The congregants were part of the Anti Slavery movement. Organized the first Midnight run. Even Theodore Roosevelt spent some time at the church!
Enjoy the link to the radio show
John Gunther-Mohr and Rev. Margery Rossi of South Presbyterian Church in Dobbs Ferry were interviewed on my WVOX radio show recently. They discussed the 200th anniversary of South Presbyterian Church.
In August 1823 six members of the church purchased one acre of land for $35 (not a typo--thirty five dollars).
That building does not stand but the Little White Cemetery is there, still owned by the church.
The Lutheran Church now occupies that property beside the cemetery.
The current building was built in 1868.
Members of the Church fought slavery and were active in the abolitionist movement and raised funds to help civil war reconstruction in the South.
The church organized the first Midnight Run - helping the homeless and hungry.
The church has led the fight for social justice - and has supported the LGBTQ+ community.
The church currently houses the Dobbs Ferry Food Pantry which serves the hungry and homeless.
Theodore Roosevelt attended South Presbyterian Church in 1871 while vacationing in Dobbs Ferry.
Thornton Wilder, the Pulitzer Prize winning author of "Our Town" rode his bicycle around the church a few years later. He was the grandchild of Reverend Thornton Niven, the minister of South Presbyterian.
This church leads by example. Happy 200th! A great asset to our town.
PAUL FEINER
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