Kingston in Franklin Township in Somerset County, New Jersey — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Kingston Presbyterian Church

American Presbyterian and Reformed Historical Site

Photographed By Bill Coughlin, September 10, 2016

1. Kingston Presbyterian Church Marker

Inscription.
Prior to 1766, our house of worship was built on this site. The wooden structure was destroyed by fire in 1791, and a new building was erected on the same foundation soon afterward. This church building served our congregation until 1852 when we moved to our current location, on Main Street, north of this site.

Erected 2002. (Marker Number 26.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Churches & Religion. In addition, it is included in the American Presbyterian and Reformed Historic Sites series list.

Location. 40° 22.51′ N, 74° 36.954′ W. Marker is in Franklin Township, New Jersey, in Somerset County. It is in Kingston. Marker can be reached from the intersection of Main Street (New Jersey Route 27) and Church Street, on the right when traveling west. Marker is located in Kingston Presbyterian Church Cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Kingston NJ 08528, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Kingston Cemetery (within shouting distance of this marker); Washington’s Route from Princeton to Morristown (within shouting distance of this marker); Kingston Revolutionary War Soldiers (within shouting distance of this marker);

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Rockingham (approx. 0.7 miles away); Kate McFarlane and Josephine Swann (approx. ¾ mile away); Maybury Hill (approx. 1.4 miles away); Joseph Hewes (approx. 1.4 miles away); The Canal Dug By Irishmen (approx. 2.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Franklin Township.

Regarding Kingston Presbyterian Church. Kingston Presbyterian Church (located north of this marker) is a contributing structure within the Kingston Village Historic District that was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. This church is also one of 445 American Presbyterian and Reformed Historical Sites registered between 1973 and 2003 by the Presbyterian Historical Society (PHS), headquartered in Philadelphia. Approved sites received a metal plaque featuring John Calvin’s seal and the site’s registry number (PHS marker location unknown).

The following text is taken from the Presbyterian Historical Society website:

Kingston Presbyterian Church's founding date is unknown, but tradition holds that the congregation existed as early as 1723. Its pastor, Eleazer Wales, was one of the organizers
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, September 10, 2016

2. Kingston Presbyterian Church Marker
of New Brunswick Presbytery in 1738. William Tennent and David Brainerd were among the notables who preached here. George Washington led his troops past Kingston Church and off to the left, to escape Cornwallis after the Battle of Princeton. A member of the congregation, Mrs. Elizabeth Van Dyke Wight, was sent in 1848 to China as New Brunswick Presbytery's first missionary to go out under the Board of Foreign Missions.

Marker in Kingston image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Bill Coughlin, September 10, 2016

3. Marker in Kingston

Kingston Presbyterian Church Cemetery image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Bill Coughlin, September 10, 2016

4. Kingston Presbyterian Church Cemetery

The Kingston Presbyterian Church marker is located in this cemetery.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 19, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 10, 2016, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 398 times since then and 29 times this year. Last updated on August 22, 2018, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 10, 2016, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.

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