St Johns Church

St Johns Historic Church When President Washington toured Long Island in 1790, this church was already a quarter-century old! British soldiers occupied the church during the Revolution, and the people were still repairing the damages when Washingt...

St Johns Historic Church When President Washington toured Long Island in 1790, this church was already a quarter-century old! British soldiers occupied the church during the Revolution, and the people were still repairing the damages when Washington visited Suffolk. William Nicoll arrived in America in 1664 and was granted a land patent by the Crown of England. The land was purchased from Chief Sachem of the Secatog tribe, and over time his land holdings grew to 100,000 acres. All sources say that the church was built around 1765, by the Nicoll family of Islip. The Charlotte Church (the original name of St. John's Oakdale) was a family chapel organized in 1765. The building was erected in 1769, and it was named for Queen Charlotte, the wife of King George the III. In 1843 the building was enlarged to its pre