First Presbyterian Church of Rutherford

The roots of most of the churches in Rutherford can be traced back to the Union Sunday School which was founded in 1859 by Tompkins. It operated out of Union Hall which was located on what is now Ames Avenue in what was then known as the village of Boiling Springs. It was the first organized religion in southern Bergen County.

In the spring of 1863, during one of the hardest years of the Civil War, a petition was submitted to the Presbytery of Passaic asking to organize a Presbyterian Church in Boiling Springs. The petition was granted on July 26, 1863 and our Church was founded. On February 28, 1868 the Church was incorporated as the First Presbyterian Church of Rutherford Park. This is still the “official” name although “Park” has long since been dropped from the name.

In1868 we organized our own Sunday School apart from the Union Sunday School and built our first Manse or Pastor’s residence on Chestnut Street. On July 3, 1869 the foundation for the first Church was laid where what is now the Public Library. The stones from the original church were saved and they stand on either side of the main entrance. Soon the congregation had outgrown the church and in May 1889 the cornerstone of this Church was laid. It was completed in March 1890. When viewed from the air, the main sanctuary area forms a cross.

In 2013 we celebrated our 150th Anniversary.