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Church / Meeting House

First Dutch Reformed Church

Hackensack, NJFeatured Site

About This Place

The First Dutch Reformed Church of Hackensack, established in 1686, was the religious and political center of the patriot movement in Bergen County. The congregation was overwhelmingly supportive of independence, and its ministers — including Reverend Dirck Romeyn — used the pulpit to advocate for the patriot cause. During the British occupation of Bergen County, the church building was seized by British forces and used as a military prison and hospital. The building suffered significant damage during the war and was rebuilt afterward.

The current church structure, while not the original Revolutionary-era building, occupies the same site on the Green and continues the congregation's unbroken history. The churchyard contains graves dating to the colonial period.

Revolutionary Significance

The First Dutch Reformed Church was the focal point of patriot organizing in Hackensack. Its congregation included many of the town's leading patriot families, and its ministers preached in support of independence. During the British occupation, the church was desecrated and converted to military use — an act that deepened the bitterness between patriot and Loyalist factions in the community. The church's restoration after the war symbolized the resilience of the patriot cause.

Location

42 Court Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601

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Events at This Location

  1. 1774

    Bergen County Divided: Loyalties Split

    Reverend Dirck Romeyn, Judge John Fell, Sam of Hackensack

  2. 1775

    Formation of the Bergen County Committee of Safety

    Judge John Fell, Sam of Hackensack

  3. 1775

    Militia Musters on the Green

    Major John Mauritius Goetschius, Reverend Dirck Romeyn, Sam of Hackensack

  4. 1775

  5. 1776

    Fall of Fort Lee

    Sam of Hackensack

  6. 1776

    Washington's Retreat Through Hackensack

    Reverend Dirck Romeyn, Sam of Hackensack

  7. 1776

    British Occupation of Bergen County

    Reverend Dirck Romeyn, Sam of Hackensack

  8. 1776

    Desecration of the First Dutch Reformed Church

    Reverend Dirck Romeyn, Sam of Hackensack

  9. 1776

    Loyalist Raids and Partisan Warfare in Bergen County

    Major John Mauritius Goetschius, Sam of Hackensack

  10. 1777

    Capture of Judge John Fell by Loyalist Raiders

    Judge John Fell, Sam of Hackensack

  11. 1777

  12. 1778

    Continental Army Foraging Expeditions in Bergen County

    Brigadier General Anthony Wayne, Major John Mauritius Goetschius, Sam of Hackensack

  13. 1778

    Confiscation of Loyalist Property

    Judge John Fell, Sam of Hackensack

  14. 1778

  15. 1778

    Baylor Massacre at River Vale

    Major John Mauritius Goetschius, Sam of Hackensack

  16. 1783

    End of the War and Return of the Displaced

    Reverend Dirck Romeyn, Judge John Fell, Sam of Hackensack

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