Old Whaler's Church (Sag Harbor)

The church's tripartite facade evokes the massive trapezoidal pylons of Egyptian temples. The deep cornice is crested with a crenelation of blubber spades, referring to the whaling industry that created the wealth of the village. The minister's dedicatory sermon said that the congregation's intention in commissioning an Egyptian-style building was to symbolize Solomon's Temple. The foyer features trapezoidal Egyptian Revival doors. The original bell is preserved in the narthex. during World War II. The church also celebrated the anniversary by putting on a grand historical pageant in the costumes of the 1840s. As many local young men were stationed overseas, they sang a song from 1849, when many local men left for the California Gold Rush: "Star of Peace to Wanderers Weary." The interior of the sanctuary is entirely in ornate Greek Revival style. The fence was an important part of Lafever's original plan to replicate Solomon's Temple in Egyptian style. The plan of the original Temple had a forecourt. Worshippers would pass two great pillars, named Boaz and Jachin, before passing into the sanctuary. In Lafever's design, the fence marked the "forecourt", and the doorway is framed by two enormous pylons representing Boaz and Jachin. The steeple was destroyed during the Great Hurricane of 1938. Fundraising to replace the steeple began in 1952. In 2000, the cost of restoring the steeple was estimated at $2,000,000. ==History==

The first building of the First Presbyterian Church of Sag Harbor was erected in 1766. Known as the "Old Barn Church", it was a "simple building of uncouth shape," a wood-frame building with walls and a roof, but neither a ceiling nor interior plastered walls. According to the Rev. Nathaniel S. Prime, pastor from 1806–09, "If a shower of rain occurred during public worship, the minister was obliged to retreat to the corner of the ample pulpit to escape the falling drops." The plot of land cost $2,000 and the congregation spent $17,000 on the building, before it was furnished. The "modern" electric lighting fixtures were removed and replaced with a chandelier and sidelights designed to look like the church's original whale-oil burning fixtures. Another restoration, beginning in the 1990s, received state funding because of the building's historic significance. During this period the church documented that Minard Lafever had designed the 19th-century building. A letter was found, written by a young cabinetmaker working on the building in 1843, who named Lafever as the architect. This confirmation aided in gaining financial support for the church's restoration, based on its architectural significance. Given documentation of the architect, and with other restoration money for structural repairs, church administrators believed they would be able to raise funds to restore the steeple. ==Modern use==

The church continues to be used by the First Presbyterian congregation, which meets on Sunday morning. ==See also==