Matawan Presbyterians Renovate Their Church on Main Street (1892)

The 15 Oct 1892 edition of The Matawan Journal included this advertisement placed by the trustees of the First Presbyterian Church on Main Street in Matawan. The church was offering for sale about one hundred pews -- half of them 5-person pews, the other half 4-person pews -- "a small pipe organ, suitable for a society room;" and "the sash now in the church building, suitable for hot houses." Prospective buyers were instructed to see Charles H Wardell at F & M Bank, Matawan.

Earlier that year, the Reverend William C Alexander had delivered a sermon that inspired the Presbyterian congregation to fund a $6,000 capital campaign to renovate their sanctuary. The campaign would eventually result in new pews and windows, a new organ, and new lighting and flooring. The above ad is evidence that the work was well underway by mid-October.