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The Middle Island Presbyterian Church
By Thomas R. Bayles
The first church in Middle Island was built in 1766 under the
leadership of Rev. David Rose, who was pastor of the South Haven
church which had been established a few years before. In February
1766, a piece of ground four rods by five rods, located at the
corner of the Half Mile Pond Road and the Middle Country Road, was
purchased from Selah Brown for sixteen shillings, the deed reading
to "ye freeheolders and commonalty of ye Middle of ye Island, for
ye use of building a Presbterin Meeting House upon, forever, and
no other use." The records show that "on the tenth of February
we began to get the timber, and on the nineteenth of the same month
we Rased the House."
That first "meeting house" was a plain boxlike structure about
26 feet square. Logs from the nearby forests were hauled to the
saw mill at Yaphank to be sawed into boards and timber, and labor
was furnished by those resolute settlers who wanted a church here.
Hsating facilities were not provided and the women brought "foot
stoves" to warm their feet.
In 1767 that first "meeting house" was formally constituted
under the name of the "First Presbyterian Church of Middletown,"
by the Presbytery of Long Island. This locality was known as
Middletown in those days, and when the first post office was estab-
lished here in 1796, it was called Brookhaven, and it was not until
about 1820 that the name Middle Island was adopted.
Rev. David Rose, who was pastor of the two churches, was a
young man from Connecticut, and was graduated from Yale in 1760.
The parish of the South Haven church covered an immense territory
from Moriches to Blue Point, and with the addition of the parish
here gave him a large field to cover. He combined the three most
prized functions of that day, preacher, doctor and teacher, and
must have been an interesting figure as he covered his parishes on
horseback, his saddle bags filled with books, drugs and a Bible.
"Priest Rose," as he was affectionately called by the members
of his congregations, served in the army during the Revolution, and
his family were sent to Connecticut for safety, During this strug-
gle for liberty the Setauket church was made into a barracks for
the British soldiers, and the South Haven church was used as a
horse stable by them, but there seems to be no record of what hap-
pened to the church here during that period. After the war, "Priest
Rose" returned and commenced the difficult task of restoring the
two churches of his parish, which had been without a pastor and no
services held during those long, dark years when Long Island was in
the hands of the British. He continued as pastor until his death
co January 1, 1799, and was buried in the church yard at South
Haven«
Remarkable was the influence of this church and the one at
South Haven, which sent into the political world of that colonial
day, distinguished men who have been recognized and remembered as
(1)
Object Description
| Rating | |
| Title | Middle Island Presbyterian Church |
| Subject |
Middle Island (N.Y.) Churches Presbyterian churches |
| Description | 5 page typewritten document 8.5 inches x 11 inches. Text only. |
| Creator | Bayles, Thomas R. |
| Publisher | Thomas R. Bayles |
| Contributors | n/a |
| Date, digital | 2010-01-04 |
| Type | image and text |
| Format | CompoundObject |
| Identifier | LW_BPAMPH_045 |
| Source | Longwood Public Library, Thomas R. Bayles Collection, Pamphlets |
| Language | en |
| Coverage | New York - Long Island |
| Rights | This digital image may be freely used for educational uses, as long as it is not altered in any way. No commercial reproduction or distribution of this digital image is permitted without written permission of Longwood Public Library, 800 Middle Country Rd., Middle Island, NY 11953. A high-quality version of this file may be obtained for a fee for personal use by contacting the Longwood Public Library. |
| Audience | general |
Description
| Title | Page 1 |
| Subject |
Middle Island (N.Y.) Churches Presbyterian churches |
| Description | Page 1 of a 5 page typewritten document 8.5 inches x 11 inches. Text only. |
| Transcript | The Middle Island Presbyterian Church By Thomas R. Bayles The first church in Middle Island was built in 1766 under the leadership of Rev. David Rose, who was pastor of the South Haven church which had been established a few years before. In February 1766, a piece of ground four rods by five rods, located at the corner of the Half Mile Pond Road and the Middle Country Road, was purchased from Selah Brown for sixteen shillings, the deed reading to "ye freeheolders and commonalty of ye Middle of ye Island, for ye use of building a Presbterin Meeting House upon, forever, and no other use." The records show that "on the tenth of February we began to get the timber, and on the nineteenth of the same month we Rased the House." That first "meeting house" was a plain boxlike structure about 26 feet square. Logs from the nearby forests were hauled to the saw mill at Yaphank to be sawed into boards and timber, and labor was furnished by those resolute settlers who wanted a church here. Hsating facilities were not provided and the women brought "foot stoves" to warm their feet. In 1767 that first "meeting house" was formally constituted under the name of the "First Presbyterian Church of Middletown" by the Presbytery of Long Island. This locality was known as Middletown in those days, and when the first post office was estab- lished here in 1796, it was called Brookhaven, and it was not until about 1820 that the name Middle Island was adopted. Rev. David Rose, who was pastor of the two churches, was a young man from Connecticut, and was graduated from Yale in 1760. The parish of the South Haven church covered an immense territory from Moriches to Blue Point, and with the addition of the parish here gave him a large field to cover. He combined the three most prized functions of that day, preacher, doctor and teacher, and must have been an interesting figure as he covered his parishes on horseback, his saddle bags filled with books, drugs and a Bible. "Priest Rose" as he was affectionately called by the members of his congregations, served in the army during the Revolution, and his family were sent to Connecticut for safety, During this strug- gle for liberty the Setauket church was made into a barracks for the British soldiers, and the South Haven church was used as a horse stable by them, but there seems to be no record of what hap- pened to the church here during that period. After the war, "Priest Rose" returned and commenced the difficult task of restoring the two churches of his parish, which had been without a pastor and no services held during those long, dark years when Long Island was in the hands of the British. He continued as pastor until his death co January 1, 1799, and was buried in the church yard at South Haven« Remarkable was the influence of this church and the one at South Haven, which sent into the political world of that colonial day, distinguished men who have been recognized and remembered as (1) |
| Creator | Bayles, Thomas R. |
| Publisher | Thomas R. Bayles |
| Contributors | n/a |
| Date, digital | 2010-01-04 |
| Type | image and text |
| Format | 000_Page 1.jpg |
| Identifier | LW_BPAMPH_045 |
| Source | Longwood Public Library, Thomas R. Bayles Collection, Pamphlets |
| Language | en |
| Coverage | New York - Long Island |
| Rights | This digital image may be freely used for educational uses, as long as it is not altered in any way. No commercial reproduction or distribution of this digital image is permitted without written permission of Longwood Public Library, 800 Middle Country Rd., Middle Island, NY 11953. A high-quality version of this file may be obtained for a fee for personal use by contacting the Longwood Public Library. |
| Audience | general |
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