English Neighborhood Reformed Church

In 1793, amidst the serene landscape of what is now Ridgefield, New Jersey, the English Neighborhood Reformed Church first opened its doors. This wasn’t just a new building. It was a testament to the enduring faith of a community known as “The English Neighborhood,” a name harking back to 1675, when the area stretched between the Hackensack and Hudson Rivers. The English Neighborhood Reformed Church isn’t just the oldest building in Ridgefield. It’s a living link to a past that intertwined with the very fabric of American history. The original church structure actually predates its Ridgefield location. It was first built in 1768 in Leonia, then moved to its present site in 1793. Imagine this church during the Revolutionary War. General Washington and the Continental Army retreated past this very spot in 1776, fleeing New York City. The church’s first minister, Garrit Leydekker, a Tory, fled in the opposite direction, seeking refuge in New York City and taking the church’s early records with him. The church’s steeple, a towering eighty-foot structure of hand-hewn timbers and wooden dowels, became a landmark for surveyors across the flat meadowlands. In 1804, Edgewater Avenue, right by the church, bustled with life as part of the Bergen Turnpike toll road. For a century, covered wagons laden with goods rumbled past, carrying farm produce from New Jersey to the ferries bound for New York City markets. The English Neighborhood Reformed Church stood at the heart of this vibrant scene, witnessing the flow of commerce and community. The arrival of the railroad in 1854 ushered in a new era of industry and growth for Ridgefield. During the Civil War, the congregation played a quiet but vital role in the Underground Railroad. Runaway slaves found refuge under the nearby bridge over Overpeck Creek, receiving food, clothing, and aid on their journey to freedom. The church continued to evolve with the community. A Sunday school building was added in 1912, with further expansions in 1954 and 1962. The construction of a bridge over the railroad tracks in 1932 brought further change, turning the once-bustling Edgewater Avenue into a quiet dead-end street. Today, the English Neighborhood Reformed Church stands as a tranquil haven amidst the modern hustle of Ridgefield. It is a place where the echoes of history whisper through its aged timbers, reminding us of the enduring power of faith and community.