A little white church that once was in White Church, NY

I spent a few days on vacation at a Pastor’s Retreat in rural New York where I came upon some history of a church that once existed near the place. Being on White Church Rd., and in a small community called White Church, NY, I asked my host “Where is the White Church?” They knew a little bit about the church that once was, and handed me some books that told more. Having done research on a lost church in my own area of New York (Meeker’s Meeting House), I quickly took to seeing what could be figured out about the old White Church. Here is the results of that study:

The church resided on the Northwest corner of White Church Rd. and Ridgeway road from 1843 to 1927 in Caroline Township, Tompkins County, NY. The roots of the congregation resided in the local Baptist church. But when the Old School – New School controversy split the church, the Old Schoolers separated and built the chapel. From a book on another local church, “A Brief History of the Brooktondale Baptist Church,” (published 1964) we find that the split occurred in 1839.

The leader of the church in its early years was Elder Kinner Hollister. A history of the Seneca Baptist Association reads “A large minority seceded, and organized a church known as the old School Baptist Church of Caroline. They build a church edifice in 1843. Their present pastor is Elder Kinner Hollister. Trustees, Jacob Lane, Geo. E. Stevens, Chas. Bogardus; number of members thirty-two. They claimed to be the original church, and that the other body, adopting modern views of doctrine, had left them.”

In the later years of the church, it was Elder Charles Bogardus [1843-1925] that is associated with leadership there. He preached at the White Church and a number of other churches in the area, while apparently farming where he lived across the road as well, and even being the postmaster of the small settlement for a time. His obituary notes “In 1884 he was ordained a Minister of the Gospel in the Baptist Church and for many years travelled extensively through the Middle Atlantic States. For 20 of more years he was pastor of five churches visiting them once each month.”

The death of Charles Bogardus precipitated the end of the church. He died in 1925, and it was in 1927 that the church building was sold the Nazarenes who built a new church down the road with the lumber of the old church. A local history book notes “They [the Nazarenes] bought this building, which was the Old School Baptist Church (White Church), and Mr. Bert Schooley used the materials to build their church on this spot [191 White Church Road].”

My hosts only knew of one picture of the church; this one where it is far in the distance.