Early Church Buildings

Without Ceiling or Plaster

The oldest known record of the Presbyterian Church of Sag Harbor is of “A meeting of the inhabitants of Sagg-Harbour, Hog Neck and adjacent places, Feb. ye 24th, 1766, in order to consult upon the affair of erecting a house of publick worship at Sagg-Harbour.” 

Soon after, “a wooden building of uncouth shap,” later known as the "Old Barn Church," stood on the northeast corner of Church and Sage Streets. No picture of it exists, although Rev. Nathaniel S. Prime, minister from 1806-1809, described it as a “mere frame and outward covering, without either ceiling or plaster. If a shower of rain occurred during public worship, the minister was obliged to retreat to a corner of the ample pulpit to escape the falling drops.”

Rev. Prime married Julia Ann Jermain, daughter of Major John Jermain, who served in the Revolution. Rev. and Mrs. Prime lived in the minister's house at the N.E. corner of Sage and Madison and it was there in 1809 that Mrs. Prime started one of the first Sunday Schools in the nation.

In 1816, it was decided to build a larger church and the “Old Barn Church” was torn down to make way (and also supply some of the lumber for the new building. In spite of a devastating fire in 1817 which burned much of Sag Harbor, the work on the new church continued and it was dedicated in 1818. It stood on the same corner of Sage and Church Streets as the previous building and served until the present church was built in 1844. After the building was sold, it was known in Sag Harbor for many years as the “Atheneum” and was used as a community hall and theater. It burned on April 30, 1924.