{"nrhp_refnum":"04000985","name":"Buck's Bridge United Methodist Church","other_names":["Old Buck's Bridge Community Church"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2927 Cty Rte 14","address_restricted":false,"city":"Buck's Bridge","county":"St. Lawrence County","state":"NY","lat":44.702628153000035,"lon":-75.16036977299996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2004-09-15","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small vernacular frame church at 2927 County Route 14 in the hamlet of Buck's Bridge, town of Potsdam, St. Lawrence County, New York. It was built in 1837 and expanded in 1887, and is attributed to local builder John Byington.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church is an intact, representative example of late nineteenth century religious architecture in rural St. Lawrence County. It retains a high degree of integrity of design, materials, craftsmanship, setting and feeling. It is also the visual focal point of the hamlet's only intersection.","narrative":"This small clapboard church sits at the crossroads of Buck's Bridge, a hamlet in the town of Potsdam, St. Lawrence County, New York. Local Methodists, who had met in homes and barns, completed the simple rectangular meeting hall in 1837 under builder John Byington. In 1887 the congregation added a square Victorian-style tower with a belfry, a Sessions Room now used as a fellowship hall, stained-glass windows, and new pews and altar furnishings. A wagon shed with woodshed was built about the same time. The interior still holds its Victorian furnishings and two pump organs from 1887. As lumbering declined and the mill community shrank, the church closed in 1964 and stood vacant for more than twenty years. In 1986 it was deeded to local residents, who repaired the roof, repainted the siding and restored four stained-glass windows. It now operates as a community church. Its architectural integrity underlies its significance.","period_of_significance":"1837 - 1927","architect_builder":"attributed to John Byington","architectural_style":"Vernacular (mid and late 19th century)","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Closed in 1964 and vacant for more than twenty years; deeded to local citizens in 1986, repaired, and reopened as the Old Buck's Bridge Community Church, offering weekly services from early spring to Christmas.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:53.065339-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/04000985.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04000985/c162d713a9-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04000985/c162d713a9-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"OneEagle","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Community_Church.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">OneEagle</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Community_Church.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75321864","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buck%27s_Bridge_Community_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4982782"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/st-lawrence-county/bucks-bridge-united-methodist-church-04000985/"}