Christ's First Presbyterian Church

Here Since 1644… .
The history of Christ's First Presbyterian Church is closely identified with the history of Hempstead. In 1643, the Rev. Robert Fordham and John Carman found a suitable location for settlement here and purchased land from the Native Americans. Families came to settle the next year. They received a patent from the Dutch governor of the New Netherlands and the church was organized under Rev. Richard Denton. Rev. Denton had first settled in the Massachusetts May Colony, but left fir Weathersfield, Connecticut in 1635 in order to practice Presbyterianism. Later, he and his followers came to Long Island for religious reasons. They established Christ's First Presbyterian Church in 1644. It is one of the oldest Presbyterian Churches in the country.
Many different buildings have served this church over the years. The first meeting house was a 24-foot square log house located near the intersection of the present-day Franklin Street and Fulton Avenue. The first church on Denton Green was built in 1762 and was in use until destroyed by fire in 1803. The building which served the longest was built in 1846-47 and was in use until 1969. A Christian Education Building was completed in 1956. Ludlum Hall was competed in 1960 and a beautiful new air-conditioned sanctuary, which continues to serve the congregation, was completed in 1969.