First Presbyterian Church of Hanover – Where History and Faith Intertwine

The story of the First Presbyterian Church of Hanover, at 14 Hanover Road in East Hanover, is one where faith and history intertwine.  Formed in 1718, the church’s cemetery has the graves of soldiers from many wars plus some notable figures.  In addition, its history reflects the church’s faith. For example, while even today, getting vaccinated/inoculated has been debated, the entire congregation of that Presbyterian church took a leap of faith during the Revolutionary War and were inoculated for the deadly smallpox. However, the church’s faith is not just about the past.  It continues today by helping others through a variety of outreaches, including a part of its more recent history, the establishment of its Heavenly Treasures Thrift Store in 2014. 

The church began in the 1700’s.  A church history booklet explains how the landscape was viewed in those days:  “1710, a few families moved from Newark and Elizabeth, etc. and settled on the west wide of the Passaic River, in that which is now Morris County.  The settlement of Hanover gave name to the whole region, and the county was comprised in one township.”   The First Presbyterian Church of Hanover was formed in 1718 and a house of worship erected that year.  It was the mother church from which Presbyterian churches in other areas would later form.   Since the original building there have been two others. The first building was replaced by a new house of worship in 1755.  When that building was no longer usable, it was taken down and the church which stands today was built:  in 1835.   

Recently, church historian, Betty Albert, shared a few interesting tidbits of the church’s early history.  

She noted that people rented their pews in the early years.  The closer to the altar, the higher the charge. There was a little bench in each pew.  The bench was for people to keep their feet up off the cold floor.  “There was really no heat at one point. There were two pot belly stoves but that's not going to heat the inside of a two-story church. People would bring corn cobs or hot coals or something and little containers,” explained Albert.  The pews were enclosed with a little door.  Albert shared that the door served two purposes:   to keep the warmth in and to symbolically shut out the cares of the world so the parishioners could focus on worship. 

The church played a few roles in the Revolutionary War.    One was as a make-shift hospital for soldiers.  Also, during the Battle of Springfield, men of the church would go to protect the local bridge that went over the Passaic River.  That was a point of easy entry for the British to get into Morris County.  It has also been rumored that George Washington and his staff occupied the original manse (parsonage) at one time.

A notable pastor of the church during this period was Rev. Jacob Green.  (He served the church from 1746 to 1790). Not only that did he serve the church, but he was a member of the first Provincial Congress and chairman of the committee which drew up the first Constitution of New Jersey.   Rev. Green was considered ahead of his time.  That was reflected in how he handled the smallpox outbreak during the Revolutionary War.

 “Rev. Green talked his congregation into taking an inoculation. That's unheard of… back then they would take and scrape, from what I read,….the sores of the smallpox from somebody [who had it] and rub it on your skin. Now, the congregation was taking a chance because they could come down with smallpox and die from it.  Yet, he talked them into taking this inoculation,” explained Albert.  She went on to say that none of the congregation died from smallpox and they lived to old age.

Albert noted that another way Green was ahead of this time is that he preached against slavery and predicted it would be the downfall of this country. 

Green is buried in the church’s cemetery, a place which also reflects the history of this country.   The graves of 38 Revolutionary War soldiers, three from the War of  1812,

eight from the Civil War, one from WWI and two from WWII can be found there.   The oldest grave in the cemetery is dated 1750 and belongs to a lady named  Ruth Bumet.

Two of the notables buried in the cemetery are David Young and Aaron Kitchell.  Young started the Farmer’s Almanac in 1818.   Among many things, he was a teacher and astronomer who loved to calculate the movement of the stars.   Albert noted that it is said that Young was once asked by France to calculate if the Star of Bethlehem was real.  He did and said it was.   As for Kitchell, he was the first New Jersey Congressman, was a paymaster for the Army and a U.S. Senator.  Albert shared that Kitchell was friendly with George Washington, but instead of having him for big fancy dinners, they would share simple meals.  Kitchell is said to have been an honorary pallbearer at Washington’s funeral.

In 1977, the First Presbyterian Church of Hanover was put on the New Jersey and National Registry of Historic Places.   A restoration project on the church building, helped in part by a grant from the Morris County Preservation Trust Fund, began in 2005.  The church reached out to congregation members and others for donations to fund the rest of the project.   Though the project was “completed”, Albert will tell you that with a historic building, restoration/repairs never really stop.  Also, any work done to the church must be done in a way to preserve its historic structure, which is expensive.  Anyone wanting to donate to the restoration of the church can send donations to Historic Building Restoration Fund, 14 Hanover Road, East Hanover, N.J.  07936.

While preserving its history, the church continues in the present….and that present includes worship and outreach.

Church member, Marilyn Crofton of East Hanover, shared that the church has a traditional worship at 10:30 am each Sunday.   There’s been no choir since the pandemic, but those attending worship enjoy music from the church’s beautiful Moeller pipe organ (which it purchased in 1912 and fills one wall of the church), and the service is led by interim pastor,  David Taylor.   The church has a coffee hour once a month after worship.   Once a year, in the fall, it hosts a welcome back luncheon for members who were away for the summer.

The church is active in outreach.

“We have an active Boy Scout group which has had some boys who progressed to Eagle Scouts,” shared Crofton.  That is East Hanover Boy Scout Troop #128 which the church has sponsored and supported for 10 years.

During the year, other outreach projects include “Souper Ball Sunday” where they collect money on the Sunday the Super Bowl is played with the collection going to Interfaith Food Pantry in Morris Plains.  They also donate to the pantry in November.  The church collects coats and jackets for the Salvation Army in Morristown.   Also, toys and mittens, gloves and scarves are collected and brought to the Salvation Army.

The church has the Heavenly Treasures Thrift Store which sells new and gently used jewelry, handbags, kitchen articles (such as dishes, glasses, pots, pans, coffee pots), blankets, toys, games, puzzle, Lenox, crystal dishes, some small furniture, and many other items. The store also has a permanent Christmas room to let people get a head-start on decorations to make the holiday merry.   “The store was first opened in 2014 with one room as a mission program to earn money to donate to various charities such as Friends of East Hanover, Interfaith Food Pantry, Mt. Pleasant Animal Shelter, Operation Holiday, and Salvation Army,” noted Crofton.  Today, the store has four rooms and in addition to helping charities, it benefits its historic church. The store is located directly across the street from the church at the back of the parking lot.    It is open on Saturdays from 10am to 4pm.  For more information on the thrift store, see its webpage at   www.firstchurchhan.org/our-thrift-store/.