[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 20]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 27887]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               TRIBUTE TO THE NEW UTRECHT REFORMED CHURCH

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                           HON. VITO FOSSELLA

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 22, 2007

  Mr. FOSSELLA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the New Utrecht 
Reformed Church in Brooklyn, New York on its 330th Anniversary.
  Dutch settlers formed the town of New Utrecht, one of the original 
five towns of Brooklyn, in the mid 1600's and eventually, under the 
authority of the Reformed Church in the Netherlands, established the 
New Utrecht Cemetery in 1654. These same settlers gathered as a 
congregation in 1677 under the name of the Reformed Dutch Church of New 
Utrecht Long Island, which is the fourth oldest congregation in 
Brooklyn. It was later renamed the New Utrecht Reformed Church, the 
name it carries to this day.
  The history of the church is detailed and storied, including being 
seized and occupied by the British during the Revolutionary War and 
used as a hospital. There is even a weathervane that bears the bullet 
holes sustained during the Battle of Long Island.
  The Church also provided care and assistance to the Continental Army 
and General Woodhull, who eventually died inside the hospital. The 
Daughters of the American Revolution have since raised a statue of 
General Woodhull on the grounds of the Church cemetery.
  In 1783, when the British evacuated Brooklyn, the New Utrecht Reform 
Church was privileged to be the first location to have the Betsy Ross 
flag flown over its grounds. To this day, the same liberty pole flies 
an American flag nearly 224 years after the British evacuation.
  Not only did the New Utrecht Reform Church play a vital role in the 
Revolutionary War but also played an important role in the Civil War by 
sponsoring Company H of the 14th New York Regiment of the Union Army. 
To this day, the lives of these brave Union soldiers are memorialized 
in the church's sponsorship of the New York State Military Company H 
Brooklyn 14th Regiment re-enactment troop.
  In 1910, the New Utrecht Reformed Church founded the oldest 
continuous Boy Scout Troop in the nation; Troop 20 and its counterpart, 
Cub Scout Pack 20. The congregation continues its commitment to provide 
safe harbor for our community's youth through support of the scouting 
program and many other community events centered on the enrichment of 
children's lives.
  Throughout its long history, New Utrecht has opened its doors to new 
immigrants arriving on our shore: the Italian congregation in 1947; the 
Chinese congregation in the 1980's; the Korean congregation in the 
early 1980's and the Russian congregation in the 1990s.
  Madam Speaker, New Utrecht Reformed Church has been a mainstay in the 
Brooklyn community for 330 years and has impacted the lives of 
countless individuals. On this 330th anniversary, I would like to honor 
the church for its contributions to the people of Brooklyn and to the 
United States with the hope of another 330 years to come.

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