First Reformed Church of New Brunswick
historic church in New Brunswick, New Jersey
The First Reformed Church, historically known as the Dutch Reformed Church, is located in New Brunswick, New Jersey on 160 Neilson Street. It is adjacent to the First Reformed Church Cemetery in the churchyard. The education building is located next to the sanctuary building with the street address being 9 Bayard Street. The church building was documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) in 1960. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 27, 1988, for its significance in architecture and religion.
History
The congregation was formed in 1717. The church building was constructed in 1812 and features Georgian and Federal architecture. The steeple was added in 1835. By 1867, three new churches had been formed by members of the church: Spotswood (1820), Middlebush Reformed Church (1834), and Second Reformed Church of New Brunswick (1843). In 1971 the church was set on fire.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “First Reformed Church of New Brunswick” is historic church in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through First, Reformed and Church, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “historic church in New Brunswick, New Jersey” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 5, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5453739. Authority coordinates are 40.495, -74.442. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1960, 1988, 1717 and 1812.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “First Reformed Church of New Brunswick”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow First Reformed Church of New Brunswick primary sources, First Reformed Church of New Brunswick archive and First research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “First Reformed Church of New Brunswick”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “First Reformed Church of New Brunswick” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.