The Old School Baptist Meeting House
High Street, Warwick New York

Built in 1810/11 on what was then called "a sightly knoll in the village," this pristine example of early American church architecture commands a prominent position in the community. Its soaring spire, capped by a gold-leafed weathervane, ay be seen from almost every road leading into Warwick. In many respects, it is the village centerpiece. The handsome structure was the second home of the Baptists, the first being a log structure erected in 1774 a mile or so distant by eighteen pioneers from Connecticut. The first pastor was Elder James Benedict, an eloquent and dynamic leader.

By 1810, the congregation had grown to 150, necessitating the construction fo a new meeting house. Land along High Street was purchased from Jeffery Wisner and his wife Hannah. Designed by Deacon John Morris Foght, the present structure is 65 feet long and 45 feet wide, topped by a 95 foot high steeple. It originally seated nearly 500 people in the original box pews on the ground floor and in the three-sided second floor gallery. There was no central aisle and pews were accessed by individual side doors. Its unique barrel-shaped ceiling and exterior lines are reminiscent of the classical Christopher Wren churches that dominated the cityscape of London England. Foght, an New York architect, may also have been inspired by St. Thomas chapel on New York's lower Broadway. To add a personal touch to this architectural masterpiece, Foght carved a lovely golden dove with an olive branch in its beak. This "Emblem of Peace" is poised above the magnificent wineglass pulpit. At the apex of the plaster arch which frames the two north windows is a keystone-shaped panel bearing the inscription "Hitherto hath The Lord Helped Us - Praise Ye The Lord." The structure has eleven two and three-sash Palladian windows, some of them containing 99 panes of hand-blown glass. No provision was made for a piano or organ because the Baptists discouraged musical accompaniment with their hymns. The building's architecture, especially its simplicity and sensitive unity of design, make one of the most handsome structures in Warwick and a prominent Hudson Valley landmark. The entire building cost $7,000, a princely sum in those days when the average Warwick per capita income stood at about $300 per annum.

Originally the village's premier church, it gradually declined after the congregation split in 1866 over long-simmering liturgical differences. The new Baptists built an imposing edifice on West Street while the so-called "Old School" Baptists clung tenaciously to their more austere traditions, that included an avoidance of Sunday school for the youth. By 1951, the elderly congregation, almost extinct, was approached by several offers, one of them to demolish the decaying building, level the knoll, and build a manufacturing facility. The future was also clouded by a law requiring that church property revert to the state upon the death of its last member. Time was running out. Mrs. Elizabeth van Leer proposed to her fellow Warwick Historical Society members that the entire site be saved and restored to its original condition. Others in the community looked to tax ratables and favored industrial development. After all, the building had fallen into disuse and it was located in the very heart of Warwick's commercial district. Nevertheless, the Society prevailed and ownership was transferred. On July 27, 1952, the deed was given by Mrs Isaac (Blanche) Dolson, one of two surviving members of the congregation, to Lawerence Stage, Treasurer of the Historical Society and custodian of the Records. it was agreed that the building would not be de-consecrated and that religious services could be held there in the future on special request.

Basic repairs began immediately. A fund-raising drive was launched and a supervisory committee was spearheaded by Albert W. Buckbee, the Society's president, and Dr. M. Renfrew Bradner, Sr., who succeeded as president and continued the effort. The first phase included roof repairs, exterior painting, gold leafing of the old weathervane, and removal of the shutters. The front central doorway with its semi-circular fanlight was removed and replaced by a replica of the original flat-corniced entrance. The old coal bins and chimneys were also taken our. Restoration resumed in 1957 and the concrete entrance steps were replaced by simple wooden ones. Two years later, the Society installed a new wine-glass pulpit, a replication of the one in the Old School Baptist Meeting House in Slate Hill, New York. And above it, a new sounding-board was added nearly identical to the original one. The original pulpit according to Elder Cox, "was designed to represent a candlestick, the preacher supposed to represent the light." It had been dismantled, along with the early pew boxes, in about 1865.

The drive to secure visual protection for the meeting house began in 1956, under the impetus of Madison H. Lewis, when the southwest corner of the block was purchased by his mother, Hope Horton Lewis. Several decrepit buildings were demolished and replaced by a lovely public park, dedicated by Mrs. Lewis in memory of her husband, Edward B. Lewis. The old Legion Hall/YMCA building (now the 1810 House) was also acquired by the Lewis family and restored as a museum for the Historical Society. The effort went a step further in 1970 when Mrs. Elizabeth Sanford van Leer, widow of Madison Horton Lewis and her three daughters, acquired the north-west corner of the knoll, which had been paved over and occupied as an auto sales lot. A sweeping lawn was created, studded with flowering shade trees, and donated as a "Green" in memory of Mr. Lewis. Henceforth, people within the meeting house could peer out the windows, across the delightful greensward and over to the magnificent Greek Revival Village Hall on Main Street.

Over the years, the Historical Society used the meeting house as a venue for its Washington Day Picnic, held annually on the last Saturday in July to commemorate George Washington's brief visit ti Baird's Tavern in the village. The building is also used by the community for weddings and for its annual Christmas caroling event. And it has been on the itinerary of the Society's annual opening for hundreds of local school children and their teachers in search of Warwick's rich heritage.

The second restoration period began with a bang and a flash in July 1986 when a bolt of lightening hit a tree next to the building and sent it crashing onto the roof during a wedding ceremony. Major repairs to the roof began the following spring. The damage brought to wide attention the need for a more extensive renovation of the interior, especially the huge barrel ceiling. Isabelle Palmer, the curator of the 1810 House, was especially concerned and approached her sister, Mrs. Albert Blanke, who made a generous donation. Her munificence inspired an effort to raise matching funds within the membership and wider community. Consequently, a restoration committee was set up by Dr. M Renfrew Bradner, Jr., the Society's president. Michael Bertolini, a well known antiques expert and a society member, coordinated and directed the restoration, along with Harold Wilson. Mrs. David Stephen, Meeting House committee chairperson and head of the docents, also assisted. Intermittently, work was in progress from 1987 to mid-year 1990. The roof and steeple were repaired, the vast interior barrel ceiling was painstakingly re-plastered and painted and the circa 1840s chandelier rosette was meticulously replicated. An ecclesiastical-style period chandelier was donated by Mr. and Mrs. T.A. Lewis of England. The narthex walls, doors, and stairwells were delicately re-painted by William Bartch with a traditional wood-grain effect. New cushions were placed in the pews and a carpet was specially ordered for the aisles to match the one existent in the 19th century. Mr. and Mrs. Harold Wilson donated electric candles for the windows, antique pane replacements were given by Gary Randall and Bob Ball, interior early American furnishings, including a ca. 1820 Hudson Valley side table came from Mr. Ward Stewart, and early pew purchase certificates in memory of John Beattie III were acquired by Mr. John Lee.

Clearly, the Old School Baptist Meeting House, from its very inception has been a physical expression of public generosity and a symbol of faith: in God and in the indomitable spirit of community. It is a source of enormous pride to both the Warwick Historical Society, its owners, and to the people of Warwick.