Smithtown, A History: The Church at the Landing

Driving along Landing Avenue, residents will pass the Smithtown Landing Methodist Church, an unpretentious building on the corner of Landing and Oakside Drive. Surrounded by the gravestones of its founders, the church is a simple reminder of our local history.

According to William S. Pelletreau’s A History of Long Island, the religious society was incorporated in April of 1834 under the name of “The Methodist Episcopal Church and Congregation of Smithtown Landing” and was part of the Smithtown Methodist circuit. In July of that same year, Adam Darling donated a half acre of land for the construction of a church building.

The first evidence of the structure was September 17, 1834, according to . A receipt for $100 was signed by Charles W. Darling to Elias Smith, and the church was built by Smith on the property donated by Adam Darling.

In his Aug. 26, 2010 column in The Smithtown News, Brad Harris, Smithtown Historian, wrote of the little church that drew people in with its evangelical services. In the early days men would sit to the left and women to the right. It was also a congregation that welcomed former slaves and believed in the abolition of slavery, according to the historian.

From 1866 to 1868, renovations to the structure were made including new siding and a new roof being added. In addition, the windows were enlarged, the vestibule was added, and the pulpit was replaced. Other renovations included turning one aisle into two. The bell tower and bell wasn’t added until 1926 in honor of a little girl that had died.

Harris wrote of one congregant Ebenezer Jayne who was willing to sacrifice his farm to ensure that the renovations on the church were completed. With Jayne’s supervision of the work and the bill paying, the job was completed without him losing his land.

Roaming around the small graveyard, visitors will find many familiar local names. Among the headstones is one for James E. Handshaw who was the author of a book called Looking Backwards or Fragments of a Checkered Life. After a religious revival event that took place in Smithtown in 1875, Handshaw became an active member of the church. He served as a Sunday school teacher, prayer meeting leader, and he would even lead services when there was no minister.

Throughout the years women have played an active role in caring for the building. In the early years, the Ladies Aid Society was formed, and today it still exists in the form of the Landing Ladies Auxiliary. Joan Vitale, president and treasurer, said the auxiliary attends to the refurbishing and cleaning of the church and recently replaced the plaster inside.

Weekly services ended in 1957. Vitale said the church is open to the public twice a year, and the next services will be held Sunday, Sept. 11 and in early Dec.

With its bi-annual services and small graveyard, the Smithtown Landing Methodist Church gives Smithtown residents a charming glimpse into the past.