The United Methodist Church of Mount Kisco and Parsonage

The United Methodist Church of Mount Kisco was founded in 1793 and was originally called the Methodist Episcopal Church in what was then New Castle. In the mid-1700s followers of John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement began to expand the Methodist religion by spreading missionaries around multiple communities. Before and after the American Revolution, nomadic preachers continued to spread the teachings of Methodism through various towns in Westchester County.

Methodism came to the town of New Castle in 1793 when members of the religion held prayer gatherings and study sessions in their homes. The attendance of these church meetings increased greatly which sparked the need for a church building. Their first church was built in 1826. Members of the church, Caleb and Mary Kirby, provided the land for the building. At this time the building resembled a schoolhouse in its simplicity. By 1843, the church had outgrown this church and built a second larger one with Sunday School rooms and a gallery. The first church building was transformed into a residence for the minister. With the arrival of the railroad in 1847, the area was renamed Mount Kisco.

The Methodist Episcopalian church was the only church in the area until 1851 when a Presbyterian Church was constructed. During the mid-1860s, the church trustees began to discuss another move due to the increasing population of the church members. There was a dispute regarding the location of the new church building, the younger members of the church wanted to locate around the depot while the older members wanted the building at New Castle corners where the other building had been. Ultimately the third and present location of the church was the compromise. Two acres of land were purchased by Hezekiah Raymond and the cost to pitch the building was $32,000. 

The United Methodist Church has a Carpenter Gothic style dating from the 19th century. The church building design is attributed to a Methodist architect named Gamiel King who also designed the Brooklyn Borough Hall. The builder of the church was a church member named Edward Dauchey; members of the church were the constructors and carpenters with a wage of $4.00 per day. 

The parsonage is located on the church parking lot and was built in 1872 by a local contractor, George Marshall. In the 1880s, attic bedrooms were added and in 1898 a bedroom, bath, and kitchen were added on the rear of the parsonage. The parsonage also received a heating, plumbing, and electrical upgrade to make it a more comfortable living space. 

An extension called the Halstead Memorial Hall was added to the church in 1938 by Emma Osborne. This was a one-story extension that included the addition of a stage, social hall, and kitchen. The bottom level also serves as a dining room, Boy Scout Room, and a Day Care. The church also included different programs to help serve the community. An Education Wing was added in 1958 due to the baby boomer era and the influx of children. The wing served as classrooms, a choir room, and a pastor’s study, and a church office. 

Unfortunately, during the late 1970s, the church experienced water damage and “carpenter ants” which resulted in the replacement of the steeple, the replacement occurred from 1978 to 1980 with the help from the community. 

1.National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form, The United Methodist Church of Mount Kisco, September 30, 1982 Westchester County Historical Society Archive, Accessed October 2, 2020.

2.Porter, Shirley B.. "A Brief History of The United Methodist Church of Mount Kisco." Mount Kisco The United Methodist Church of Mount Kisco

3.Williams, Gray. Picturing Our Past: National Register Sites in Westchester County. Elmsford, New York. Westchester Historical County Historical Society , 2003.