{"nrhp_refnum":"98001550","name":"Methodist Episcopal Church of East DeKalb","other_names":["Old Meeting House at East DeKalb"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"696 E. DeKalb Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"DeKalb","county":"St. Lawrence County","state":"NY","lat":44.483030443000075,"lon":-75.30120384699995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1998-12-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A former Methodist Episcopal meeting house at 696 East DeKalb Road in DeKalb, St. Lawrence County, New York, erected in 1839 by builder William Cooper and remodeled in 1866.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is a spare vernacular Federal country meeting house typical of New England and Hudson Valley church building, reflecting the origins of early settlers in DeKalb. It is the oldest surviving public structure in the town and has been town-owned since 1912. It also retains 1866 stenciled and trompe l'oeil interior decoration.","narrative":"Standing on a hilltop at 696 East DeKalb Road in St. Lawrence County, this former Methodist meeting house was built in 1839 by William Cooper for $1,330. It measures 36 by 48 feet, with a hand-hewn oak post-and-beam frame, a front cloakroom with two staircases, and a square sanctuary. A remodeling in 1866 enlarged the side windows and added stenciled plaster walls with a painted chancel arch. The congregation grew with the hamlet of East DeKalb, but the community declined after the railroad bypassed it in the 1860s. The last recorded service took place in 1893. The town has owned the building since 1912, when it became storage for highway equipment, a use that continued until 1995. Despite that, much of the original interior plaster survived. Restoration has since replaced the south wall clapboards, doors and windows. It is considered significant as the oldest surviving public building in DeKalb and as a typical early country meeting house.","period_of_significance":"1839-1893","architect_builder":"William Cooper, Builder","architectural_style":"Early Republic/Federal","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Undergoing a restoration project that removes non-historic treatments; currently used as a museum. Used for highway equipment storage from 1912 until 1995.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:51.502927-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/98001550.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75321912","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q137294879"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/st-lawrence-county/methodist-episcopal-church-of-east-dekalb-98001550/"}