NARROWSBURG: Since 1856, villagers have served their little temple full of love and history

By Elizabeth Sembower

The Times Herald Record

A small congregation has gathered to worship in the early morning light on Sundays for more than 140 years. The group's church, the United Methodist Church of Narrowsburg, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places during the winter.

Nestled against a hill on Lake Street and fronted by the serene Little Lake Erie, the church meets all of the criteria of a historic treasure as defined by the National Register, a division of the United States Department of the Interior. It is representative of significant architecture yet possesses unique beauty. It also continues to serve a living purpose in the community.

Construction of the sturdy white Greek Revival-style church was completed on "Church Hill" in 1856, an answer to the growing desire of Methodists in the prospering river town, then known as Big Eddy, for a central meeting house.

In 1879, it was carefully moved by hand down the hill and raised on a foundation allowing for a basement to accommodate the more modern needs of a kitchen, bathroom and central heating. The interior was then remodeled by local artisans in 1930.

"It is unusual for a moved or modified property to be listed," said Mary Curtis, historian for the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River branch of the National Park Service. "But this interior is an excellent example of Craftsman and Colonial Revival-style design, and the church has essentially remained unaltered since then."

Inside, the church is infused with the warmth of stained wood pews, panels, window frames, cornices and pilasters. All this sparkles with light from chain-hung chandeliers and stained glass windows, designed and installed by local craftsman W.J. Long from glass imported from Germany.

The Narrowsburg Methodist Church overlooking Little Lake Erie was built in 1856 and was recently given National Register status.

And the church has consistently been maintained by a caring congregation, despite what even the National Park Service describes as the present "impact of a depressed local economy and stunted population growth."

The designation of a National Historic Place is a long process. The national program was initiated in the early 1980's, when awareness of nationwide ignorance and abuse of historic treasures became heightened.

About a decade ago, 400 properties in the Upper Delaware Valley in New York and Pennsylvania were recognized as worthy of protection. To this date, nearly 200 have been approved by the register of the individual states and then by the National Register.

The process always demands extensive paperwork by the National Park Service and often entails public meetings and local committees to assure property owners of the benefits of the program.

"It is important that they realize that this does not impact in any way on their ownership. It is designed to protect their properties from adverse activity by state and federal government," said Curtis, who, along with Mark Peckham of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, prepared the application for the United Methodist Church. She adds that the designations usually have a positive effect on the communities, resulting in a greater sense of historic significance.

On Sunday, Reverend Steve Knutsen, pastor of the church as well as United Methodist Churches of Callicoon and Hankins known as the "The River Churches," delivered a sermon on the "Wisdom of the Cross." He spoke of the temple of God that abides within each of the congregations, and surrounded by their little temple full of love and history, the message seemed all the more profound.