St. Mary of the Lakes Catholic Church, Catholic church in Medford Lakes, New Jersey.
St. Mary of the Lakes is a church in Medford Lakes built with logs in a cabin-like style rather than traditional stone or brick. The structure on Stokes Road features both interior religious spaces and an exterior that reflects regional building practices from the early 20th century.
The church was built in 1931 as the community around Medford Lakes began to grow and needed a place for worship. Its listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007 marked official recognition of its historic importance and construction methods.
The stained glass windows cast colored light across the interior, creating a sense of spiritual reflection through biblical imagery. The space reveals how the local Catholic community has maintained its traditions while remaining embedded in the surrounding natural landscape.
The church is accessible during regular service times, and the location on Stokes Road is easy to find within the neighborhood. The grounds are modest in size, making it simple to walk around and take in the building's exterior details.
The use of logs instead of stone or brick was a practical choice for the 1930s but created something unexpected in the landscape. This approach reveals how local builders adapted construction techniques using materials readily available in their wooded surroundings.
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