First Church in Town of Preble (NY)

Introduction

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The First Church was located in the Town of Preble. It stayed where the marker lies currently for a few decades, before being moved to it's present location in 1859. The Church has been remodeled several times throughout its history, to reflect the changing times, and styles that were popular for that particular era.

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Backstory and Context

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The First Church of Preble New York has a long and complicated backstory. The town of Preble is made up of 28 tracts of land that veterans of the Revolution were given in place of money. Preble Congregational Church is of the Presbyterian denomination of Christianity. Preble was formed from Tully following the formation of Cortland County in 1804, it was named in honor of Commodore Edward Preble. The town consists of sharp hills, a valley formed off the western branch of the Touguihoga River. It was first built in 1804 and served as a place of worship for the various farmers that call Preble home. The orignal Church only had eleven members in its congregation. Two missionaries from Connecticut, Joel Hale and Theodore Hinsdale formed the first Congregational Society of Tully. Four years later in 1808 Preble separated from Tully and formed its own township the same year that Cortland County was organized. In 1810 22 men joined the Religious Society of Presbyterian Church, and subsequently signed at Homer's clerks office to agree that they would pay 25 cents a year to support the Church. Reverend Matthew Harrison was designated as the first pastor of the church in Preble.

The various Presbyterian organizations present throughout Preble, made several different Churches over time. They built these new churches as they outgrew the old ones. They also needed more space for events and several other uses. The Church has been remodeled and changed various times throughout it's history. The styles the church has been modeled in includes Federal, Colonial Revival, and Gothic Revival style architecture. The original church has been gone for over a century. The current Church was added to National Register of Historic Places in 2002, which cares for landmarks that they deem preservable.

Sources

. History of Preble, Accessed November 13th 2019. http://history.rays-place.com/ny/preble-ny.htm.

. Local History , Town of Preble. Accessed November 13th 2019. https://www.preble-ny.org/index.php/local-history.

. About Our Church, Preble Church . Accessed November 13th 2019. http://preblechurch.org/about-our-church.html.