{"nrhp_refnum":"95000592","name":"Mount Moriah Presbyterian Church","other_names":["First Presbyterian Church"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Jct. of Church and S. Main Sts., NW corner, Town of Moriah","address_restricted":false,"city":"Port Henry","county":"Essex County","state":"NY","lat":44.048003581000046,"lon":-73.46026520999999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1995-06-01","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A large Richardsonian Romanesque stone church built in 1888 at the northwest corner of Church and South Main Streets in the village of Port Henry, Town of Moriah, Essex County, New York.","why_significant":"The church is a highly intact, distinguished example of Richardsonian Romanesque church architecture in the region. It is also closely tied to the directors of Witherbee, Sherman and Company, the iron mining firm whose wealth shaped Port Henry, and reflects the community's social, religious and industrial history.","narrative":"Built in 1888 of dark, roughly cut sandstone, this Presbyterian church sits at Church and South Main Streets, half a block south of Port Henry's commercial center. Its Richardsonian Romanesque design includes round-arched leaded glass windows, a rose window in the front gable, buttresses, and an unusual two-story porte-cochere combined with an open bell tower. Inside, the nave keeps a hammerbeam ceiling with queen post trusses, original pews, altar furniture, and a pipe organ. The building replaced an 1855 brick Greek Revival church on the same site, which had grown too small for the congregation. The new church cost $9,263 and was designed by architect F. Charles Merry, with Smith and Allen as contractors. Its congregation included many directors of Witherbee, Sherman and Company, the iron mining firm that drove the village's growth, and the church reflects their wealth more than any other religious building in Moriah. Alterations are minor, mainly a new asphalt roof, a wooden fire stair, and some modern lighting.","period_of_significance":"1888","architect_builder":"F. Charles Merry, architect; Smith and Allen Contractors","architectural_style":"Late Victorian: Romanesque (Richardsonian Romanesque)","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still used as a religious facility; described as retaining a high degree of integrity with only minor exterior and interior alterations.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:51.084935-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/95000592.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/95000592/413854d08f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/95000592/413854d08f-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 2.0","author":"Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mount_Moriah_Presbyterian_Church,_Port_Henry,_New_York.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States</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:Mount_Moriah_Presbyterian_Church,_Port_Henry,_New_York.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75312954","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Moriah_Presbyterian_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6922272"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/essex-county/mount-moriah-presbyterian-church-95000592/"}