OLDEST - Church in South Jersey -- Cohansey Baptist Church - Roadstown, NJ - First of its Kind on Waymarking.com

NJ -- COHANSEY BAPTIST CHURCH -- OLDEST CHURCH IN SOUTH JERSEY (Except Friends Meeting)

First church organized in a log cabin in Back Neck 1683. This church was constutitued a regular Baptist Church 1690. In 1707 it combined with four other churches, forming the Old Philadelphia Association.  First baptism recorded 1688 by Rev. Elias Keach. Rev. Thomas Killingsworth, Pastor, 1690-1709. Secons church built about 1713 on west side of Cohansey Creek near Sheppard's Mill where the old grave yard marks the spot.  Here we find a tombstone bearing the inscription of Deborah Swinney the first white female child born in Cohansey 1683.  Rev. Timothy Brooks, Pastor, 1710-1716.  Third church was built 1741 on site of second church. Rev. Nathaniel Jenkins, Pastor, 1730-1754.  fourth church built 1801 on present site. Rev. Henry Smalley, Pastor, 1790-1839.  Rev. Smalley's services covered a period of forty-nine years during which he baptized over five hundred persons.  Letishah Cleaver, and son David were the first persons interred in this burying ground in 1801.

This is a beautiful old church.  Very simply build and exquisitely maintained.  This current church building, according to the histories I have read was build in 1801.  It is the fourth church building near the site, the first being a log church build in the 1690s.  This gives the church the distinction of being the oldest continually operational church with the exception of the Quakers, in South Jersey.

The main building was constructed in 1801.  A parsonage was completed in 1862 and a small chapel added in 1876.  It was remodeled twice, once in 1851 and again almost 100 years later in 1949.  The final additions were in 1964 when an education building was added and again in 1968 when the heating and electrical systems were fully modernized.

This is especially revered by Baptists because it is considered the "mother church" for South Jersey, being constituted in 1683 and operating continually since that time.

The inscription in marble above the door reads: "This building erected MDCCCI [1801]. For the BAPTIST SOCIETY constituted MDCXCI [1691]."

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