Upper Freehold Baptist Meeting | |
| Ye Olde Yellow Meeting House | |
| Location | Yellow Meetinghouse and Red Valley roads, Upper Freehold Township, New Jersey |
|---|---|
| Nearest city | Imlaystown, New Jersey |
| Coordinates | 40°10′8″N74°28′28″W / 40.16889°N 74.47444°W |
| Area | 25 acres (10 ha) |
| Built | 1720 |
| NRHP reference No. | 75001147 [1] |
| NJRHP No. | 2069 [2] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | April 21, 1975 |
| Designated NJRHP | March 25, 1975 |
Upper Freehold Baptist Meeting, also known as Ye Olde Yellow Meeting House, is a historic church located on Yellow Meetinghouse and Red Valley roads in the Red Valley section of Upper Freehold Township near Imlaystown in Monmouth County, New Jersey. [3] It is the oldest Baptist meetinghouse in the state. [4] It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 21, 1975 for its significance in religion and exploration/settlement. [3]
An earlier building for the area Baptists was erected in 1720 on land donated by Thomas and Rachel Salter. [3] The current meeting house was built in 1737. [5] It is oriented so that the gable ends are facing due east and west, to maximize sunlight on the southern side. The first resident minister for the congregation was David Jones (1736–1820). [3] The parsonage was built c. 1830. [5]
The oldest dated grave in the Yellow Meeting House Cemetery is Salter's son, John, who died August 29, 1723. [5] The 5-acre (2.0 ha) cemetery has about two hundred graves. [3]