Old Stone Church -- Fairfield Twp., (Cedarville) NJ
Posted by: NJBiblio
N 39° 21.634 W 075° 13.463
18S E 480669 N 4356814
Old Stone Church, built in 1780, on the NRHP in 1977. One of the oldest houses of worship in NJ.
Waymark Code: WM970D
Location: New Jersey, United States
Date Posted: 07/07/2010
Views: 6
A great history of Fairfield Twp. contains the following about the Old Stone Church and its congregation:
"In May of 1697, a group of potential settlers from Fairfield, Connecticut purchased a tract of land in Cohansey...On June 10, 1697, these settlers formed the First Presbyterian Church of South Jersey. Today a granite monument (dedicated 1909) stands on the site of their first log meeting house. The cemetery which adjoined the meeting house remains the oldest in the township. Around 1717, a frame meeting house with shingle siding replaced the log one. By 1775, the building was declared unsafe so the congregation purchased the ground where the Old Stone Church still stands. Although, the building was not yet complete, the first sermon was heard on September 7, 1788 when Reverend Ethan Osborn assumed the pastorship. He remained until 1844. In 1850, He returned to the Old Stone Church to give the last sermon before the congregation moved to their new church in Fairton."