First Presbyterian Church of Elizabeth

The First Presbyterian Church was established in the same year as the founding of Elizabethtown itself, making it one of the earliest congregations in New Jersey. Under the pastorate of James Caldwell from 1762 to 1781, the church became the institutional center of Elizabethtown's patriot movement. Caldwell used the pulpit to advocate for colonial rights and organized support for the Continental cause. The original church building was burned by the British during a raid in January 1780, an act of deliberate destruction targeting a symbol of patriot resistance. The congregation rebuilt, and the church has occupied the same site on Broad Street since its founding.

The churchyard contains graves dating to the colonial period, including markers for soldiers of the Revolutionary War. The site is a direct link to the era when religious institutions served as centers of political organization and community identity.