The Tie That Binds

The Tie That Binds. Religious Influence-Historic Settlements. Seeking shelter from a storm, Rev. John James, a circuit riding preacher ordained by the Church in England, but disciplined in the beliefs of the Methodist Church of John Wesley, met by chance with local resident David Sayres on a cold, wintry night in 1780. Sayres, a colonial soldier and patriot, did not favor sheltering any man representing the English crown, but could not allow the Reverend to stay out in the blizzard.

As a result of this chance meeting, a small society of Christian believers formed at the Head of the Tuckahoe River. By 1781, the society was meeting in the sawmill of Jeremiah and William Smith not far from the location of the present church. Within a few short years, the society outgrew the sawmill and it became necessary to begin thinking about building a house of worship. The new building, still under construction, was dedicated in 1792.

With the church as a focal point, surrounding communities prospered for more than a century. By the late 1930s, new modes of transportation and routes of travel forever altered the future of the area. Local industries and business began vanishing, families moved away, and houses and farms slowly disappeared---bringing about the regression of the Head of the River, Methodist Episcopal Church. Traces of these former industrial enterprises can still be found with careful observation. . This historical marker was erected by National Park Service and NJ Division of Parks and Forestry. It is in Estell Manor in Atlantic County New Jersey