Zion Episcopal Church (Douglaston, New York)

Zion Church is an inclusive Episcopal congregation in Douglaston, New York with members from throughout the borough of Queens, and from Nassau County. Zion is within the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island, and is one of the oldest churches in Queens, standing at the top of the hill overlooking Douglaston and Little Neck.

Wynant Van Zandt donated land for the building of a church in what was then known as Little Neck, New York, and the cornerstone was laid in 1829. The church opened for worship in 1830. A fire destroyed the original church building in 1924, and Zion was rebuilt and was ready for the Christmas 1925 service. The church building, the extensive grounds including a cemetery, and the 1890 rectory are listed on the National Register of Historic Places as contributing buildings and sites within the Douglaston Hill Historic District.

In the late 1860s, bandits harassed the communities on the north shore of Long Island, and when one gang leader, Jefferson Knight (who had worked as a coachman for the Rev. Beare), was captured in 1869, he led authorities to the "secret bunker" where his booty was hidden: the Zion Church belfry. Among the colorful characters who were members of the church were Bloodgood Cutter and the family of Thomas Merton.Merton, whose father had once been the organist at Zion and who later converted to Catholicism, made some unflattering comments about Zion and Protestants in his book, The Seven Storey Mountain.

...
Wikipedia