North East Baptist Church Millerton, NY

08/13/2026

Slavery was legal and practiced in all thirteen colonies, and when they became states. Slaves were held in the Hudson Valley, including Dutchess County. How did early members of our church feel about the practice?
“September the 24, 1778 - The Church being met together and after Prayer to the Almighty God for his Gracious presence and Assistance, the Church proceeded to consider the matter concerning the Slave trade as Brother Reynolds and others had manifested their burden about it and after some considerable discussion about the manner of there being slaves and holding them as such the Church looked upon it to be depriving their fellow men of the liberty that Almighty God had given to all men and contrary to the Gospel. Voted that they would not have anything to do to uphold it.”
We do not know if those church members were influenced by former neighbors in the area they had migrated from just five years earlier. At least some would have known Quakers that were in what are now the towns of Patterson and Pawling. Those of you familiar with that area recognize the name Quaker Hill. In 1767 members of their congregation or “meeting” decided that slavery was inconsistent with Christianity. Some members held slaves, but all were freed by 1777.
On March 31, 1817, the New York Legislature voted to end slavery – but set the date for total emancipation ten years in the future, July 4, 1827.
The photos show the page from a record book showing discussions of slavery on September 5th and 24th 1778, a focus on the September 24th decision, the Meeting House on Quaker Hill where that congregation met, and a portion of a sign on the grounds detailing their efforts. ~ Pastor

07/28/2026

In this post about the history of North East Baptist Church, we return to the site of the original log meeting house in what is now Patterson in Putnam County, NY. The area was then known as Fredericksburg, and was part of Dutchess County. Most of the land from here west to the Hudson River was still owned by descendants of the Philipse family. Those family members made the costly decision of siding with the British during the Revolutionary War, and the land was confiscated, parceled, and sold after the war. Of course, most of the congregation had already migrated with Pastor Dakin to North East in 1773, two years before the war began.

The photos show: 1 - A sign at the intersection of Routes 22 and 311 showing the original name for the area; 2 & 3 - Military maps from 1780 with “Baptist Meeting House” labeled in the lower left; 4 & 5 - The old cemetery; the building was located where the road is on the left. The final photo has a yellow circle marking the location on a current Google map. ~ Pastor

07/10/2026

In a post last month I mentioned that there was a historical figure from the Revolutionary War that was connected to our church. That was Sybil Ludington, known for a nighttime ride to raise the local Colonial militia in what is now Putnam County, NY. She was unavailable last month.

Her father, Henry Ludington, was the Colonel of that regiment and had been a member of our church when it was still located in the area. He left the church in 1763, when Sybil would have been about two years old, and later joined a Presbyterian Church in Patterson. His family lived in the Ludingtonville section of Kent, NY.

The photos show: the empty pedestal when I went for the first interview, the restored statue that arrived on July 3rd, the plaque describing the ride, and the gravestones for Sybil (with a variant spelling) and her father in Patterson. ~ Pastor

07/04/2026

06/19/2026

In this post, we go back 285 years or more to glimpse the circumstances of our church’s founding. In the 1730’s and 40’s, settlers came to the Philipse Patent, now Putnam County, NY. They came from Massachusetts, Connecticut, and probably some from lower New York. A church was apparently organized in the area under the auspices of the East “Consociation” of Congregational Churches in Fairfield County, Connecticut with Rev. Kent as pastor. A log building was erected in 1745. Later Rev. Knibloe, a young preacher from Scotland, was called as pastor. It was probably during his ministry that it became Presbyterian in polity. After a few years he moved to Amenia.
Among those who moved down from Massachusetts were people who had been converted during the Great Awakening. I cannot yet identify which were Baptists, but nine men left the congregation to form a Baptist church in 1751, the beginning of our church, and the first step to the establishment of similar churches in the area and beyond.
The photos are at the site of the first church in the area, on the Brewster/Carmel town line, a few miles south of Patterson, where our first building was located. The Ellis Cemetery was the original burying ground at that location. Two stones are for Heman King and his wife. They were among our early members but remained in the area instead of moving to North East. He filled in as pastor in Patterson for a time. The flag and badge indicate that he also served during the Revolutionary War. The picture in the woods is the foundation of the building that was once there. If you don’t mind poison ivy and ticks, you can visit it next to the Lutheran Church on Route 6 at the town line. The cemetery is nearby on Husted Road.
The next post may show the connection of our church with a historical figure in the Revolutionary War, if the horse and rider return to their usual place soon.

06/05/2026

Did you know that the land that our church building is on was once part of Connecticut? The two states have not always been friendly neighbors, dating back to early colonial days. Both insisted that the boundary had not been properly surveyed and established. The disagreement was even taken to authorities in England.

In 1683, a roughly two-mile stretch along the boundary was awarded to Connecticut in an agreement between the governors. Within a few years, some leaders in New York demanded not just that land, but the entire colony of Connecticut. In 1731, the Treaty of Dover moved the boundary back eastward to the previous location, creating a zone roughly two miles wide and 60 miles long from the northernmost boundary with Connecticut down into Westchester County, NY. This long section was dubbed “The Oblong”.

This created the major reason for the congregation relocating nearly 40 miles north from what is now Putnam County to the “North East District”. In the previous location, they leased land from the Philipse family as tenants. England had awarded that family land from the Hudson River to the Connecticut line. Now the boundary was moved east, freeing up land to be purchased. Pastor Dakin and other members bought land available in the Oblong in North East, and decided to move north. Some members elected to stay behind and were organized as a new church before the move.

As you follow Route 22 south from Millerton, most of the land to the east of the road was in the Oblong. The photos show the monument on Quaker Hill in Pawling giving the boundary history, the state marker for our church’s first meeting in North East, and the notes from that meeting.

05/25/2026

We remember and honor those who have died in the military service of our country on this Memorial Day. Among the veterans buried in our old church cemetery is one who died in a hospital in northern Virginia during the Civil War. ~ Pastor

05/19/2026

I would like to share this video From BIEM (Baptist International Evangelistic Ministries) titled "Bombing the Baptists". This will give insight for something that has been going on with Russian attacks on Ukraine that may get overlooked by media sources. A pastor was killed and other people were injured in this attack on a church building. Please watch this when you have a few minutes. ` Pastor

On April 16, 2026, a Russian guided bomb demolished “House of the Gospel Baptist Church” in Zaporizhia, Ukraine. The attack struck during a prayer meeting, resulting in deaths and injuries. The building suffered major damage and is currently unusable. Now this church family, which has been a sou...

05/08/2026

The first meeting of our church in North East was 253 years ago, before the Revolutionary War began. Most of the congregation moved to the area where some members, like Pastor Dakin, already owned land. The move was decided primarily because of the availability of land here.
The previous location, now in the Town of Patterson in Putnam County, was owned by descendants of the Philipse family, who rented or leased land to farmers and others. This had led to a revolt in 1766, a plot hatched in a tavern a few hundred yards from the church building. At least one of the members was involved. This would be the first time British soldiers would be called out against colonists. The rebellion was put down by force.
A Covenant meeting was the practice for a meeting of members held the Saturday before the first Sunday of each month. Church business was taken up and decisions on church membership or discipline were made. This was also when communion was observed by the church.