190 Cebra Avenue Stapleton, Staten Island, N.Y. 10304
Kingsley Methodist Church had its origins in the spring of 1835 when the first meetings of Methodists residing in Tompkinsville were started by the Rev. Henry Boehm. Some of these meetings were held in the house of Mrs. White, located at the corner of Cebra and St. Paul's avenues. As attendance increased it was necessary to move the meetings to the larger quarters of the Academy. On July 21, 1835, a board of trustees was elected, and the next day, July 22nd, articles of incorporation were filed in the county clerk's office. Four lots of land forming a plot one hundred feet square were given by Caleb T. Ward. A committee applied for $1,000 appropriated by the legislature for the building of the church. Plans for an edifice measuring 38 by 60 feet were drawn up by Andrew D. Gale and adopted by the trustees. It was not until June 13, 1837, that the contract was awarded to James H. Quilthot, whose bid of $1,166 was the lowest of three. The church was to be completed in three months, and the cornerstone was laid on July 1, 1837. However, Mr. Quilthot disappeared before the building was completed and was not heard from again! Finally, after fourteen months of construction, the edifice of the "Methodist Episcopal Church of Tompkinsville" was dedicated about September 1, 1838. At this time the Sunday-school was organized. By 1853 the membership had increased to the point where it was necessary to provide a larger edifice. That same year the name of the society was changed to "Stapleton Methodist Episcopal Church." Arrangements were made to purchase a site on Richmond Road and Beach Street from Richard Smith, but it was then discovered that if the old property ceased to be used for a Methodist Episcopal church, it would revert to the grantor (Caleb T. Ward) or his heirs. Ultimately, the trustees lost the $300 deposit on Mr. Smith's property and resolved to build a new church on the old site. The old church was sold at auction to Sidney N. Havens, who moved the structure to New Brighton where it was remodeled for use as a residence. Plans for the new church were approved in May 1855, construction commenced shortly thereafter, and the cornerstone was laid the next month. Services were held in the old Lyceum until the new church was ready. The completed church provided accomodations for 500, and was dedicated in December 1855. In 1853, the name of the society was changed to "Cebra Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church." Over the next decade the edifice was painted and papered and lighted by gas, at a cost of $500. Then, in 1870 the structure was raised so that a basement could be added for use as a Sunday-school and lecture-room. The church was repainted and refurnished, with all improvements costing a total of $12,000. When the improvements were complete, the society's name was again changed, this time to "Kingsley Methodist Episcopal Church," in memory of Calvin D. Kingsley of the M.E. church who died on April 6, 1870, at Beyroot, Syria, while performing an Episcopal visitation around the world. By the 1960s demographics of the area had changed several times, resulting in fewer Methodists in the Stapleton area. Consequently, in 1967 the congregations of Kingsley, Grace, and Trinity Methodist churches agreed to merge, forming Faith United Methodist Church and worshiping in the former Grace Methodist Church facilities. |
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