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Westchester County in the Gilded Age
Item 12 of 21
Founded in the late 18th century, the Methodist congregation in Croton-on-Hudson originally worshiped at the meeting house now known as Bethel Chapel. As the congregation grew, it made the decision to build a new house of worship, and it dedicated this Gothic Revival church in 1883. Although some changes have been made to the interior of the church, its exterior has changed little, and it retains its original slate roof. Today, the church complex includes the Educational Building, which is a former County Trust bank, and Wesley House, the church's former parsonage.

Asbury United Methodist Church.

Asbury United Methodist Church.

Asbury United Methodist Church, 1975.

Asbury United Methodist Church, 1975.

Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church and Parsonage, c.1900.

Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church and Parsonage, c.1900.

Prior to 1883, the Methodist congregation in Croton-on-Hudson worshiped in Bethel Chapel, a clapboard meeting house built during the late 18th century. By the 1870s the congregation had outgrown Bethel Chapel, and decided to make plans for a new church. In 1876 the congregation, then called the Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church of Croton Landing, purchased land at the corner of Old Post Road South and Maple Street. The congregation dedicated its newly-completed church in 1883. By the time the new church was dedicated, the congregation had taken the name Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church.

Now called Asbury United Methodist Church, the house of worship at 17 Old Post Road South has changed little on the outside. The building was constructed of bricks that were made in the Hudson Valley, and the multi-colored slate roof is original. Some changes have been made inside the church. A 1912 pipe organ donated by Andrew Carnegie was replaced during a 1948 renovation, and memorial chimes were added to the bell tower in 1949. The large main facade stained glass window was donated by the Epworth League, a young people's service organization, in 1891.

The building on the south side of the church, now called Wesley House, was built as a parsonage in 1891. The first floor has meeting space for the congregation as well as local non-profits, while the second floor has an apartment. The church acquired its present parsonage on Grand Street in 1963. In 1968 Asbury United Methodist Church acquired the former County Trust building on the north side of the church. It was transformed into an educational building with Sunday School rooms, a pastor's office, and nursery.

Asbury United Methodist Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

"Asbury Church History – Methodism in Croton-on-Hudson," Asbury United Methodist Church - Croton-on-Hudson, NY. Accessed April 22nd 2020. http://asburycroton.umcchurches.org/aboutus/church-history/.

Shaver, Peter D. National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Asbury United Methodist Church and Bethel Chapel and Cemetery. August 1999.

Williams, Gray. Picturing Our Past: National Register Sites in Westchester County. Elmsford, NY. Westchester County Historical Society, 2003.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

Westchester County Historical Society. Photo by Gray Williams.

Westchester County Historical Society. Image S-0082(2).

Westchester County Historical Society. Image M-0298.