by Shannon Butler
Step back in time for a moment to the 1750s. Poughkeepsie is a rather small village with only a few streets, but it is growing quickly. In this early time there was a Dutch Reformed church and a Quaker meeting house. It would seem that there was a desire from several English speaking residents in the area to establish a congregation on behalf of the Church of England. That is what the Reverend Samuel Seabury (Sr.) said as he traveled by horseback from Long Island into the Dutchess County area in 1755. He was a missionary who baptized several people along the way and wrote down his thoughts on the need for a church somewhere around Poughkeepsie or Fishkill. Though he had his own church to keep watch over in Hempstead Long Island, it does make one wonder what called him on such a long and rigorous journey? He traveled into Dutchess County several times over the next 7 years and preached in private homes in Poughkeepsie and Fishkill. During each visit, he continued to expand the population of baptized members for the Church of England, but never got around to building the foundations of a physical house of worship. He died in 1764.
Not long after his death, efforts were being made by the residents of Poughkeepsie to put together enough money to begin building a church and establishing “a Glebe and a decent house” (Glebe is the English name for land set aside for the support of the rector or vicar of a rural parish in England). They were also able to call forth the Reverend John Beardsley to be their first rector. Like Seabury, he had traveled several times to Dutchess County from far away (Groton, Connecticut) for the purpose of spreading the gospel and adding more members to the Church of England. It became clear that Beardsley would serve two different congregations that were forming around the same time: Poughkeepsie and Fishkill. Once a rectory was established at what we now call the Glebe house on Main Street here in Poughkeepsie, Beardsley began traveling down to Trinity church in Fishkill, which was the first of the two churches to be completed. The first Christ Church of Poughkeepsie was built and consecrated in 1774, on the corner of what is today Market and Church streets (where the old Armory now sits).
All seemed to be going well within the church–the congregation was growing with the help of Rev. Beardsley–until 1776, when the Colonies declared Independence from their Sovereign King George the III. Beardsley was a well known Loyalist and had no interest in taking part in the rebellion. In 1777, the Council of Safety determined that Loyalists such as Beardsley should be removed from the area immediately, being allowed to take only what they needed to make it safely to New York City, which was held by the British Army. The Beardsley family left the Glebe house and the parish, never to return. For the duration of the American Revolution, the church appears to have remained mostly closed.
Christ Church reopened after the war, though no longer connected with the Church of England, as ties with that church were broken because of the war. It was now officially an Episcopal church, with connections to the Scottish church. The church continued to use the 18th century building until 1834, when a larger church was built on the same spot. The first few images on the right show the exterior and interior views of this second church. During the mid-19th century, the area of Poughkeepsie was quickly becoming a popular place to live. There were several prominent educational institutions to choose from, and retired wealthy individuals found Poughkeepsie to be a very desirable place to finish out their years. This meant more members for the church with money to spare. In 1875, a new rector came along, The Rev. Henry L. Ziegenfuss, and he saw the need for a larger church. Albert Tower, who was the president of the Poughkeepsie Iron Company, made it very easy for the project to move forward.
“The Bishop of the Diocese endorsed the proposition, the vestry favored it, and it was made practicable when Mr. Tower, a member of the vestry, told Dr. Ziegenfuss to proceed with the matter, and that, after the congregation had done what it could, he would make up the remainder of the money needed.”
The congregation chose William Appleton Potter to design their new church on a piece of land that was once the “old English burial ground” (those graves were moved to the Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery). They also sold the land where their first two churches once stood to Dutchess County for $8,000. That money went to the building of the new church along with donations from several other wealthy members of Poughkeepsie society including John P. Adriance, William Bartlett, Arnout Cannon, and Horace Sague, just to name a few. The building was completed in May of 1888. The following year, the first parish house was built and the beautiful tower which makes the church stand out was also added. In 1903, long after the days of the Glebe house, the rectory was added. After over 250 years, the church still serves a very diverse community today.
Resources:
The Records of Christ Church, Poughkeepsie New York – By Helen Wilkinson Reynolds – 1911 LH 283.74733 R
Pamphlet, On the 175th Anniversary of the Founding of the Parish – By Helen Wilkinson Reynolds – 1941 LH Doc box 283.74733 C
Images:
1- Glebe House on Main Street, Postcard from 1903, from Local History Collections.
2- Interior view of the church built in 1834.
3- Exterior view of the church built in 1834, from the Local History Collections.
4- Photo of Rev. Henry L. Ziegenfuss, from Local History Collections.
5- Postcard of the 1888 church designed by William Appleton Potter, from Local History Collections.
