{"nrhp_refnum":"12000405","name":"Copake Falls Methodist Episcopal Church","other_names":["Copake Iron Works Methodist Church"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Miles Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Copake Falls","county":"Columbia County","state":"NY","lat":42.12152187700008,"lon":-73.52371989799997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2012-07-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small, light-frame Gothic-style former Methodist church on Miles Road in the hamlet of Copake Falls, Columbia County, New York, built c. 1891-92 and dedicated in January 1892. The architect and builder are unknown.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is a highly intact example of rural Late Victorian religious design in Columbia County. It combines modest Gothic detailing with a traditional meetinghouse form, reflecting the limited means of a working-class congregation. It is also an architectural vestige of the community that grew up around the Copake Iron Works.","narrative":"Built around 1891-92 on Miles Road in Copake Falls, this small wood-frame church served Methodists connected with the nearby Copake Iron Works. The Miles family, associated with the ironworks, donated the land, and the building cost about $2,000. It was dedicated in January 1892 and used for worship until 1955, after which it fell into disuse. The Town of Copake bought it in 1982, and since 1983 it has housed a local historical society museum. A small rear wing was added around 1991. The church has a steep gabled roof, pointed lancet windows, decorative bargeboards, a king-post gable truss, and a belfry with a flared pyramidal roof. Inside, the pine floors, bead-board wainscot, ceiling sheathing and movable slip pews remain largely intact. The nomination presents it as a modest Late Victorian take on Gothic style that still follows older rural meetinghouse layouts, probably built by local builders without an architect.","period_of_significance":"c. 1891-92","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Late Victorian: Gothic","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"No longer used as a church; the Town of Copake bought it in 1982 and it has operated since 1983 as a museum run by the Roeliff Jansen Historical Society.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:48.056207-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/12000405.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75316972","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copake_Falls_Methodist_Episcopal_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q22060960"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/columbia-county/copake-falls-methodist-episcopal-church-12000405/"}