Upper Freehold Baptist Meeting, church and cemetery in Upper Freehold Township, New Jersey
The Upper Freehold Baptist Meeting, also known as Ye Olde Yellow Meeting House, is a wooden meeting house built in 1737 and the oldest Baptist meeting house in New Jersey. The rectangular structure with a peaked roof sits on approximately 25 acres and is accompanied by an adjacent cemetery with about 200 graves and a parsonage constructed around 1830.
The meeting house was built in 1737 on land donated by Thomas and Rachel Salter, whose family was related to President Abraham Lincoln's ancestors. The first minister, David Jones, served the congregation from 1736 to 1820 and established the building as a community center.
The name "Old Yellow Meeting House" comes from the building's original yellow color. The cemetery beside the meeting house continues to be visited by families honoring ancestors buried here, a practice that has continued for generations and remains part of local tradition.
The site is open for visitors to explore the grounds and walk through the cemetery, which remains peaceful and accessible for walking. Plan to spend time reading the gravestones and walking the property, and be prepared for uneven terrain in the burial area.
The building was originally painted yellow in 1737, which gave it its nickname, though it later changed colors over time. The structure is uniquely oriented so that its ends face east and west, an uncommon alignment that sets it apart from many other meeting houses of its era.
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