The
Churches of Greene County
As Identified in
J.B. Beers' History of Greene County, published in 1884
Retyped by Arlene Goodwin
Ecclesiastical History
The Church history of the county will appear in detail in connection with the various localities. The Dutch Reformed was the earliest and is to-day the strongest denomination in the river towns. As early as 1650, and before any definite church organizations existed, the Dutch Reformed practices prevailed in religious worship. The organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Zion Church at Athens in 1703 appears to antedate all others. The English in later years established the Presbyterian and the Episcopal Church, and still later the Methodist Church placed itself in nearly every village in the county.
The following table, from the census of 1875, gives a condensed view of the material status of these churches:
|
Greene County Churches |
Organizations |
Edifices |
Sittings |
Membership |
Value of church property |
Salaries of Clergy |
|
African M. E. |
2 |
2 |
450 |
150 |
$13,500 |
$950 |
|
Baptist |
12 |
12 |
3,800 |
898 |
$77,000 |
$4,800 |
|
Christian Connection |
2 |
2 |
650 |
265 |
$11,500 |
$1,100 |
|
Evangelical Lutheran |
1 |
1 |
300 |
125 |
$5,000 |
$700 |
|
Friends (Hicksite) |
1 |
1 |
150 |
$2,000 |
||
|
Friends (Orthodox) |
1 |
1 |
300 |
$300 |
||
|
Methodist Episcopal |
32 |
31 |
8,950 |
2,689 |
$160,500 |
$14,235 |
|
Presbyterian |
10 |
10 |
3,680 |
1,170 |
$82,400 |
$7,350 |
|
Protestant Episcopal |
8 |
8 |
2,500 |
687 |
$61,900 |
$4,250 |
|
Reformed Dutch Church Of America |
10 |
9 |
3,900 |
1,944 |
$85,500 |
$9,000 |
|
Roman Catholic |
5 |
5 |
1,213 |
2,075 |
$37,900 |
$2,800 |
|
Union |
2 |
2 |
500 |
25 |
$3,000 |
$100 |
|
United Methodist Free Church |
2 |
2 |
450 |
87 |
$3,000 |
#200 |
The Reformed Dutch Church has two societies in Athens, Catskill and Coxsackie, and one in Kiskatom, Leeds and Prattsville. The Protestant Episcopal Church has societies in Catskill, Coxsackie, Athens, Oak Hill, Greenville, Cairo, Palenville, Windham and Prattsville. The Methodist Episcopal Church is represented in Ashland, Athens, Catskill, Cairo and Round Top, Coxsackie, Durham, East Durham, East Jewett, Greenville, High Hill, Hunter, Leeds and Sandy Plains, Lexington, New Baltimore, Norton Hill, Oak Hill, Palenville, Prattsville and Windham. Baptist churches have been established in Athens, Catskill, Lexington, Acra, Grapeville, Greenville, East Durham, Hervey Street and Gayhead. The Presbyterian Church organization exists in Ashland, Cairo, Catskill, Durham, West Durham and Centerville, Greenville, Jewett and Windham. There are Roman Catholic Churches at Catskill, Leeds, Hunter, Ashland and Coxsackie. The Lutherans have a church in Athens, and there is one of the Christian Connection at Freehold, and one of the African Methodist Episcopal at Catskill.
Town of Hunter
Town of Halcott
Town of Greenville
Town of Jewett
Town of Lexington
Town of Windham
Town of New Baltimore
Town of Prattsville