopedia
The South Granville Congregational Church is located on NY 149
in the hamlet of South Granville, part of the Town of Granville
, New York
, United States
. The current church building is the fourth in the church's history. It is a white frame
church built in the 1840s; nearby is a Greek Revival
parsonage of similar vintage. The church was extensively renovated and expanded in 1873, giving it more of a Late Gothic Revival appearance.
It was one of the first churches founded in the town when settlement began after the Revolution
. One of its early pastors was Lemuel Haynes
, the first African-American ordained minister in North America
. In 2005 it and its parsonage were listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
green with a state historical marker.
one-story church on a stone foundation
sided
in vinyl
over clapboard
topped with a gable
d roof. A two-stage bell tower
with mansard roof
rises from the center. The rounded-arched windows on the southern (front) facade
are topped with decorative carved scroll
s.
On the inside, double doors with oak molding
lead from the narthex
to the sanctuary
. In it the nave
has 12 rows of oak pews flanking the center aisle with smaller side aisles. All have carved S-shaped scroll arms and a brass
number plate at the end. Oak also is used for the triple-arched pulpit
and the rail around the choir loft.
The ceiling has coves on adjacent walls to improve the sanctuary's acoustics
, to the point that local community concerts are often held at South Granville despite the presence of larger churches in the region. Five brass chandelier
s provide light, along with wall sconce
s. The window behind the choir is filled with a stained glass
depiction of the church; the other windows have colored glass framing stippled
glass panes.
gable
d roof. It is sided in clapboard, with pilaster
s at the corners and the center of the main block, supporting a plain frieze
and box cornice
. The main block is flanked by two smaller wings with a smaller kitchen block attached to the rear.
In the front door there is a bevel
ed, recessed glass pane. On the first floor there is much original trim, including doors. The left wing has some of its original hardware; the right its arched entryway to the main block. Upstairs the floors have most of their original paint, and the walls their lath and plaster
.
(then still an independent nation) had not been established, and settlers were hoping to be incorporated into the latter. It soon grew into a thriving community. That year a group of residents called an ecclesiastical council met there in order to establish a place of worship. They were assisted by some ministers of Congregational church
es from Vermont, so they chose to be part of that denomination.
Their first church was built a mile (1.6 km) west of the village at what is now the intersection of Lee Road and Route 149. The congregation grew, and built another church in 1807, on the site of the current one. Sixteen years later, Lemuel Haynes
became pastor. His years at South Granville, the last of his life, were productive. The church grew and he was highly regarded in the community. He and his family are buried in a nearby cemetery, and his nearby house
has since been designated a National Historic Landmark
.
In 1843, the congregation established a committee to build a parsonage. A year later, it was done, at a cost of $615 ($ in contemporary dollars). It was used for meetings and social gatherings, and rented out when not occupied by a minister. Four years later, continued growth necessitated the construction of new church, the basis of the current building. It was completed for $3,700 ($ in contemporary dollars), and included a tower with a bell cast by a West Troy foundry.
There have been very few changes to the church since then. The ceiling has been modified somewhat, including the coves. Modern heating systems were added to the parsonage around 1900, and sometime later in the 20th century one of the upstairs bedrooms was converted into a bathroom.
New York State Route 149
New York State Route 149 is an east–west state highway that runs for through the Capital District of New York in the United States. It begins at exit 20 on the Adirondack Northway in the Warren County town of Queensbury and intersects U.S...
in the hamlet of South Granville, part of the Town of Granville
Granville, New York
Granville is a town on the eastern border of Washington County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The current church building is the fourth in the church's history. It is a white 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...
church built in the 1840s; nearby is a Greek Revival
Greek Revival architecture
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
parsonage of similar vintage. The church was extensively renovated and expanded in 1873, giving it more of a Late Gothic Revival appearance.
It was one of the first churches founded in the town when settlement began after the Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. One of its early pastors was Lemuel Haynes
Lemuel Haynes
Lemuel Haynes was an influential African American religious leader who argued against slavery.-Early life and education:Little is known of his early life. He was born in West Hartford, Connecticut, to a reportedly Caucasian mother of some status and a man named Haynes, who was said to be "of some...
, the first African-American ordained minister in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. In 2005 it and its parsonage were listed 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...
.
Property
The church and parsonage are on a small unpaved semi-circular drive on the north side of Route 149 at the western edge of South Granville. The church faces southwest at the head of the drive, with the parsonage to its south. In the center of the drive is a landscapedLandscaping
Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including:# living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly referred to as gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal of creating a beautiful environment within the landscape.#...
green with a state historical marker.
Church
The church building is a three-by-four-bayBay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
one-story church on a stone foundation
Foundation (architecture)
A foundation is the lowest and supporting layer of a structure. Foundations are generally divided into two categories: shallow foundations and deep foundations.-Shallow foundations:...
sided
Siding
Siding is the outer covering or cladding of a house meant to shed water and protect from the effects of weather. On a building that uses siding, it may act as a key element in the aesthetic beauty of the structure and directly influence its property value....
in vinyl
Vinyl siding
Vinyl siding is plastic exterior cladding for a house, used for decoration and weatherproofing, as an alternative to traditional wood siding or other materials such as aluminum or fiber cement siding. It is an engineered product, manufactured primarily from polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, resin, giving...
over clapboard
Clapboard (architecture)
Clapboard, also known as bevel siding or lap siding or weather-board , is a board used typically for exterior horizontal siding that has one edge thicker than the other and where the board above laps over the one below...
topped with a gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d roof. A two-stage bell tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
with mansard roof
Mansard roof
A mansard or mansard roof is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterized by two slopes on each of its sides with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper that is punctured by dormer windows. The roof creates an additional floor of habitable space, such as a garret...
rises from the center. The rounded-arched windows on the southern (front) facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
are topped with decorative carved scroll
Scroll
A scroll is a roll of parchment, papyrus, or paper, which has been drawn or written upon.Scroll may also refer to:*Scroll , the decoratively curved end of the pegbox of string instruments such as violins...
s.
