Pennington Presbyterian Church

This brick Gothic Revival style church, built in 1874-1875 after a fire destroyed its predecessor, is the fourth structure on this general site. The Presbyterian congregation, the first religious group in Pennington, organized circa 1709. The adjoining cemetery contains the grave sites of many prominent Penningtonians and legend tells us that when the Hessians occupied the church, the wall paralleling Main St. was used by them to exercise their horses in the winter of 1776 shortly before the Battle of Trenton. British General Cornwallis stayed at an inn, located across the street, that was demolished circa 1904.

Turn right at the traffic light onto Delaware Avenue, heading east.

Presbyterian Church Cemetery
The Reverend James Davenport
The New Side Era

References
1. The Pennington Area Presbyterians, 1709-1984 by Edwin G. York
2. History of the Pennington Presbyterian Church, 1934
3. Hopewell Valley Heritage, by Alice Blackwell Lewis
4. An Historical and Genealogical Record of the First United Methodist church of Pennington, 1774-1974, compiled by Phyllis B. D'Autrechy
5. The History of the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville, NJ, 2nd ed., 1974
6. additional research provided by David Macioch

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page created February 2008