Fair Street Reformed Church

The congregation of the Fair Street Reformed Church meets in the oldest public worship building in Kingston.
Established as the Second Reformed Church of Kingston in January 1849, the small group of 27 people originally met for worship in the County Court House on Wall Street. In 1850 construction of the church began, using local dolomite limestone taken from a quarry on upper Pearl Street. The church was originally graced by a steeple purported to be the highest of its time out of New York City.
On Good Friday, March 17, 1854, the steeple was blown over in a very heavy gale. No one was hurt and only the front steps of the church were damaged by the fall. The congregation believed this was a sign of God's displeasure with their pride over the height of the steeple, and they vowed never to replace it.