The First Church of Hanover NJ

Certain Interesting Historical Facts
From Various Old and Reliable Records

1710	A few families removed from Newark and Elizabeth, etc., and settled on the west side of the Passaic River, in that which is now Morris County. The settlement of Hanover gave name to the whole region and the county was comprised in one township.
1718	In this year a successful effort was made to erect a building for divine worship on the present site of the cemetery in Whippany, adjacent to Route 10.
1738	An act creating the county of Morris was passed by the legislature. Colonel Lewis Morris was at that time Governor.
1747	The residents of South Hanover (now Madison) erected a separate meeting house and withdrew from the Hanover congregation.
1750	Oldest grave, that of Ruth Burnet, is only one of many, many historic grave sites. Some noted sites are that of the 52 soldiers buried in the cemetery, besides 38 from the Revolutionary War, there are 3 from War of 1812, 8 from Civil War, 1 from World War I and 2 from World War II. Five ministers are buried in the cemetery; Rev. Jacob Green, who was a member of Provincial Congress that formed the New Jersey Constitution and he was Chairman of said Committee as well as Rev. Aaron Condit, Rev. John Pierson, Rev. James Tuttle and Rev. Oliver Chapin. Other important burials are 6 attorneys, several doctors, David Young (who was an astronomer and mathematician) wrote The Farmers Almanac and Aaron Kitchell, the first New Jersey Congressman, Paymaster for Army as well as a US Senator.
1755	A new house of worship was erected by the Hanover congregation on or about the site of the present building. Another house of worship was erected at Parsippany for a small part of the congregation. This was called Hanover Second Church.
1757	The church voted to build a parsonage (this building still stands on the former parsonage property, across from the present manse).
1776	Rev. Jacob Green, pastor of Hanover Church was a member of the Provincial Congress and was chairman of the committee that drafted the first constitution for the State of New Jersey.
1780	Rev. Jacob Green, with several of the neighboring pastors, withdrew from the Synod and Presbytery of New York, and formed a Presbytery which they called "The Associated Presbytery of Morris".
1835	The old church building, which had stood for 8o years and was now quite unfit for further use, was torn down and a new (the present) edifice was erected.
1842	The present parsonage property was bought and a manse erected thereon. This manse is now being used as our parish house.
1890	The current 97 captain chairs were purchased for the balcony area.
1912	Current Moeller pipe organ was purchased. Kerosene lighting was replaced with electricity when several villagers agreed to install electric lights at the same time as the Church building, persuading the electric company to extend lines into the area.
1952	The present manse was erected on the southerly piece of the property.
1959	Water was piped to the building for the first time and the pew cushions from 1896 were replaced. These 1959 cushions are currently in the pews.
1967	Gas furnace replaced old coal burner.
1977	Placed on New Jersey (June 6, 1977) and National (November 10, 1977) registers of Historic Places. Reference #77000896 and ID# 2116
2005	Restoration Project began.

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