Fairton, New Jersey - Established 1680
[Click here to view information on this church's 325th anniversary.]
| The Fairfield Church was founded in 1680 when a log
building was built on the banks of Cohansey Creek, and the site of
that first building is marked by the "Cohansey Monument"
erected under the auspices of the Presbytery of West Jersey [PCUSA]
on June 15, 1909, bearing the following inscription: "In memory of the true and good men and women who coming in the seventeenth century, founded here on the Cohansey the Church of Christ in Fairfield." 4Pictured at right is this monument, with Mr. P. Kennedy Reeves, who designed the structure and supervised its placement. Mr. Reeves served the Presbytery of West Jersey for many years as a member of its Historical Committee and as Treasurer of Presbytery. |
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Sometime between 1713-1715 the log building was replaced
by a frame building in New England style with shingled sides and was
used until 1780, when the stone church below Fairton, now known as
the "Old Stone Church," was completed. This building was
in continuous use until 1850 when the congregation was transferred
to the new building in Fairton, the present place of worship. 3The "Old Stone Church" |
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 5Pictured above is a drawing of the congregation's third building, in used since 1850. |
 Comparison of the drawing with the above photo displays the few architectural changes employed since 1850. |
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The Succession of Pastors Serving
the Fairfield Presbyterian Church:
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| M. Bradnor | 1680 - 1695 | J.N. Wagenhurst | 1897 - 1900 |
| Thomas Bridges | 1695 - 1702 | John Bamford | 1901 - 1903 |
| Joseph Smith | 1709 - 1711 | W.J. Trimble | 1903 - 1906 |
| Samuel Exell | 1712 - 1712 | William Bullock | 1907 - 1908 |
| Howell A.P. Howell | 1715 - 1717 | Nelson B. Kline | 1909 - 1910 |
| Henry Hook | 1718 - 1722 | William M. Seel | 1912 - 1914 |
| Noyes Parris | 1724 - 1729 | Franklin Weatherwax | 1914 - 1917 |
| Daniel Elmer | 1729 - 1755 | Nelson B. Kline | 1918 - 1922 |
| William Ramsey | 1756 - 1771 | Jacob Dyke | 1922 - 1923 |
| William Hollingshead | 1773 - 1783 | J. Howard Douglas | 1923 - 1928 |
| Ethan Osborn | 1789 - 1844 | Clinton Cook | 1929 - 1941 |
| David McKee | 1836 - 1838 | Arthur Haverly | 1942 - 1945 |
| Beriah B. Hotchckin | 1845 - 1850 | John Taxis | 1945 - 1947 |
| David C. Meeker | 1851 - 1855 | Paul Stauning | 1947 - 1951 |
| James Boggs | 1857 - 1866 | Ralph Tamaccio | 1951 - 1954 |
| Hiram E. Johnson | 1866 - 1869 | Lincoln Griswold | 1955 - 1958 |
| Samuel R. Jones | 1869 - 1874 | Allen Ackley | 1960 - 1964 |
| Samuel R. Anderson | 1875 - 1883 | Vaughn Thurman | 1965 - 1967 |
| Henry Reeves | 1883 - 1885 | Charles Dennison | 1972 - 1976 |
| Frank R. Symmes | 1886 - 1890 | Lawrence C. Roff | 1977 - 1984 |
| Thomas W. Pulham | 1891 - 1893 | Allan Story | 1985 - 1992 |
| George Warrington | 1894 - 1897 | Michael Schuelke | 1992 - present |