Our Story

Founded in 1737, the present building was erected in 1771.

The following includes excerpts from “The Presbyterian Parish of Deerfield Street” (Revised) by F. Alan Palmer.

The history of that portion of the Cohansey Precinct known as “Deerfield” begins, for our purpose, in the year of 1725 when Benjamin Davis traveled to Burleighton, the capital of West Jersey, and purchased a tract of land located in the northwestern section of John Fenwick’s third purchase from the Indians and which at that time was a portion of Salem County. Since the area was unsettled, there was no local place name to identify the spot other than that it lay to the east of the upper reaches of the Cohansey River. To Benjamin Davis, the first major landowner fell the honor of being permitted to call his purchase of 1,000 acres by whatever name he wished.

The pioneers who in turn settled on the land near Ben Davis found neighbors in the area. Judge L.Q.C. Elmer in his history of Cumberland County says there was a considerable tribe of Lenni Lenape Indians living near Cedar Grove (Seeley) along the Cohansey Creek; in the old section of the Presbyterian cemetery there are said to be a number of Indian graves.

By 1732 a sufficient number of people were living in the area to justify the erection of a log school house. The general location of the school is known to have been near the foundations of an old bridge that still remains just east of the Chapel Yard cemetery across from the church. This school was also used as a meeting house by the residents of Deerfield and it was there they conducted their first religious services. By 1737 the school became inadequate for this purpose because of the increased number of people attending public worship and the Presbyterian Society built their first meeting house, also of logs, upon ground given them for that purpose by Abraham Garrison.

It was in this primitive Log Meeting House that the entire ministry of Andrew Hunter (1747-1760) was conducted when serving as the pastor to the combined congregations of Deerfield and Greenwich. The Greenwich congregation had eleven years earlier replaced their own log church with a brick structure said to have been the largest such building in Salem County. It was to the little “Log Church in the Forest” that Enoch Green came in 1767. Although a part of Mr. Green’s previous ministry had been in Egg Harbor and he was accustomed to rustic surroundings, he had come to Deerfield from a temporary pastorate near Princeton, and he very quickly persuaded his new congregation to give thought to the replacement of the picturesque church constructed of fragrant cedar logs.

Soon after the installation of the Rev. Enoch Green in 1767 the people began gathering stone in preparation for the new Meeting House. On the 25th of May 1771, a tract of land, triangular in shape and containing approximately one-third of an acre, was purchased from Daniel Ogden and Azariah Moore, on which the new Meeting House was even then in the process of being built. The church at Deerfield is constructed of a material known as “Jersey Sandstone” which is a conglomerate of sand and pebbles bound together with iron ore. This was a material particularly familiar to Enoch Green who had served as an itinerant preacher in that part of Atlantic County then known as “Egg Harbor”, where the active iron foundries at Batso and Weymouth were located, which at that time produced most of the iron made in the colonies. When the building is examined it is obvious that the large regularly formed stones were used on the side facing the road and on the south side; small irregular stones were used in the walls toward the north and the stream where they would not be visible to passersby.

There was no tower or bell on this or any other Presbyterian Church. Such extensions of worship to the Calvinists of that day represented the Church of England or even the Roman Church. Bear in mind, the Presbyterians who built their house of worship in Deerfield were stern Puritans to whom any sort of symbolism smacked of idolatry.

The third piece of property immediately adjacent to the church was acquired from Uriah Davis and his wife Sarah in the year of 1792. This small tract of land immediately north of the church, and which crossed the road to form part of what is now the “Chapel Yard” contained a trifle more than one and a half acres for which the congregation paid the sum of eight pounds and thirteen shillings “in gold and silver money.” In 1810 the tract of land on which the Education Building is now standing was sold to the congregation for the sum of one dollar. This lot contained three-quarters of an acre.

During the pastorate of the Rev. James D. Hunter, the records of the Session indicate that the proposition to alter the church so as to provide a place for the choir at the rear of the pulpit was favorably acted upon, August 29, 1881. With this change the pulpit was lowered; the organ and choir were placed behind a paneled screen on the pulpit platform with much the same appearance as it has today.

