Historic St. George's               Episcopal Church Celebrate Your Faith, Come and Share our Joy.  A special invitation to come and Renew Your Spirit

The Friends of Historic St. George's Church was organized in 1959. It is a non-sectarian group, concerned with St. George's as a cultural and historic site. The members and trustees of the Friends come from different Faith Communities and are concerned with historic preservation and the history of Hempstead.

Our Business

The purpose of the Friends of Historic St. George's Church is to assist the parish in the presevation and restoration of St. George's church, its graveyard, and its rectory. St. George's was founded in 1702 by missionaries of the Anglican Society for the propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. It is one of the oldest Episcopal parishes in the United States. King George II chartered the chruch in 1735. The Rectory, located at 217 Peninsula Boulevard, Hempstead was built in 1793 and the present sanctuary in 1822(it is the third church, located at 319 Front Street, Hempstead). Both the church and the rectory are on the National Register of Historic Places. They are also among seventeen structures in Nassau County included in the federal government's Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) in the late 1930s, only eight of which have survived to the present day.

The Friends have sponsored and assisted structural repairs needed to preserve the church and rectory. In 2004 the Friends provided $40,000 for major repairs of the church tower and the painting of the exterior. In 2005 $5,000 was provided towards the cost of repairing and protecting the stained glass windows of the sanctuary with Lexan XL Security covers. (The New York Landmarks Conservancy's Scared Sites Program also contributed funds for the repairs and painting of the church)

Who We Are

In 2003, the Friends reprinted the Rev. Dr. William Moore's book History of St. George's Church originally published in 1881 and long out-of-print. The Friends commissioned and published four post card views of the church, the rectory, and graveyard. Copies of D. Moore's book ($25.00 ea.) and post cards (4 for $3.00) may be obtained by visiting the church at 319 Front Street, Hempstead, NY. 11550, writing, or calling (516)483-2771. All sales proceeds are added to the Restoration and Preservation funds for dispursement for projects as they are identified.

Information on the Friends may be obtained by either contacting the church or George Lidback at (516)485-1403.

We welcome your membership and contributions to the work of the Friends of Historic St. George's Church in preserving these buildings as historic landmarks for future generations.