A
Congregational Church society was
organized in Patchogue on January 14, 1793, by the Rev. Noah Hallock
Old Man's (Mount Sinai). This church organization was constituted the
"Second Congregational Church of Brookhaven." The first Congregational
church in Brookhaven was organized at Mount Sinai in 1789 with the
Rev. Hallock as pastor.
Rev. Hallock's ancestors were among the early
settlers at Mount Sinai, and he was born May 2, 1758. Before he was
20 years old he became interested in religious activities at his home
town and then in Patchogue. Services were probably held in private
homes in Patchogue for several years previous to the erection of a
church building. On August 5, 1791, Benjamin Smith sold to the
"Inhabitants of the parish at South, taking in Winthrop's Patent and
part of Islip"- one fifth of an acre of land on the northeast corner of the
South Country road and the road to the "Mooney Ponds," now Waverly
avenue. This was for the sole and proper use of said parishioners, for
the purpose of meeting theron a meeting house, free for any of the
proprietors in the parish to invite any protestant minister that
preaches the Gospel, at any time they think proper, not to disturb the
peace of any preacher that may be in public worship before him."
The
price paid was 30 shillings, and Benjamin Smith, who sold the land was
a neighbor of Ezra Tuttle, in whose house on Atlantic avenue the
Methodist church was organized in 1791. The purchasing committee was
Isaac Overton Ezra Davis.
A church building or "meeting house" as it
was called, was erected on this site in 1793, and for 27 years was
used jointly by the Congregationalist and the Methodists on
Sunday,
and on weekdays as a schoolhouse and a general assembly hall on
public occasions.
The congregational church started out with eight
members and the Rev. Mr. Hallock was pastor of both churches,
Patchogue
and Mount Sinai until his death on October 25, 1818. His tombstone on
the hillside burying ground at Mt. Sinai overlooks the home church to
which he ministered for so many years. He must have led a busy life
caring for his home parish and making the long trip across the
Island on horseback to his field at Patchogue.
The Methodist church
was organized some time in 1791 and had 10 charter members.
This
first church building was a plain structure about 20by 25 feet in
size, similar to the pioneer churches in South Haven and Setauket. Its
timbers came from tress that grew in sight of the church, and its
side were clapboards which were sawed in the local saw mill. There
was no interior finish, and the bare timbers of the sidewalls and
roof were in plain sight. There was no chimney at first, and the women
of the congregation brought foot stoves to keep themselves warm. Most
of the labor was supplied by the men of the church.
At the north end the building
there was a high pulpit, which was reached by means of a steep
stairway. The congregation sat on 9 or 10 rows of crude benches
which were arranged on each side of a center aisle, and about 100
person could be seated.
The flat stone doorstep of this "old meeting
house" is now the hearthstone of the fireplace in the east end of the
Sunday school room of the present church on East Main street.
In 1820
a new building was erected just to the east of the first one, 36 by
40 feet in size. T`his building was considered so beautiful that in
1823 its builder, George Curtis was engaged to build a church
exactly like it for the Presbyterian parish of Smithtown.
The second
church building in Patchogue was used jointly by the
Congregationalists and Methodists as the first one had been, but
within a few years it became evident that the one room building was
not sufficient for both denominations, as they were growing rapidly.
In 1831 a subscription paper was circulated to secure funds for the
"purpose of paying off the Methodist Society for their right in the
parish property." Four hundred dollars was raised for this purpose and
the Methodists sold their interest in the church building to the
Congregational church. The Methodists built a church just across the
street.
By 1854 the village had grown eastward and the membership of
the Congregational church had increased to about 200, so a new church
was built on Pine street. (now North Ocean avenue.)
About this time the
Methodists sold their church to the Catholics and built a new one at
the corner of the Church street and Railroad avenue. The present
Methodist church was erected in 1891, when the parish was 100 years
old.
The present Congregational church was dedicated on
May 14, 1892
the cost of this building was $40,000 and $6,000 for the lot.