Many of the strong beliefs associated with Puritanism faded during the Victorian period and among them the aversion to ecclesiastical architecture mimicking the gothic churches of Europe, with their belfries and stained glass windows. The congregation at Deerfield dreamed of the day when they too would be able to add a tower to their church and install a sweet sounding bell by which the faithful could be called to worship. This dream was finally realized in the year of 1907 when it was decided to take the drastic step to bring the building up to the standards of that day. It was during that renovation that the remains of John Brainerd were removed to the churchyard.

As Chairman of the Committee, Hannah M. Coles arranged to have every member, both active and inactive, contacted in an effort to obtain pledges toward this fund. In the division of the roster she accompanied Melvin B. Mixner to the home of Charles F. Seabrook, who although not a frequent attender at church, was known to be very interested in music. This visit ignited an interest and involvement that was to continue for the balance of Mr. Seabrook’s life. Initially the great industrialist indicated approval of the ambition of the congregation and pledged he would match whatever sum they were able to accumulate. A request for his advice led to an examination of the church structure in which the new organ was to be placed. To the horror of the congregation, the examination revealed that major repairs would be needed; requiring the removal of plaster from some walls, replacement of termite damaged floor joists, etc. Finally reaching an estimate that the repair of the building would necessitate the expenditure of approximately $10,000 (twice the amount originally planned to spend for an organ).

By this time Mr. Seabrook had resumed full participation in all phases of church life and had had his architect suggest what might be done to appropriately renovate the building. Mr. Seabrook would guide members into suggesting improvements such as more deeply curving the arch of the windows by resetting the stonework, and the abandonment of the old leaded windows, replacing them with a colonial type sash, glazed with a handmade reproduction of the original blown glass. On another occasion he suggested that it would give a more authentic appearance, and cost very little more were flagstone used to pave the interior of the church rather than to lay a wooden floor, and to use radiant heat in preference to radiators; and so it went.

Before the reconstruction could begin the church was stripped to the original stone walls and the roof. Even the curved ceiling was torn out. In providing an access passage to the new organ chamber the body of Enoch Green was transferred from beneath the floor of the church to a new resting place in the churchyard.

The Aeolian-Skinner organ of Deerfield Presbyterian Church was built and installed in 1947. The difficulty of obtaining the necessary tin for the pipes in the immediate post-war era was overcome when C. F. Seabrook stepped in and purchased an unused pipe organ from a theatre on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, sending it on to Aeolian-Skinner for use in the

Deerfield organ! The instrument has fine tonal qualities, which, combined with the outstanding acoustics of the sanctuary, made it a popular choice for organ recitals over the years. It has undergone two major overhauls – in 1974 by William P. Fenimore III of Haddonfield, and in 1994-95 by the R. W. Kurtz Organ Co. of Woodstown.

The current Director of Music, Evelyn Larter, began a classical music recital series in December, 2002, which brings excellent professional musicians to perform for the community. An annual Christmas Recital on the first Sunday evening of December is especially popular. In the past twenty-one years many young artists who performed at Deerfield as students have gone on to enjoy highly successful careers

In 2011 the minister, Dr. Kenneth Larter, proposed to the church leadership the idea of erecting a monument in the cemetery to honor all those with connections to the congregation who had served in the armed forces of this country. The project was approved on condition that the funds needed could be raised through private donations. One of the elders, architect Joseph H. Ross II, created the design and selected the company who would build the monument. The project found enthusiastic support within the congregation and many friends of the congregation also gave generously in memory of loved ones. This allowed the completed monument to be installed and dedicated on Memorial Day weekend in 2012, at the beginning of the week in which the congregation celebrated the 275th anniversary of its founding in 1737. A short ceremony of remembrance is held at the monument after the Sunday morning service each Memorial Day and Veterans’ Day weekend.

Although it cannot be proved conclusively, the Monument to All Veterans probably sits on the site of the original log cabin church of 1737. When the church doors are open, one can see from the monument right down the main aisle to the pulpit and the choir loft behind. It is a reminder that the stone sanctuary erected in 1771 is an 18th century structure, requiring extensive repair and upgrading over the centuries. Recent years have seen many renovations, bringing the Sanctuary and Christian Education building into the 21st century in excellent repair. Over a period of three years, the entire church was repointed. The work was done by an Englishman, Joe Forrest, and his two grandsons. This highly skilled stonemason, who had worked on restoring several historic churches in Britain, applied all his knowledge and experience to this project, replacing the previous pointing that was actually degrading the stone, and working with material similar to that used in the original structure. This ensured that the Sanctuary will maintain its architectural integrity for a long time.

