Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Peter
Also known as: Old Stone Church and Dependencies
Why it's listed
Beside the old New York–Albany Post Road north of Rhinebeck, a fieldstone church, a frame parsonage and a small schoolhouse stand together in a rural setting. The church was built in 1786 by a Lutheran congregation descended from Palatine refugees who settled on Beekman lands. In 1823-24 the builder Stephen McCarty reworked it for $3,000, moving the entrance to the south end, adding aisles and a new pulpit, and raising a four-stage tower. The parsonage, built in 1798 for Reverend Fredrich Quitman, is a two-story frame house with brick nogging; his son John Quitman, later a Mexican War general and Mississippi governor, was born there. The schoolhouse dates from about 1833. As nearby Red Hook and Rhinebeck grew, the congregation declined, and the buildings stayed in their rural context. Today the church hosts occasional meetings, the schoolhouse is a museum, and a civic group uses the parsonage.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the Old Stone Church as a fine example of vernacular ecclesiastical architecture of the late 18th and early 19th centuries in the Hudson Valley. Together with the parsonage and schoolhouse, it forms a social district representing the German agricultural community that the complex served. The parsonage was also the birthplace of John Quitman, who became a general in the Mexican War and Governor of Mississippi.
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 75001182, listed April 24, 1975. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 2.25 mi. N of Rhinebeck on U.S. 9, Rhinebeck |
|---|---|
| County | Dutchess County |
| Listed | April 24, 1975 |
| Reference number | 75001182 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Stephen McCarty of Rhinebeck (1823 alterations and 1824 tower) |
| Architectural style | Vernacular ecclesiastical architecture; parsonage mantels in a vernacular Federal style |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Church used for periodic congregation meetings and weekly fellowship meetings since 1960; schoolhouse serves as a museum; parsonage purchased by a civic group for community use. Condition marked fair; altered. |
| Acreage | 7 |
| Coordinates | 41.96270, -73.88625 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 75001182.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5415702
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.