The first church was built in South
Haven in about 1740, and Thompson's history of Long Island states
that "The meeting house at Fireplace or Southhaven was first built
in 1740 and rebuilt in 1828.
The first reference to the church in the
town records appears in the deed of April 10, 1745 when Mordecai Homan, Richard Floyd and Nicoll Floyd sold
"Yamphank Neck," to John Havens. In it is this reference "Always reserving and excepting out of
his present Indenture of sale two acres of land granted for the use
of a Presbyterian Meeting House, whereon the house now stands." This
is proof that in 1745 the church was in existence. The oldest
tombstone in the church burying ground is that of Sarah Hudson, wife
of Jonathan Hudson who died in 1746.
The location chosen for the
church was the center of population for this area with Mastic to the
east, Fireplace on the west, and Yaphank on the north. Also there were
several roads that met here from various parts of the town. One was
the Old Town Road, which came from Setauket to Yaphank and on to
South Haven, known as the Gerald Road. Another came from Coram to
Yaphank and along the east bank of the Connecticut River, and ran
into the Montauk Highway a short distance east of the church. Then
there was the "River Road," which came from Yaphank on the west bank of
the river to Carman's Mills, just north of the church. Another road
came across the Island from Wading river to the mill. As there was no
bridge over Carman's River, where the South Country Road crossed it,
this spot was known as the "goin over."
Just above the church was the
old grist and saw mill to which the farmers from miles around
brought their grain to be ground; they also brought logs to be sawed
into boards and timber.
Most of the material and labor for this
church was contributed by the people. The beams were hewn by hand
from oak trees cut in the vicinity. Pine trees were hauled to the saw
mill and sawed into clapboards and siding. Hand wrought nails were
used in its construction and where possible wooden pegs to save the
expense of bolts. Panes of clear glass were shipped by boat from
Connecticut and used in the windows.
This was a plain frame building
and inside were seats on either side if the central aisle. The pews
were probably of the box type like the present ones. In this way a
whole family could take their seats close the door and use the hot
bricks or foot stoves they had brought with them to keep their feet
warm. The doors on the ends of the pews were intended to retain the
heat from these heaters, an important item in those days when
churches were unheated in winter. The floor was of the earth itself,
tradition states for flooring could be omitted when economy was an
important item. There was nothing fancy about the architecture, but
everything about the building breathed the quiet dignity of these
sturdy and devout people. The South Haven church was the only church
building on the South shore of the Island from Babylon to
Southampton for almost half a century. Neither Moriches nor
Westhampton ,ketchabonock had a church building until after the turn
of the century, but conducted services in private homes and the
schoolhouse.
It is not definitely known when the
South Haven Church
began as an organization but a preaching station may have been
established here at an early date and if so the Rev. George Phillips
of the old "town church" in Setauket must have preached here in the
early 1700's. The records indicate that Abner Reeve preached here
much of the time for several years before David Rose came as pastor
in 1765. The town records show that at a town meeting held on May 3,
1757 it was voted that the parish where the Rev. Mr. Reeve "preaches
at South; shall be known as South Haven." The Rev. Mr. Reeve had a
son, Tappan who was born in South Haven in 1744, and who in later
years founded the first law school in the country, in Litchfield,
Connecticut.
One attraction that drew men to this section
from the north side in the early years was the discovery of a rich
source of tar and turpentine in the pine trees of this
neighborhood. "Tar-men's Neck," was the name given to that section near
Beaver Dam Creek just east of the present Presbyterian Church. The
tar men who settled here became so busy that the town ordered a tax
of one shilling in 1715, on every barrel of tar produced and ten
shillings on every barrel of turpentine distilled.