First Reformed Church of Nyack
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*175th Anniversary page 

*Church Archives

Chronology of the First Reformed Church of Nyack

1620 - Dutch started to come to the North American Continent and settle in the Northeast and in this area along the banks of the Hudson River
1740 - movement started to have ministers educated and ordained here in America
1766 - finally approved; establishment of Queens College; now known as Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey
1812-1813 - petitioned the classis to establish a Reformed church in Nyack - denied
1830 - interest continued to grow in establishing a Reformed church in Nyack; became very vocal
1835 - Peter Smith gave the land for a church to be built (corner of Broadway and Burd)
1836 - building was built at a cost of $2,000
1836 - approached the classis again about establishing a Reformed church; membership 200; could support a minister
1838 - on April 24, 1838 the Classis of Paramus granted the request; church was organized; consistory formed:
Elders: Tunis Smith, Peter Smith, Abram A. Tallman
Deacons: Henry House, Cornelius C. Blauvelt, Edward Felter
1838 - first minister: Philip Brett; installed Sept. 12, 1838
1850 - church enlarged at a cost of $8,500
1871 - addition added
1901 - present structure built.  Architects were the Emery Brothers who also designed the YMCA, library, St. Ann's Catholic Church, St Paul's United Methodist Church among other prominent Nyack buildings.   The style was Romanesque revival; brick came from Haverstraw; the organ was from Clark Organ Company, Nyack, NY; clock tower installed
1970 - organ was no longer used due to water damage over a prolonged period
1976 - congregation decides to restore organ
1983 - $65,000 is raised and organ is restored, but there is a fire
1984 - present organ is installed
1995 - bells ring again on clock tower

First Reformed Church of Nyack History

Picture
Around 1830 a group of local residents of Dutch Reformed faith began holding private religious services in Nyack.  They built their first church on this site in 1836, were formally received into the Reformed Church in America in 1838, incorporated as The First Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of Nyack in 1853. The building was enlarged in 1851 and again in 1871. In 1901 the old structure was replaced by the present brick church with landmark bell and clock tower.

From the historic marker outside the church erected by the Historical Society of Rockland County and dedicated on May 21, 1988.

Account of the history of the Nyack church from the History of the Classis of Paramus of the Reformed Church of America, 1902  (Download PDF here)

Read an early account of the history of the church in Nyack from the Rockland County Journal of April 8, 1853 at  http://news.hrvh.org/  

Pastors of the First Reformed Church


Rev. Philip M. Brett, D.D.......................................1838-1841

Rev. Charles S. Hageman, D.D............................ 1842-1852

Rev. Benjamin Van Zandt, D.D..............................1852-1856

Rev. Daniel Lord, M.D...........................................1857-1860

Rev. Uriah Marvin..................................................1860-1870

Rev. Henry V. Voorhees........................................1871-1878

Rev. William H. Clark, D.D.....................................1881-1886

Rev. John C. Van Deventer..................................1886-1892

Rev. William J. Leggett.........................................1893-1901

Rev. Sartell Prentice, D.D.....................................1904-1922

Rev. William Neely Ross, D.D...............................1923-1948

Rev. William S. Quigley.........................................1949-1951

Rev. Howard C. Schade........................................1951-1959

Rev. J. Dean Martin, D.D.......................................1960-1970

Rev. James B. Parsons, D.D.................................1970-1988

Rev. Thomas C. Danney........................................1989-2011

Rev. William Doster, D.D...................................... 2011-2013

Dr. Fernando Arzola Jr......................................... 2013-2016

Rev. John VandenOever (Interim Pastor)............ 2016-



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