{"nrhp_refnum":"88000591","name":"Densmore Methodist Church of the Thousand Islands","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Rt. 100 at Densmore Bay","address_restricted":false,"city":"Alexandria","county":"Jefferson County","state":"NY","lat":44.32201519400007,"lon":-75.95375476499999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1988-05-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small frame Methodist chapel built in 1900 on Wellesley Island in the St. Lawrence River, near Densmore Bay in Alexandria, Jefferson County, New York. It sits on its original 92 by 105 foot lot beside Route 100.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church is a distinctive example of a Shingle style rural chapel built to serve seasonal and year-round island residents. Its patterned shingles, steep roof and picturesque corner tower echo the resort cottages of nearby Thousand Island Park and Westminster Park. Its interior retains an exceptionally high level of integrity, including an Akron plan layout.","narrative":"Densmore Methodist Episcopal Church is a small frame chapel on Wellesley Island in the St. Lawrence River, overlooking Alexandria Bay. Built beginning in 1900 and dedicated in 1902, it replaced a nearby one-room schoolhouse where the congregation had worshiped. A local farmer, J.R. Caulkins, donated the land. The church has a square plan with a round corner tower, a steep gable roof and wood shingles laid in alternating decorative bands. Inside, an Akron plan places the pulpit in a corner with curved pews radiating from it, and the original brass oil lamp chandelier and patterned metal ceiling survive. The design reflects the Shingle style seen in cottages at the nearby Thousand Island Park and Westminster Park religious resorts, adapted to a modest rural chapel. Deteriorated shingles and roofing were replaced in a 1984 restoration that copied the original patterns. The church still serves a small year-round congregation that grows in summer.","period_of_significance":"1900","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Shingle style rural chapel","criteria":[],"status_note":"Active today with a small local congregation that swells during the resort season; the exterior was restored in 1984 with replicated shingle siding and new roofing, and the interior is intact.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:45.270219-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/88000591.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75318224","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Densmore_Methodist_Church_of_the_Thousand_Islands","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5259341"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/jefferson-county/densmore-methodist-church-of-the-thousand-islands-88000591/"}