First Presbyterian Church of Trenton

This engraving of the original Presbyterian church in Trenton was made from a drawing by Rev. Dr. Francis Armstrong Ewing, which he based on descriptions by those who remembered the church. His own full description begins: “The old stone church, built in 1726 ~ the first of the series ~ stood on the southwest corner of the church lot, on the same site as its successor, the brick one, but not covering so large a space. It fronted south on Second street (now State), standing a little back from the line of the street, and having a large flat stone before the door. Its front presented in the center a large doorway, closed by two half-doors, on each side of which was a pretty large window, square-headed, as was the door; and probably over the door another window, though on this point there is a difference of recollection. The stones of the building, free of wash or plaster, showed only their native hue, or that acquired by long exposure to the weather. The roof, with gables to the street, was of the curb or double-pitched kind, and was covered with shingles, each neatly rounded or scalloped.” The present church, erected in 1841, is the third on the property, closer to the street and further east than its predecessors.

[credit: History of the Presbyterian Church in Trenton, N.J., by John Hall, 1912]