It was also necessary to replace the cedar shake roof of the Sanctuary, and that was made possible, in part, through generous donations from congregational members. The congregation is particularly indebted to Oakford Schalick, who lived long enough to see the project completed. The roof and some windows in the Christian Education Building also needed to be replaced, in addition to the interior and exterior painting of the Sanctuary and some rooms in the Christian Education building. In 2023, the slate sidewalks were replaced, and a retaining wall built on the street side of the church. All of these projects have been overseen and managed by the Property Committee with exemplary attention to detail. In addition to the fabric upgrades, our cemetery grounds have been kept in immaculate condition. Those whose loved ones lie within our bounds can be thankful our dead are honored by maintaining orderly and carefully managed sites.

In 2020 another monument was installed and dedicated in our churchyard to honor and remember the Jews murdered in the Holocaust during the years 1939-1945. Dr. Kenneth Larter has had a lifelong attachment to the Jewish people and Israel, and during his pastorate made three trips to Israel, as well as a journey to Holocaust sites in Poland. Once again, Elder Joe Ross was the architect who worked with Kenneth Freitag to see the project to its conclusion. The local Jewish community was tremendously supportive, and played an important part in our dedication ceremony, and at a subsequent memorial service for Rabbi Kohn, a friend and Holocaust survivor who fully supported our project.

The most important spiritual development of recent years was the successful conclusion of seeking a gracious dismissal from our former denominational connection, the Presbyterian Church USA. Over a three-year period, ending in the Spring of 2019, the congregation remained totally united in its desire to align with a Bible believing Presbyterian Church honoring the historic Christian Gospel. Following our dismissal by the West Jersey Presbytery, we were graciously received into the fellowship of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Presbytery of the East.

In January of 2023, Doctor Kenneth Larter, the longest serving pastor in the history of Deerfield Presbyterian Church, retired after twenty and a half years of service. This marked not only an ending, but the beginning of a new phase of the congregation’s life and ministry.

In February, 2025, Deerfield Presbyterian Church installed Rev. Tyler Stanhope as Pastor. Rev. Stanhope continues to lead Deerfield Presbyterian Church in its commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ through the preaching and teaching of the Word of God, Administration of the Sacraments, and through regular prayer, building on nearly 300 years of faithful ministry as Deerfield continues to strive to be the family the God has called his church to be.

Pastors of Deerfield

• Andrew Hunter 1746-1760
• Simon Williams 1764-1766
• Enoch Green 1767-1776
• John Brainerd 1777-1781
• Simeon Hyde 1783-1783
• William Pickles 1786-1787
• John Davenport 1795-1805
• Nathaniel Reeve 1808-1817
• Francis S. Ballentine 1819-1824
• Alexander McFarlane 1826-1830
• John Burtt 1830-1831
• George D. McCuenn 1831-1836
• Benjamin Tyler 1837-1842
• Jacob W.E. Ker 1842-1855
• Thomas Ware Cattell, PhD. 1855-1860
• R. Hamill Davis, PhD. 1860-1875
• William H. Dinsmore 1876-1877
• Edward P. Herberton 1877-1880
• James D. Hunter 1880-1883
• Alfred J. Snyder 1884-1892
• John Turner 1893-1896
• Daniel I. Camp 1896-1905
• T.C. Stirling, M.D. 1905-1907
• William McKnight 1908-1910
• John W. Bischoff 1910-1915
• E.C. Musselman 1915-1920
• R.W. Baskerville 1921-1924
• Howard A. Clark 1925-1934
• Graeme C. Smith 1935-1938
• Melvin Morris 1939-1940
• John Pott 1941-1943
• Andrew Graham 1943-1946
• J. Irvine Prather 1946-1948
• Harold Gauntt 1948-1949
• Charles Franklin Van Horn 1949-1956
• John Stockton Baird, S.T.D. 1956-1967
• Clayton D. Fairo 1968-1969
• William Sterling Smythe 1970-1973
• Norman A. Koop, M.Div., Th.M. 1973-1990
• William Borror 1993-1995
• Randy Otto 1996-2000
• Kenneth C. Larter D.Min., Pastor Emeritus, 2002-2023
• Tyler Stanhope, 2025 - present