The annual service at the Old Clove Church in Wantage was Sunday, Sept. 21. (Photo by Bill Truran)
I am writing again this year about the Old Clove Church.
The church in Wantage stands as a tribute to the past. While it does not have regular services, it does host some weddings during the year, and there is an annual service in September.
Each year, I look forward to the service as it is testimony of our heritage here in Sussex County.
An important milestone of the year was the passing of Lois Wright on June 18. She had been a mainstay in saving and preserving the church.
She patiently helped maintain the building and grounds and was dedicated to the quality and continuity of the place and ensuring that the church was in good shape.
Lois was a loving steward of the Old Clove Church.
This year, the service was a lively one, with some of our brethren of African descent providing a strong showing of what a revival meeting would be like.
Several singers did a cappella hymns and spirituals and rocked the rafters. Our dear Marilyn Slate did not show her age as she provided the music while pushing both feet against the pedals and eliciting the warm sounds of the ancient pump organ along the wall.
Members of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) were in period clothing, bringing the early 1800s feeling alive.
As tradition would have it, I saw my old classmate Paulette from Franklin High School in 1969 and her family in the upper loft.
A spirited and energetic sermon was delivered to engage the congregation with clapping and loud “Amens” from all who attended, giving us the feeling of old-time tent revival meetings.
Our rural area had noted participation in the Second Great Awakening (c. 1790-1840 AD) in America. Methodists used circuit riders, or preachers who rode from church to church on horseback.
Outdoor camp meetings sometimes lasted several days with preaching, hymn singing and public conversions. It is said that several thousand people attended some meetings as the churches in the area grew. The emphasis was on temperance, Sabbath observation and moral reform, which became hallmarks of Sussex County civic life.
People who participated in the church service and the apple cider and goodies afterward had among them family names of some of the earliest settlers in the region, showing their presence after all these years: Haggerty, Wright, Little, Lott, DeGroat, DeGroot, Checkur, Hardin, Madsen and many more.
We had to leave a few minutes early to go to the Homestead Rehab to see Mom. On the way out, farmer George DeGroot ran across the grass in front of the two entry doors to the church to hail me and say “hi” before I left. He said he would leave soon also as he had to milk the cows at 4 p.m.
I love our Sussex County rural nature: friendly, optimistic, energetic, morally attuned and spiritually aware.
The Old Clove Church has been placed on both the New Jersey and the National Registers of Historic Places. The church was built in 1829. Its style is Greek Revival with Gothic detailing. Wedding requests may be sent to Paula Russell at 973-459-2765.
Also, Sussex County Heritage Weekend this year will be Oct. 11-12.
Harvey Barlow’s unique and important stoneware from Old Deckertown will be on display.
Bill Truran, Sussex County’s historian, may be contacted at billt1425@gmail.com He is the author of “Honest Ogden.”