St. George's Church
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St. George's Church circa 1734
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Location | 319 Front Street, Hempstead, New York |
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Coordinates | 40°42′24.5″N 73°37′20.9″W / 40.706806°N 73.622472°WCoordinates: 40°42′24.5″N 73°37′20.9″W / 40.706806°N 73.622472°W |
Built | 1822 |
Architect | Timothy Clowes |
NRHP reference # | |
Rectory of St. George's Episcopal Church
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St. George's Rectory
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Location | 217 Peninsula Blvd., Hempstead, New York |
Coordinates | 40°42′18.8″N 73°37′17″W / 40.705222°N 73.62139°W |
Built | 1793 |
Architect | Timothy Clowes |
NRHP reference # | 88000510 |
Added to NRHP | May 3, 1988 |
Added to NRHP | March 7, 1973 |
St. George's Episcopal Church is an historic Episcopal church located at 319 Front Street (NY 102) in Hempstead, New York. It was constructed in 1822 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973 as St. George's Church.
The Rectory of St. George's Episcopal Church is an historic rectory located at 217 Peninsula Boulevard in Hempstead. It was listed on the National Register, in 1988.
Founded in 1702, the church was re-erected in 1734 to replace the original. However, its current edifice was built in 1822 following the second church's destruction.
In 1735, it received a charter from King George II.
During the American Revolution, Hempstead was a hotbed of British sympathizers or Tories, as they were known. The British attempted to occupy Hempstead after the Battle of Long Island and used St. George's as a headquarters as well as a place to worship. Local folklore has it that the rooster weather vane atop the steeple has sixteen bullet marks placed there by Hessian mercenaries who used it for target practice. American troops occupied the church for a period under Ezekiel Cornell from Rhode Island. Cornell "converted the Episcopal Church into a store house, forbid the parson to pray for the King or any of the Royal Family and made use of the communion table as a convenience for his Yankees to eat upon."
Both the church and its rectory are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
On April 2, 1734, John Mott and Thomas Gildersleeve, by order of the town, set apart half an acre for a new church, west of the old one. At first, the church was only half pewed; there were eighteen pews, presumably square. The first pew was given to George Clarke, Secretary to the Governor, who lived in Hyde Park and was a benefactor to the church.