{"nrhp_refnum":"85002511","name":"Commack Methodist Church and Cemetery","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"486 Townline Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Huntington","county":"Suffolk County","state":"NY","lat":40.84481959500005,"lon":-73.29285373899995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-09-26","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story shingled Methodist church built in 1789, with a surrounding historic cemetery, at 486 Townline Road in the hamlet of Commack, town of Huntington, Suffolk County, New York.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it an outstanding example of settlement-period religious architecture in Huntington, with simple form and little decoration. It is described as the oldest Methodist church in New York State and one of two surviving eighteenth-century religious properties in Huntington. It is also one of the few relatively unaltered historic properties in Commack.","narrative":"Built in 1789 on Townline Road in Commack, this two-story, two-bay shingled church has a broad overhanging gable roof and twelve-over-twelve windows with paneled shutters. The front has two entrances and a shed-roofed porch on square columns. Inside, a gallery runs along three sides, and the interior is described as virtually unaltered since the late eighteenth century. The Methodist congregation formed in the Huntington area in 1783, and land for the meeting house was bought for two pounds, five shillings. The church served its congregation continuously until the mid-twentieth century, when a nearby modern building replaced it, and it still hosts special services. It is described as the oldest Methodist church in New York State and one of two surviving eighteenth-century religious properties in Huntington. A fenced, wooded cemetery surrounds it, holding simple stone markers from the eighteenth to the early twentieth century, and adds to the property's significance.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"James Hubbs (listed as architect/builder on the inventory form)","architectural_style":"Settlement period religious architecture","criteria":[],"status_note":"Used continuously until the mid-twentieth century, when a nearby modern church replaced it; the building is still used for special services. Condition is rated good.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:46.076871-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/85002511.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85002511/75bf51a5dc-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85002511/75bf51a5dc-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"AJW1188","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Comac_Church.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">AJW1188</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Comac_Church.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75314915","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commack_Methodist_Church_and_Cemetery","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5152065"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/suffolk-county/commack-methodist-church-and-cemetery-85002511/"}