HISTORIC TOMPKINS CORNERS METHODIST CHURCH         Listed in the National Register of Historic Places One mile West of the Taconic Parkway on Peekskill Hollow Road Putnam Valley, New York

Click the underlined text for more information. A:How to get there. B: Some of the history of the church. C: Upcoming events. D: Future of Tompkins Methodist Church E: Pictures of the activities:        Farmers Market.        Strawberry Festival        Christmas play:        Putnam Chorale             Saint Nicholas             A Christmas Carrol        The Little Oasis        Auctions        Childrens theater.        Local musicians 2007        Country concert 8/24/2008        Weddings         Funerals F: Announcements. H: Links to other websites of interest.   Email address:info@tompkinschurchny.org This website has been updated 3/28/2011

Prior to the revolutionary war, four brothers moved from Eastchester to Putnam Valley. Nathaniel, Joshua, Reuben and Cornelius Tompkins
established a community at the crossing of  Wiccopee and Peekskill Hollow Roads. By 1788, the settlement became known as Tompkins Corners.
In 1789, a Methodist society began meeting there in homes.
The deed for the land on which the church stands is dated April 16^th 1835, and shortly after that the original church was built.

Some of the history of this church and the involvement with the community.

A Creative History of the Tompkins Corners Church
Contributed by John Cohen

Some people consider the countryside at the north end of Putnam Valley to be an unexplored  wilderness, and many townspeople  have rarely ventured there. But  in the center of it all, right on Peekskill Hollow Road, stands the Tompkins Corners church,

According to old maps from the last century, Tompkins Corners was the only center  in Putnam Valley, it was a post office, a corner store, the place where young men registered for the draft in WW 1, and the site of  the old Tompkins Corners Church , which  is now  designated as a  historic landmark .

 In the 1930 supposedly there was a national  radio show called Tompkins Corners, based on this place, and the writers were summer visitors here.

Besides its longstanding service as a Methodist church,  the  building and its distinctive horse shed has hosted many community non-political  events. Old timers will remember  decades of the Tompkins Corners fair, which was held  every year in July for 87 years , where  people gathered and nothing ever happened. Recently the horse shed was the rallying place for meetings of the Friends of Peekskill Hollow Road, a group of concerned citizens who effectively stopped the county from turning the country road into a  speedway.

The Church with its beautiful  stained glass windows, has seen its sanctuary used for concerts, plays, film screenings, story telling events and talks, and the well known local musician David Amram has presented Jazz concerts outside in the summer at the  historic Tompkins Corners Stadium. For years, Gwen Cope, a trustee of the church ( and former ballet dancer)  has  organized and presented a series of  musical events that have been  well attended by the local community.

This past  year, the grounds were used weekly for an outdoors farmer market, sponsored by the Putnam Valley  Residents Corp.  In past years, the annual  dinners, strawberry & corn festivals have added local color  to the rural setting.

There have been  dramatic plays that premiered here, along with weddings and Harvest Festivals.  Some of the luminaries who have made presentations include the actors and actresses Jane Alexander, Laura Lee Ecobelli, Peggity Price, Brian Keeler, and others.
 Congressman Hamilton Fish,  musician David Amram, The Peekskill Hollow Kitchen Band, The Velocity Ramblers, storyteller Jonathan Cruk, and the Putnam County Chorale.

The church has been of long-standing  community  service and  has plans for  housing a  theater company along with all its other activities.

It remains as one of the best known secrets in Putnam Valley.

List of church sponsored cultural activities  at the church

2008 December.
Christmas at the corners.
Seasonal music by local musicians.

2008 September.
Country Music at the corners.
Performed by local musicians. 

2008 Summer.
Classical music.
Midhat Serbagi with trio. 

2008 March.
Little Oasis.
Blue Horse Repertory Company.
Directed By Lora Lee Ecobelli and Peggity Price. 

2007 December.
A Christmas Carol.
Blue Horse Repertory Company.
Directed By Lora Lee Ecobelli and Peggity Price. 

2007 Summer.
Story teller.
Jonathan Kruk.

 
2005
Tag sale
Tompkins Corners Family Music Festival
Strawberry Fesival & flea market
Appraisal Roadshow
Christmas Bazaar 

1987
NYC Opera singers 

1990
David Amram Trio , Jazz from Tanzania to Tompkins Corners
Laura Lee Amam, singer-songwriter
Meet the composer 

1991
 100 th anniversary  celebration 

1992
Childrens concert
Bluegrass Concert Out to Lunch
Christmas Pageant 

1993
Hudson Valley Swing Band
Childrens fun Festival

1994
Full Circle Drum Society (12 tribes)
Magic Show 

1995
Open Mike night
Compass Rose Music

More to come.

Tompkins Corners Church is both a New York State and a national historic landmark.
We offer you a traditional service of Christian marriage in a tranquil, country setting
that will be an event you'll cherish for years to come. The wedding ceremony has the
flexibility to be personalized for your particular interests while emphasizing traditional
values provided by the minister of your choice.
Note that you need not be Methodist to be married at the Tompkins Corners Church.
The church is equipped with an organ and the organist, Mr. Stephen Andersen, is a talented musician,
but  should you wish another musician this can be easily coordinated.
The church structure  is  handicapped accessible and includes clothing change spaces.
Share your special day with up to a hundred of your closest friends. 
Please let us know how we can help you in planning the wedding
or vow renewal ceremony of your dreams, by contacting:         

Ms. Gwen Cope
845 528 5076
E-mail:     info@tompkinschurchny.org

Reverend Gordon R. Bienvenue
as
Saint Nicholas

A Christmas Carrol
performed by
The Blue Horse Repertory Company
directed by
Lora Lee Ecobelli
and 
Peggity Price
with musical accompaniment of
The Peekskill Hollow Road Table band.

VISION STATEMENT
TOMPKINS CORNERS UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
*TC FOCUS GROUP.

Methodists have been active in Putnam Valley since 1789 and have maintained a strong presence involving members and non-members in the activities and
outreach projects of the church. A church has been at the present site since 1835. It is the only State and National Historic Site in Putnam Valley.

A recent study released on February 26, 2008, has brought to light what we have seen happening here. 
The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life found, mainline Protestant churches are in decline, non-denominational churches are gaining and the
ranks of the unaffiliated are growing.

This support group, comprised of members, neighbors and friend of the church, has been formed to make every attempt to retain Tompkins Corners
as a religious presence. In order to make the church available to the community, we are opening the building, as a meeting site, for non-profit groups
that would respect the religious sanctity of the site and which would bring income to help financially. We have been distributing wedding brochures at
bridal shows to encourage the use of the church for weddings. A web site has been established, www.tompkinschurchny.org.
We continue to provide leisure time programs: concerts, plays, etc and possibly, a town forum all of which the public has indicated, via a
questionaire, to be of interest.

* FOCUS - stands for Future Of Church Usage and Services.