The Reformed Dutch Church of the Town of Breukelen is our official name but everyone calls us “Old First.” We are one of the original congregations in New York City, born with the early Dutch settlers of this country.

Our Beginning in Dutch Breukelen

Our congregation was established in 1654 along with churches in Flatbush and Flatlands by order of Governor Pieter Stuyvesant. The three churches operated as “collegiate” churches, sharing Domine (Reverend) Theodorus Polhemus as pastor. In 1660 the Breukelen group broke away and had its own pastor, Domine Henricus Selyns, but when he returned to Holland four years later, Breukelen resumed its relationship with the other two churches lasting until 1805. These three original churches celebrated their 350th Anniversary in 2004.

At first, worship was conducted under the trees, then in a barn. In 1666, the first church edifice, shown above, was built in the town of Breukelen in the middle of a highway, now known as Fulton Street.

This building was replaced 100 years later and included a burial ground on land which is now occupied by Macy's, on Fulton between Lawrence and Bridge Streets, shown above and to the right. The burial ground has since been transferred to Green-Wood Cemetery.

By 1805 the growth of the church necessitated larger facilities and a building, shown at right, was erected on Joralemon Street, the location of which was where the x bank stands today [confirm this]. Within 30 years, this new building was also outgrown. It was razed and rebuilt on the same site in 1835, illustrated below. The land under the new church became quite valuable and the congregation was once again rapidly growing so the property was sold, and the original congregation split.

In 1886 a chapel was completed at Seventh Avenue and Carroll Street, but the rapid growth of Park Slope and the church's membership necessitated plans for a larger church to be built within a few years. The church building, as it stands today, was dedicated on September 27, 1891.

An 1894 newspaper account (New York Times) gives the seating capacity as 1,200 stating that, "…the church was full of a Sunday morning". Beginning in the 1930s and continuing on through until the neighborhood revival in the 70s, Old First experienced a decline in membership and attention to the building. It has since begun a renewal on both fronts.

Old First Time Line

Over 400 years of Old First history and pastors are documented
click here _ to see a large Time Line (pdf)

Further Resources

Google Books:

History of the First Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of Breuckelen, now known as The First Reformed Church of Brooklyn, 1654 to 1896, compiled by order of the Consistory, 1896. Includes History of Old First, family histories of noted members, information about the building, sanctuary and stained glass windows, for starters.

Libraries:

Old First Dutch Reformed Church of Brooklyn, New York: First Book of Records, 1660-1752, Holland Society of New York, Scholarship Committee; Genealogical Publishing Company, 1983. This is a complete translation of the oldest records of the Reformed Church in Brooklyn. Locate a copy in a library near you at Ex Libris/World Cat, which also lists places to purchase any available copies. The original records are at the Archives of the Reformed Church in America located at the New Brunswick Seminary, New Brunswick, New Jersey, which holds many other Reformed historical volumes as well.

Family History Research: New Brunswick Theological Seminary
Guide to local church records of the Reformed Church in America and to genealogical resources housed in the Gardner Sage Library.

For Purchase at Church Office (as available):

Growing Up at 398 President: A Remembrance of Life at the Beginning of the Century, by Helen Graham Farrar, edited by Rebecca Mlynarczyk, 1991. In Celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Old First Reformed Church, Park Slope, Brooklyn, 1891-1991.

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