Clinton Corners Friends Church
Why it's listed
Built in stages between 1890 and the 1920s, this church in the hamlet of Clinton Corners began as a Quaker meeting house. Orthodox Friends, more evangelical than the Hicksite Quakers who kept the older Creek Meeting House across the road, raised the original one-story building in 1890, with two entrances and Victorian trim. As the congregation adopted hymn-singing and Sunday school, it outgrew the building. Poughkeepsie architect George Randolf Freeman designed a Shingle style front section, dedicated in 1916, with round-arched stained-glass windows, a short square tower and a porch. A rear addition in the 1920s served as gymnasium, auditorium and Sunday school space. The interior keeps a paneled wall behind the preaching platform and sliding partitions, the main Quaker echoes. The congregation later left Quakerism and became the Evangelical Free Church in 1983. The building is valued as a record of the Orthodox Quaker phase in Dutchess County.
Significance in brief: It is a distinctive example of a Quaker meeting house reflecting the nineteenth-century move of Orthodox Friends toward mainstream American Protestant worship and architecture. It is one of two Orthodox-phase meeting houses in the Dutchess County thematic group, along with the Poughkeepsie Meeting House on Montgomery Street. It retains integrity from its 1916-1920 period.
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 89000305, listed April 27, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Salt Point Tnpk./Main St., Clinton Corners |
|---|---|
| County | Dutchess County |
| Listed | April 27, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89000305 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | 1914 section: architect George Randolf Freeman, Poughkeepsie; builder Shaw and Harris, Clinton Corners |
| Architectural style | Shingle style (1914 section); simple Victorian-era meeting house form for the 1890 core |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Religion |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used as a church, in excellent condition, with no known threats; interior accessible by appointment. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.83190, -73.76087 (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 89000305.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5134092
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.