Manahawkin in Stafford Township in Ocean County, New Jersey — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Old Manahawkin Baptist Church (C. 1758)
Stafford Township Historic Site
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), October 29, 2022
1. Old Manahawkin Baptist Church (C. 1758) Marker
Inscription.
Old Manahawkin Baptist Church (C. 1758). Stafford Township Historic Site. The present structure (1867) encompasses the Free Church of Stafford Township, recognized by both New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places as the oldest existing house of worship in what is now Ocean County. The Free Church, built before 1758, functioned as the school, town hall and the "free" pulpit for the circuit riding preachers at the time. The Manahawkin Baptist congregation was formed in 1770. On December 30, 1781, the Manahawkin Skirmish between Captain John Bacon and his loyalists and Captain Reuben F. Randolph and his Company #5 of the 2nd Monmouth Militia was fought on these grounds. The Manahawkin Methodists used this structure until 1803 when they built their own chapel on Beach Avenue from land purchased from Reuben F. Randolph. After a fire in 1861, the present structure was built in the Greek Revival style and was dedicated in July of 1867. Frequent lightning strikes destroyed the taller steeple; the current early 20th century replacement steeple contains a 1925 bell. Since 1980, this building has been owned and operated by the Stafford Township Historical Society, Inc. The surrounding Manahawkin Baptist Cemetery contains the graves of veterans from the American Revolution, Civil War, Korean War, World War I and World War II. The New Jersey monument to the "Unknown From the Sea" testifies to the many unmarked final resting places of victims of local shipwrecks that led to the creation of the US Life Saving Service and eventually the United States Coast Guard.
The present structure (1867) encompasses the Free Church of Stafford Township, recognized by both New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places as the oldest existing house of worship in what is now Ocean County. The Free Church, built before 1758, functioned as the school, town hall and the "free" pulpit for the circuit riding preachers at the time. The Manahawkin Baptist congregation was formed in 1770. On December 30, 1781, the Manahawkin Skirmish between Captain John Bacon and his loyalists and Captain Reuben F. Randolph and his Company #5 of the 2nd Monmouth Militia was fought on these grounds. The Manahawkin Methodists used this structure until 1803 when they built their own chapel on Beach Avenue from land purchased from Reuben F. Randolph. After a fire in 1861, the present structure was built in the Greek Revival style and was dedicated in July of 1867. Frequent lightning strikes destroyed the taller steeple; the current early 20th century replacement steeple contains a 1925 bell. Since 1980, this building has been owned and operated by the Stafford Township Historical Society, Inc. The surrounding Manahawkin Baptist Cemetery contains the graves of veterans from the American Revolution, Civil War, Korean War, World War I and World War II. The New Jersey monument to the "Unknown From the Sea" testifies to the many unmarked
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final resting places of victims of local shipwrecks that led to the creation of the US Life Saving Service and eventually the United States Coast Guard.
Erected 2005 by Stafford Township Historical Commission, Mayor Carl Block and the Stafford Township Council; installed as part of the Troop 26 Eagle Scout Project by Lance Beuckmann.
Location. 39° 41.904′ N, 74° 15.454′ W. Marker is in Stafford Township, New Jersey, in Ocean County. It is in Manahawkin. It is at the intersection of North Main Street (U.S. 9) and North Lakeshore Drive, on the left when traveling north on North Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 120 Hilliard Dr, Manahawkin NJ 08050, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on the Jersey Shore and in the New York City Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Northeast and in the Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Netherland and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), October 29, 2022
3. National Register of Historic Places plaque for the church building
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 3, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 409 times since then and 37 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on November 3, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
