A Brief History of the Blooming Grove United Church of Christ

The Blooming Grove United Church of Christ began around 1758 as a Presbyterian church.  In 1758 the church purchased a tract of land and built its first meetinghouse in 1759.  The approximate site of the first meetinghouse is known but nothing remains of the building except for some fragments of interior woodwork.

In 1823 the church had grown to the point that it needed a new building.  Rather than enlarge the existing meetinghouse the congregation sold the original building which was torn down, and erected the present building.


An early photograph of the church ca. 1870 showing the horse sheds to the left.

The contract for the building called for a meetinghouse seventy-five feet wide and sixty-three feet wide.  It was to have a sloping floor and box pews.  In the fashion of the time, each pew was bought by and individual or a family, making each pew owner a partial owner of the church.


The sanctuary as it appeared around 1890.

The contract also called for a gallery behind the pulpit.  To the right and left were segregated seating for former slaves; the center section with the railing was for the choir.

The  congregation split from the Hudson Presbytery in 1833 after the pastor, the Rev. James Arbuckle, was tried for heresy.  The church became a Congregational church, although they did not formally change the name of the church until 1871.

In 1902 the railroad magnate David Moffat donated a pipe organ to the Blooming Grove church in memory of his father, a long-time choirmaster there.  The donation aroused substantial controversy, to the point that one member took the matter to court because his pew would have to be dismantled.  He later withdrew the lawsuit.  The sanctuary today retains many of its original features despite the renovation to accomodate the pipe organ in 1902.

The sanctuary as it appears today.

To accomodate the pipe organ the pulpit platform was moved forward and the choir balcony was removed.  The segregated seating, or "slave galleries," long since disused, remained to either side.

The most notable feature of the sanctuary is its openness.  Not a single interior support holds up the framework of the roof.  The builders used the king and queen post method of construction for the roof, allowing for the large expanse of unobstructed space.


The "slave gallery" to the right of the pulpit.

When the church building was built in 1823 slavery was still legal in New York.  The building committee directed the builders to include galleries to either side of the pulpit for slaves and other people of color.

These galleries remain as a reminder of the past.  Having long outlived their original purpose, they have become the coveted domain of occasional participants in choral society concerts, and of Christmas angels!


The original gray "putty" finish, still in good condition after nearly 180 years!

Another notable feature of the sanctuary interior is the wall covering.  The contract called for the plaster to be finished in a "putty" finish which a local plasterer had perfected.  He died before revealing his secret.

In 1919 a Service Window was dedicated to honor Blooming Grove residents who served in World War I.  With a parade and much fanfare the Governor of New York, Charles S. Whitman, addressed a capacity crowd.