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     Our first pastor was David Rose.  He graduated from Yale in 1760, where he studied medicine, only to discover he was drawn to the ministry.  Under the mentorship of Dr. Samuel Buell, he achieved his dream of becoming a pastor.

     "Priest Rose," as he was affectionately called, worked not one, but three, professions.  He was a preacher, a doctor, and a teacher.  With a saddlebag full of books, drugs, and a bible, he traveled tirelessly through expansive South Haven, where he shared his ministry with three other churches. 

     Our church was born under the Long Island Presbytery of 1767 and was called "The First Presbyterian Church Of Middletown”, which is what the area was known as at that time.  It was later renamed Middle Island because Middletown is the name of a township in upstate New York.  The land was purchased for six shillings. 

     "The Meeting House" (as the church was known at the time) was built using logs cut by a sawmill in Yaphank.  The men of the church supplied labor and furniture.  The building started as a boxlike structure that was no more than 26 square feet. 

     Winters, as one could imagine, were cold and brutal.  The members of the church used different things to provide warmth.  Women often used foot stoves to keep their feet warm. 

     In 1776, the Revolutionary War started.   Church services were suspended.  There is no record of what became of the church during that dark time of uncertainty. 

     Pastor Rose served under Colonel Josiah Smith while his family fled to Connecticut for protection.  Two churches were captured during the war.  The Setauket church was made into a barracks while the South Haven church was used for stables for their horses.  No one knows what became of Middle Island Presbyterian church during the war.  Services were suspended.  No records were made. 

     When the war ended, Rose returned to take on the difficult task of restoring the church and he continued as pastor until his death in 1799.  He was buried in South Haven's church yard.  Record keepers commented that "He was held greatly in great esteem." 

     Records for the ensuing 34 years have been lost forever.   The next record is dated June 1, 1800, and it reads: 

"In the spring and summer of 1800, God was pleased in a wonderful manner, to pour out his spirit upon the people of this place. Prayer meeting was kept up from two to five nights a week."  

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-Apollas Wetmore, Middle Island's record keeper.

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Read more about our history:

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History of the Middle Island Presbyterian Church 1766-195