Misplaced Pages

Old School Baptist Church and Cemetery of Hopewell

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
(Redirected from Old School Baptist Church (Hopewell, New Jersey)) United States historic place
Old School Baptist Church and Cemetery of Hopewell
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
New Jersey Register of Historic Places
Hopewell Old School Baptist Meeting House and Cemetery in 2024
Old School Baptist Church and Cemetery of Hopewell is located in Mercer County, New JerseyOld School Baptist Church and Cemetery of HopewellShow map of Mercer County, New JerseyOld School Baptist Church and Cemetery of Hopewell is located in New JerseyOld School Baptist Church and Cemetery of HopewellShow map of New JerseyOld School Baptist Church and Cemetery of Hopewell is located in the United StatesOld School Baptist Church and Cemetery of HopewellShow map of the United States
Location46 West Broad Street, Hopewell, New Jersey
Coordinates40°23′18″N 74°45′53″W / 40.38833°N 74.76472°W / 40.38833; -74.76472 (Old School Baptist Church and Cemetery of Hopewell)
Area4 acres (1.6 ha)
Architectural styleFederal
NRHP reference No.100011029
NJRHP No.5931
Significant dates
Added to NRHPNovember 25, 2024
Designated NJRHPOctober 8, 2024

The Old School Baptist Church, historically known as the First Baptist Church of Hopewell, is located at 46 West Broad Street in the borough of Hopewell in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. The red brick church was built in 1822 and was documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) in 1936.. The adjoining Old School Baptist Cemetery was established in 1747. The church and cemetery were listed as part of the Old School Baptist Church and Cemetery of Hopewell historic district in the National Register of Historic Places on November 25, 2024, for their significance in art and architecture. The 4-acre (1.6 ha) district includes one contributing building, one contributing site, one contributing structure, and three contributing objects.

History

The Baptist congregation in Hopewell was organized in 1715, led by Johnathan Stout. In 1747, John Hart donated land for the church and cemetery. The first church building was erected from 1747 to 1748. Its first minister was Reverend Issac Eaton, who served until his death in 1772. In 1822, the current Federal architecture church was built on the site of the first church. In 1974, there were no surviving members of the congregation and the property changed from a religious organization to a private foundation and museum. In February 2023, Hopewell Old School Baptist Meetinghouse, Inc., was registered as a New Jersey public charity to preserve the property.

HABS photo from 1936

Cemetery

The cemetery was started in 1747. A marble tombstone is affixed to the exterior church wall for the Reverend Issac Eaton, who had been buried inside the original church building. In 1873, a cast and wrought iron fence, made by Joseph B. Yard of Trenton, was erected around the cemetery. It is a contributing structure of the district. The cemetery has three contributing objects. The ornate gravestones for John Hobbs (d. 1761) and Elizabeth Hobbs (d. 1767) were carved and labeled by professional tombstone maker Jonathan Hand Osborn of Scotch Plains. The gravestone for Catherine Stout (d. 1749), the oldest legible one in the cemetery, was carved by Ebenezer Price. John Hart may have been originally buried in a family plot. His remains were moved here in 1864 and a granite draped obelisk erected as a memorial monument.

  • Area view of the cemetery Area view of the cemetery
  • Entrance gate in the iron fence Entrance gate in the iron fence
  • John Hobbs and Elizabeth Hobbs gravestones John Hobbs and Elizabeth Hobbs gravestones
  • John Hart monument John Hart monument

Notable burials

See also

References

  1. "National Register Information System – (#100011029)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. "Weekly List 2024 11 29". National Park Service. November 29, 2024.
  3. "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places – Mercer County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection – Historic Preservation Office. December 20, 2024. p. 5. also known as Old Baptist Meetinghouse, First Baptist Church of Hopewell, Old Brick, Hopewell Baptist
  4. "Old School Baptist Church". Historic American Buildings Survey. 1936.
  5. Alderman, Christie (July 2023). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Old School Baptist Church and Cemetery of Hopewell (Draft)" (PDF). National Park Service.
  6. ^ Alderman (2023), p. 24.
  7. Alderman (2023), p. 23.
  8. Alderman (2023), p. 21.
  9. Alderman (2023), p. 26.
  10. "Old School Baptist Meetinghouse – A landmark of Hopewell".
  11. Alderman (2023), pp. 9–10.
  12. Alderman (2023), p. 6.
  13. Alderman (2023), p. 13.
  14. ^ Alderman (2023), p. 14.

External links

U.S. National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey
Topics Map of the United States with New Jersey highlighted
Lists by county
Other lists
National Register of Historic Places in Mercer County, New Jersey
Landmarks Mercer County map
Districts
Places of
worship
Houses
Commercial
buildings
Public
buildings
Sites
Structures
Former
See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Mercer County, New Jersey and List of National Historic Landmarks in New Jersey
Categories: