St. Peter's Presbyterian Church and Spencertown Cemetery
Why it's listed
St. Peter's Presbyterian Church is a clapboard-sided frame church beside a two-and-a-half-acre cemetery on the village green of Spencertown, in Austerlitz, Columbia County, New York. Built in 1771 across the street, it was turned, moved to its present site and enlarged in 1826 under master workman Philo Beebe of Chatham, who is credited with the facade, vestibule, belfry and steeple. The five-bay front has a pedimented central projection, a Palladian window and a Greek Revival entrance cornice added later. The tiered steeple rises an estimated 65 to 70 feet, and the attic still holds king post trusses believed to come from the 1771 building. The cemetery contains stones from about 1760 onward, including death's head carvings, tall obelisks, statuary, a stone crypt and a cast iron fence. The church was listed for its architecture as a well-preserved Federal period church that anchors a historic village, and both church and cemetery remain in use.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the church is significant in architecture as a classic New England-style Federal period religious building with a tall ornamental steeple. It is an unusually well-preserved example of a type built in upper Hudson Valley and central New York towns between about 1795 and 1840. The adjoining cemetery adds a wide variety of 18th and 19th century funerary art.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 02000821, listed August 2, 2002. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Cty. Rte. 7, at NY 203, Spencertown |
|---|---|
| County | Columbia County |
| Listed | August 2, 2002 |
| Reference number | 02000821 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c. 1760-1826 |
| Architect / builder | Babcock, Capt. William Avery (builder); Beebe, Philo (remodeling) |
| Architectural style | Early Republic: Federal |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Church and cemetery both remain in religious and funerary use; the cemetery is still in use. |
| Acreage | 2.8 |
| Within district | Spencertown Historic District |
| Coordinates | 42.32224, -73.54588 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Religious properties are listed for their architectural or historical significance, not their religious use. Listing is honorary and does not restrict the congregation's use of the building. The federal rehabilitation credit is generally unavailable unless part of the building is income-producing; some state programmes and preservation grants do cover religious buildings. Federal funding or permits trigger Section 106 review.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 02000821.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q1587398
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.