Cohansey Baptist Church - Roadstown, NJ
Posted by: NJBiblio
N 39° 26.360 W 075° 18.812
18S E 473019 N 4365578
Sign located outside the historic Cohansey Baptist Church, it is on the left as you look at the church, the large metal sign at the roadside.
Waymark Code: WM98GP
Location: New Jersey, United States
Date Posted: 07/13/2010
Views: 5
New Page 1
ROADSTOWN,
NJ -- COHANSEY BAPTIST
CHURCH -- OLDEST CHURCH IN SOUTH JERSEY (Except Friends Meeting)
First church
organized in a log cabin in Back Neck 1683. This church was constutitued a
regular Baptist Church 1690. In 1707 it combined with four other churches,
forming the Old Philadelphia Association. First baptism recorded 1688 by
Rev. Elias Keach. Rev. Thomas Killingsworth, Pastor, 1690-1709. Secons church
built about 1713 on west side of Cohansey Creek near Sheppard's Mill where the
old grave yard marks the spot. Here we find a tombstone bearing the
inscription of Deborah Swinney the first white female child born in Cohansey
1683. Rev. Timothy Brooks, Pastor, 1710-1716. Third church was built
1741 on site of second church. Rev. Nathaniel Jenkins, Pastor, 1730-1754.
fourth church built 1801 on present site. Rev. Henry Smalley, Pastor, 1790-1839.
Rev. Smalley's services covered a period of forty-nine years during which he
baptized over five hundred persons. Letishah Cleaver, and son David were
the first persons interred in this burying ground in 1801.
This is a beautiful old church.
Very simply build and exquisitely maintained. This current church
building, according to the histories I have read was build in 1801. It is
the fourth church building near the site, the first being a log church build in
the 1690s. This gives the church the distinction of being the oldest
continually operational church with the exception of the Quakers, in South
Jersey.
The main building was
constructed in 1801. A parsonage was completed in 1862 and a small chapel
added in 1876. It was remodeled twice, once in 1851 and again almost 100
years later in 1949. The final additions were in 1964 when an education
building was added and again in 1968 when the heating and electrical systems
were fully modernized.
This is especially revered by
Baptists because it is considered the "mother church" for South Jersey, being
constituted in 1683 and operating continually since that time.
The inscription in marble above
the door reads: "This building erected MDCCCI [1801]. For the BAPTIST SOCIETY
constituted MDCXCI [1691]."