More than 150 years in Croton Falls

Much of our early story comes from records kept by the Town of North Salem historian. It is the story of a small group of neighbors who wanted to worship in their own town and built something that lasted.

1. 1833

   Before Croton Falls had a church

   Local Baptists worshiped at the Cat-Ridge Meeting House on the south side of the Titicus Reservoir, and at a Baptist church in Brewster.

2. 1868

   Meetings come home

   In the winter of 1868–69, a few Baptists in Croton Falls, including Deacon Joel B. Purdy and Lewis Miller of Sing Sing (now Ossining), decided worship should happen in their own town. They met in Barden Hall in the Croton Falls Hotel on Main Street, where the firehouse stands today. Rev. E. Edwards preached every other Sunday, alternating with the Methodists.

3. c. 1869

   Union Hall

   As attendance outgrew Barden Hall, Deacon Purdy built a large new hall and dedicated it to the service of God. “Union Hall” seated 200 people.

4. 1870

   Croton Falls Baptist Church is formed

   A council of the Carmel, Red Mills, Sing Sing, Bedford, and Brewster churches met at Croton Falls and approved a new Baptist church. It began with ten members. On October 9 it was admitted to the Union Baptist Association and called its first pastor, Rev. Victor W. Benedict of Danbury. Benedict had been a foreman at a Danbury hat factory. Danbury's politicians wanted him for mayor, and churches in New York City and Montclair, New Jersey, called him as pastor, but he turned them all down because he felt his work was needed in Croton Falls.

5. 1871

   A widow's $2 gift

   On June 13 the church began raising money for a building. The first donation, $2, came from a widow, and it started a campaign for the $11,000 needed: $8,000 for the building and $3,000 for furnishings.

6. 1875

   Incorporation

   The Croton Falls Baptist Church was formally incorporated at the Westchester County Clerk's Office in March 1875.

7. 1878

   A Gothic landmark

   On land given by Deacon Purdy, a wooden Gothic church designed by New York architect J. R. Hood rose in Croton Falls. It had two steeples, 80 and 60 feet tall, and seated 244 in the sanctuary and 100 in the Sunday School room. The cornerstone was laid April 16 and the church was dedicated November 12. A copper box sealed in the cornerstone held church records, newspapers of the day, a Bible, and an 1878 silver dollar. Horse sheds were added behind the church in 1881.

8. 1924

   Sister congregations

   Croton Falls and the Cross River Baptist Church shared a pastor, Rev. Smith. That began a friendship between the two churches that has lasted more than a century.

9. 1977

   Fire

   The century-old landmark burned to the ground. The congregation learned again that the church is its people, not its building. Cross River Baptist Church made the first donation toward rebuilding.

10. 1979

    A new sanctuary

    Two years after the fire, the present church was built. Its striking A-frame and flexible space let us turn the sanctuary into an Easter Garden or a snowy Victorian village as the seasons change.

11. 1993

    Pastor Tim arrives

    Timothy Wagner preached his “test drive” sermon at Cross River and was called as pastor of Croton Falls, where he has served ever since.

12. 2001

    Serving at Ground Zero

    Members brought relief and refreshments to rescue and recovery workers at Ground Zero. A few years later, the congregation helped a Mississippi family who lost their home in Hurricane Katrina.

13. 2023

    The Moravian Putz

    For his 30th anniversary, Pastor Tim led a year-long project with Central Moravian Church in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Members made beeswax candles and Herrnhut stars, and the church built a Moravian Putz with hand-carved nativity figures from Oberammergau, Germany. It was first presented at Christmas 2023 and has returned every Christmas since.

14. 2025

    A bridge to the future

    Our congregation voted unanimously to accept the title to the Cross River 1791 Meeting House and began restoring it, nearly 50 years after Cross River helped us rebuild.

15. 2026

    On the big screen

    Pastor Tim and Deacon Billy Bowen appeared in the independent film Elva – Art of Redemption, about chalk artist and longtime friend of the church Elva Hurst. A portion of the proceeds from its June screening at the Bedford Playhouse was set aside for the Meeting House restoration.

Sources: Town of North Salem historian's records; North Salem News / Halston Media (2025–2026); Moravian Magazine (2023); The Recorder.