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]
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″N 74°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 |
History
editAn 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]
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Parsonage -
Entrance gate, cemetery, and meeting house
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Cemetery
editThe 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]
Notable burials
edit- James Cox (1753–1810), member of the United States House of Representatives (from New Jersey)
- Elisha Lawrence (1746–1799), Federalist Party politician and acting governor of New Jersey in 1790
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "National Register Information System – (#75001147)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
- ^ "New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places – Monmouth County" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection – Historic Preservation Office. March 1, 2011. p. 14. Retrieved April 26, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e Poinsett, David N. (March 1975). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Upper Freehold Baptist Meeting". National Park Service. With accompanying 7 photos
- ^ "Upper Freehold Historic Farmland". Uftnj.com. Archived from the original on 2010-01-31. Retrieved 2013-03-07.
- ^ a b c "Historical Information". Friends of the Old Yellow Meeting House.
External links
edit
Media related to Upper Freehold Baptist Meeting at Wikimedia Commons- Yellow Meeting House Cemetery at Find a Grave
- "Ye Olde Yellow Meeting House". Historical Marker Database.
- "Ye Olde Yellow Meeting House – The Cemetery and Grounds". Historical Marker Database.
