Allendale’s Archer Memorial Church was founded by O.H.P. and Mary Archer. In 1868, the Archers, regular summer residents, moved to Allendale. Because of the lengthy Sunday church trip to Hohokus, the Archers presented a new church to Allendale. On February 17, 1876, the chapel was opened for Sunday school. On June 11, 1876, the cornerstone of the Archer Methodist Episcopal Church was laid. The following Sunday, June 18, Bishop E.S. Janes officiated the dedication. A preacher who rode a circuit serving other churches was assigned to hold services regularly in Allendale. The first full-time pastor in Allendale was Rev. William Potts George, who was assigned to the church in 1886. On November 5, 1893, an enlarged and beautified Archer Memorial Church, now including a 30-foot-by-70-foot public hall, was rededicated. The cost was $18,000, and that was donated by O.H.P. Archer, who died in 1899 at age 78. In 1901, the parsonage, the hall, and two acres of land were presented to the church by Mrs. Archer. In 1968, when the Methodist churches and the Evangelical United Brethren churches merged, the name was changed to Archer Memorial Church. Considered unsafe, the church was demolished in June 1973. On September 8, 1974, the cornerstone for the new building was dedicated. Consecration was on October 20, 1974.
Images of America: Allendale