(1858) 101 Washington Street
Construction of The Presbyterian Church began at about the same time as the new county courthouse in 1850. Although completed in 1858, its façade was altered many times including multiple coats of various paint colors, replacement of horizontal clapboards with vertical boards, and coatings of stucco. The building was eventually overlaid with red brick to match its contemporary neighbor, the Ocean County Courthouse across the street. When the church was vacated in 1972, the congregation moved into a new larger church building a mile north on Hooper Avenue. Dover Township purchased the 114-year-old Gothic Revival building. In 1981, the old church structure became a part of the new administrative library headquarters built for the Ocean County Library System. The old church steeple was replaced in 2007, but the original chime was recorded so that it can be heard hourly in the downtown village area. The old church building retains much of its original architectural integrity and continues to serve the community as a retail business.
