The Crispell Memorial French Church

The church was the focal point of the early New Paltz community.  The original French Reformed congregation was founded in 1683 in a primitive log structure.  By the second decade of the 18th century, this modest house of worship was no longer able to meet the needs of a growing community.

A stone church structure was built in 1717.  This simple and straightforward sanctuary was used by the community for both worship and education.  Children attended school in this building. In 1773, construction of a larger church on another site up the street was completed.  The old sanctuary was torn down sometime thereafter.  Ever practical, the townspeople reused the stones nearby to build the village's first dedicated school building.

The original congregation started in 1683 has of course changed over time.  French eventually gave way to Dutch and the New Paltz congregation became part of the Dutch Reformed Church.  The congregation, now the Reformed Church of New Paltz, continues to worship today in a grand 1839 brick sanctuary on the northern end of Huguenot Street. 

The 1717 church was reconstructed in 1972 based on surviving information with funds donated by the Crispell Family Association. The adjacent burying ground preserves the remains of many early members of the New Paltz community and was used through the middle of the 19th century. The church is available for weddings, memorial services and selected performances.

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