Old School Baptist Church and Cemetery of Hopewell

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Old School Baptist Church and Cemetery of Hopewell
Old School Baptist Meeting House and Cemetery, Hopewell, NJ.jpg
Hopewell Old School Baptist Meeting House and Cemetery in 2024
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Location46 West Broad Street, Hopewell, New Jersey
Coordinates 40°23′18″N74°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 [1] [2]
NJRHP No.5931 [3]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPNovember 25, 2024 [2]
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. 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 in 2024. [4]

Contents

History

The Baptist congregation in Hopewell was organized in 1715, led by Johnathan Stout. [5] In 1747, John Hart donated land for the church and cemetery. [6] The first church building was erected from 1747 to 1748. Its first minister was Reverend Isaac Eaton, who served until his death in 1772. [5] In 1822, the current Federal architecture red brick church was built on the site of the first church. [7] In 1936, it was documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS). [8] . In 1974, there were no surviving members of the congregation and the property changed from a religious organization to a private foundation and museum. [9] In February 2023, Hopewell Old School Baptist Meetinghouse, Inc., was registered as a New Jersey public charity to preserve the property. [10]

The Old School Baptist Church and Cemetery of Hopewell historic district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 25, 2024, for its 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. [4]

HABS photo from 1936 Historic American Buildings Survey Nathaniel R. Ewan, Photographer April 21, 1936 EXTERIOR - NORTH AND EAST ELEVATIONS - Old School Baptist Church, Main Street, Hopewell, Mercer HABS NJ,11-HOP,1-1.tif
HABS photo from 1936

Cemetery

The cemetery was started in 1747. [11] A marble tombstone is affixed to the exterior church wall for the Reverend Isaac Eaton, who had been buried inside the original church building. He is presumed buried under the current church building. [12] 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. [13] 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. [14] 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. [14]

Notable burials

See also

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References

  1. "National Register Information System  (#100011029)". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. 1 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. 1 2 Alderman, Christie (July 2023). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Old School Baptist Church and Cemetery of Hopewell (Draft)" (PDF). National Park Service.
  5. 1 2 3 Alderman (2023), p.  24.
  6. Alderman (2023), p.  23.
  7. Alderman (2023), p.  21.
  8. "Old School Baptist Church". Historic American Buildings Survey. 1936.
  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. 1 2 3 Alderman (2023), p.  14.
  15. Ashton, Dean Henderson (1960). "Hopewell Academy" (PDF). pp.  170–171.