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News Thank you to All who attended our holiday House Tour on Saturday December 3rd. The self guided tour had 5 houses, St. Stephen's and Beverly Presbyterian Church and the historic Red Dragon Canoe Club. Homes filled with hand made doll houses, 1880's homes and Red Dragon's marvelous collection of their own history. Coopertown Meeting House had a free open house from 1-7PM. Thank you to the few people who came out for the Dave Giannetto presentation about Decoy Carving and hunting at St. Stephen's Conklin Hall. Dave gave an excellent talk about the old 'river rats" of our area with decoys & pictures to illusrate his talk. the book is excellent & filled with great picrures. TheDecoyArtist.com WATCH THE BEVERLY BEE AND FACEBOOK WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE OUR COLLECTION IN THE MEETING HOUSE? /// THE MEETING HOUSE IS OPEN BY APPOINTMENT, CALL THERESA 609-387-1079 FOR INFO
SEE THE BEVERLY BEE FOR MORE INFORMATION OR CALL THERESA 609-387-1079 |
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President:
Dennis Rogers
Vice President:
Karl Burrows
Secretary/Treasurer:
Theresa LowdenLinks Section
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RIVERSIDE HISTORICAL SOCIETY |
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ST. STEPHEN'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH |
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BURLINGTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY |
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NJ CIVIL WAR-23 RD REGIMENT/YAHOOS WEBSITE |
Coopertown Meeting House
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The Cooper Town Meeting House has the typical appearance of small houses of worship built in rural Burlington Township in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Built between 1802 and 1806, it is a 1-story structure containing a single room. It is constructed of brick laid in Flemish bond over a low fieldstone foundation. Each of the long facades features a central doorway with original double-leafed doors, each leaf having three raised panels. The doorways are flanked by windows with 12 panes in both upper and lower sash, hung with three-paneled shutters. The single room on the interior has a raised platform at one end and late 19th century vertical board wainscoting. Although the appearance of the Coopertown Meeting House is typical, its origin is not. Most religious buildings were erected to serve a particular denomination. The subscribers who raised the money for the Coopertown Meeting House placed it in trust with the Baptist Church, but decreed that it was to "be open and free to be used by all persons professing and believing in the Divinity of Jesus Christ". From its completion in 1806 until the 1830s, the Coopertown Meeting House flourished. At various times Methodists, Episcopalians, Baptists, and the Society of Friends worshipped there. Conflicts arose, however, over attempts to gain exclusive use, and the Methodist and Episcopalian congregations eventually withdrew and built their own churches. From 1880 to the 1930s it was the home of the Coopertown Union Sunday School. The Society of Friends also used it from 1901 until the 1930s. With the advent of the automobile, however, local residents were able to attend churches of their own denomination. __________________________________________________________________ Although the Cooper Town Meeting House Board of Trustees continues to maintain the building, the Riverfront Historical Society raised funds in the late 1970's and early 1980's to repair many damages to the building. The restoration was complete in 1983-84. The meeting house is now open for Riverfront Historical Society FREE open houses held in May, September and the first Saturday of December and by appointment. Groups may call Theresa at 609-387-1079 to arrange a visit during the warm months of the year. There is no heat in the building except for the coal stove we use once a year.
