{"nrhp_refnum":"79001609","name":"First Congregational Free Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"177 N. Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Oriskany Falls","county":"Oneida County","state":"NY","lat":42.94025029300008,"lon":-75.46021578299997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-01-25","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A limestone church building at 177 North Main Street in Oriskany Falls, Oneida County, New York, built between 1833 and 1845 for the First Congregational Free Church and also known as the Old Stone Church.","why_significant":"The church is significant as the first Congregational church in Oriskany Falls and as a link to the early settlement of the county by New Englanders. Architecturally it combines a simple New England meeting house plan with Gothic arched entrances, built in native stone, which was unusual for a Congregational church. It also reflects the dedication of villagers who built it with their own labor and materials.","narrative":"Limestone from a nearby quarry was used to build this church on North Main Street in Oriskany Falls, New York. Construction began in 1833 and finished in 1845, with members contributing labor or materials as they could. Amos Allen donated the land. The congregation grew from Augusta's Congregational church, whose membership had risen to about 400 by 1833, and 35 of its members joined five newcomers to found the new church in 1832. The building looks like a New England meeting house, with a rectangular plan, three tiers of small flat-headed windows and pedimented gable ends, yet its front has two tall Gothic pointed arches holding the entrance doors. Stone was an unusual choice for a Congregational church, though several early stone churches stood in the Mohawk Valley. A belfry holds a bell cast in 1838, and the spire was added in 1886. The congregation used the church until 1959, and the village later acquired it and has sought to restore it.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899 (specific dates 1833-1845)","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Combination of New England meeting house tradition with Gothic elements","criteria":[],"status_note":"Owned by the village, which was working to restore it and find a viable use; the form marks it as unoccupied. Congregational use continued until 1959.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:39.132265-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/79001609.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79001609/dd0bf785f8-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79001609/dd0bf785f8-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"Doug Kerr from Upstate New York","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Congregational_Free_Church_Oriskany_Falls_NY_Jul_10.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Doug Kerr from Upstate New York</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Congregational_Free_Church_Oriskany_Falls_NY_Jul_10.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75320193","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Congregational_Free_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5452869"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/oneida-county/first-congregational-free-church-79001609/"}