Newtown Presbyterian Church

Newtown Presbyterian Church
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Nearest city:	Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania[disambiguation needed ]
Coordinates:	40°13′56″N 74°56′20″W / 40.23222°N 74.93889°W / 40.23222; -74.93889Coordinates: 40°13′56″N 74°56′20″W / 40.23222°N 74.93889°W / 40.23222; -74.93889
Area:	2.2 acres (0.89 ha)
Built:	1769
Architect:	Hutchinson,Mathias
Architectural style:	Greek Revival
Governing body:	Private
NRHP Reference#:	87001212[1]
Added to NRHP:	July 16, 1987

Newtown Presbyterian Church (also known as Old Presbyterian Church of Newtown) is a historic church in Newtown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

This old edifice is the second of four Presbyterian Church buildings erected in Newtown. The first was built in 1734, and William Tennent, the first minister, preached there one Sunday a month. The first pastor to be installed in Newtown took office in 1752. Erected in 1769, remodeled in 1842, and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in July of 1987, we are assured that the exterior of this stately old church will remain as you see it today. In December of 1776, because it was one of the largest buildings in town, General Washington commandeered it and used it as a hospital, a jail and a P.O.W. “camp.” After the Battle of Trenton, several hundred Hessians were held there before they began their long march to Philadelphia where they would be exchanged for American soldiers.

The small building on the south side of the church is the Session House. It was built about 1798, used as a meeting place for the session, and is one of only two such buildings in the county still standing. Because most early session members were farmers and did not get to town except on Sunday, a quiet place was needed to conduct church business.

In back of the church is a cemetery. As you stroll through it, you may be surprised to find eight British flags–marking the graves of men who fought in the French and Indian Wars. There are twenty-eight flags flying over the graves of church members who followed General Washington in the Revolutionary War. In the back, just in front of the wall, is the grave of a man who stood for the Union during the Civil War.

References

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html. 

• newtownpres.org