On the inside, double doors with oak molding
Molding (decorative)
Molding or moulding is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood...
lead from the narthex
Narthex
The narthex of a church is the entrance or lobby area, located at the end of the nave, at the far end from the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex was a part of the church building, but was not considered part of the church proper...
to the sanctuary
Sanctuary
A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...
. In it the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
has 12 rows of oak pews flanking the center aisle with smaller side aisles. All have carved S-shaped scroll arms and a brass
Brass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin...
number plate at the end. Oak also is used for the triple-arched pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
and the rail around the choir loft.
The ceiling has coves on adjacent walls to improve the sanctuary's acoustics
Acoustics
Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of all mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician while someone working in the field of acoustics...
, to the point that local community concerts are often held at South Granville despite the presence of larger churches in the region. Five brass chandelier
Chandelier
A chandelier is a branched decorative ceiling-mounted light fixture with two or more arms bearing lights. Chandeliers are often ornate, containing dozens of lamps and complex arrays of glass or crystal prisms to illuminate a room with refracted light...
s provide light, along with wall sconce
Sconce
Sconce may refer to any of the following:* Sconce , a military fortification* Sconce * Sconcing, imposing a penalty in the form of drink* SCoNCe, , University of California, Irvine...
s. The window behind the choir is filled with a stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
depiction of the church; the other windows have colored glass framing stippled
Stippling
Stippling is the creation of a pattern simulating varying degrees of solidity or shading by using small dots. Such a pattern may occur in nature and these effects are frequently emulated by artists.-Art:...
glass panes.
Parsonage
The parsonage, just south of the church, is a two-story frame house on slate foundation with a slate-shingledRoof shingle
Roof shingles are a roof covering consisting of individual overlapping elements. These elements are typically flat rectangular shapes laid in rows from the bottom edge of the roof up, with each successive higher row overlapping the joints in the row below...
gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d roof. It is sided in clapboard, with pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s at the corners and the center of the main block, supporting a plain frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
and box cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
. The main block is flanked by two smaller wings with a smaller kitchen block attached to the rear.
In the front door there is a bevel
Bevel
A beveled edge refers to an edge of a structure that is not perpendicular to the faces of the piece. The words bevel and chamfer overlap in usage; in general usage they are often interchanged, while in technical usage they may sometimes be differentiated as shown in the image at right.-Cutting...
ed, recessed glass pane. On the first floor there is much original trim, including doors. The left wing has some of its original hardware; the right its arched entryway to the main block. Upstairs the floors have most of their original paint, and the walls their lath and plaster
Lath and plaster
Lath and plaster is a building process used mainly for interior walls in Canada and the United States until the late 1950s. After the 1950s, drywall began to replace the lath and plaster process in the United States. In the United Kingdom, lath and plaster was used for some interior partition...
.
History
South Granville was first settled in 1789, at a time when the border between New York and VermontVermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
(then still an independent nation) had not been established, and settlers were hoping to be incorporated into the latter. It soon grew into a thriving community. That year a group of residents called an ecclesiastical council met there in order to establish a place of worship. They were assisted by some ministers of Congregational church
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
es from Vermont, so they chose to be part of that denomination.
Their first church was built a mile (1.6 km) west of the village at what is now the intersection of Lee Road and Route 149. The congregation grew, and built another church in 1807, on the site of the current one. Sixteen years later, Lemuel Haynes
Lemuel Haynes
Lemuel Haynes was an influential African American religious leader who argued against slavery.-Early life and education:Little is known of his early life. He was born in West Hartford, Connecticut, to a reportedly Caucasian mother of some status and a man named Haynes, who was said to be "of some...
became pastor. His years at South Granville, the last of his life, were productive. The church grew and he was highly regarded in the community. He and his family are buried in a nearby cemetery, and his nearby house
Lemuel Haynes House
Lemuel Haynes House was the home of Lemuel Haynes, first African-American clergyman ordained in America, from 1822 to 1833. He was also the first African-American minister of a white congregation. It became a National Historic Landmark in 1975....
has since been designated a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
.
In 1843, the congregation established a committee to build a parsonage. A year later, it was done, at a cost of $615 ($ in contemporary dollars). It was used for meetings and social gatherings, and rented out when not occupied by a minister. Four years later, continued growth necessitated the construction of new church, the basis of the current building. It was completed for $3,700 ($ in contemporary dollars), and included a tower with a bell cast by a West Troy foundry.
There have been very few changes to the church since then. The ceiling has been modified somewhat, including the coves. Modern heating systems were added to the parsonage around 1900, and sometime later in the 20th century one of the upstairs bedrooms was converted into a bathroom.
External links
- Contact information at congregationalchurches.info