Smithtown, A History: The Methodist Presence in Our Town

The Smithtown United Methodist Church will celebrate 50 years at their current location on November 20. The denomination’s influence in our town dates back to the late 1700s.

According to , the Methodist church in Smithtown Branch was formed in 1845 under the name of “The Trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church and Congregation of the Branch”. This was a few decades after Methodist religious classes were given in the Landing area.

A church building was built on a lane north of Smith’s residence on Middle Country Road, according to his writings. Originally a Smithtown circuit existed consisting of the Branch, Lake Grove, Hauppauge, Commack and the Landing, and one reverend would take care of all the churches.

The religious structure along with a parsonage was moved to the south side of Main Street slightly east of Maple Avenue in 1885, according to This is the location where we find Villa Napoli and Quiznos today.

According to , it took six weeks for the structure to be moved from one site to another. In the middle of winter with icy roads, the buildings were moved fifty feet at a time pulled by a team of horses.

Between 1892 and 1894 a steeple was added to the church as well as stained glass windows, according to the scrap-book. In 1935 the steeple had to be removed due to it leaning and was replaced with a six-sided bell tower.

In 1960 the property was sold to a Frank Radau and the buildings were demolished in 1962, according to Colonel Rockwell’s Scrap-book. Radau opened a Blue Jay Supermarket on the spot.

Some fixtures from the old church were used in the new structure such as the bell, stained glass windows, rose-colored windows over the altar, pews and lectern. Later the lectern was replaced by one shaped like an eagle, a gift from St. Thomas of Canterbury Episcopal Church.

According to a church write-up based on the memories of former treasurer David H. Thompson, the current property was bought around 1958 from . The church purchased four of her 14 acres at $1,500 a piece.

The groundbreaking of the new church was around 1960, and the first service was held on Thanksgiving Day of 1961. According to Thompson’s memories, church members played a big part in the construction. Long-time Smithtown resident installed the tiles in the narthex that included a design of a ship anchored in a stormy sea. Today the tiles are covered by a carpet that features the same design. In 1962 the educational wing was added to the building and was dedicated to Purick’s daughter Nancy, who died as a young adult due to complications from Down Syndrome.

Through the years the church has offered their Wesleyan School and Smithtown Parkinson Therapy Center in addition to traditional services, Sunday school and an opportunity to join their choir With 50 years of history, Smithtown United Methodist Church is an active church welcoming all residents of our town.