Memorials, Monuments & Plaques Register War Memorials Plaques, Monuments & Other Memorials Hawkesbury on the Net
Ebenezer Church Historic Tree - Ebenezer
Monument Details
Address:  Coromandel Road
 Ebenezer
 New South Wales, Australia
Location:  Located directly opposite the entrance to the historic Ebenezer Church.
Responsible Authority:  Ebenezer Church
Number of Monuments:  1
Names Recorded:  0
Period Covered:  Plaque unveiled 1982

 

Register:

Although the monument does not list any individuals, it commemorates the first service held at Ebenezer under the tree. 

Map of memorial:

 

Notes:

Unfortunately, due to a severe wind storm that went through Ebenezer on the night of the 16th December 2005, damage to the main trunk of the historic tree was sustained. Although the tree still survives, it is only a small proportion of what was once a great historic tree.

The tree is listed as a Heritage Item and the following historical notes was extracted from the NSW Heritage Office website listing for "Ebenezer Church (Uniting), Old Schoolhouse, Cemetery & tree":

Ebenezer Uniting Church is Australia's oldest remaining church. It was the first Presbyterian church in the colony and is the nation's oldest functioning church. Worship began on the site as early as 1803, when 15 families, under the leadership of Pastor James Mein, met beneath the tree which still stands adjacent to the church today. The Covenanted Membership of the Church which was formed in 1806, was made up of people of Methodist, Anglican and Catholic backgrounds with a core group of Coromandelers. A church which doubled as a school and chapel was built in 1809. The first burial occurred in 1812 and a cemetery was established in the churchyard. The schoolmaster's residence is believed to have been constructed in 1817. Ebenezer Church was the first and for many years the only church built and paid for by voluntary gifts and labour. It was formally established as a church of the Presbyterian Order in 1824 (Cox and Corkhill 1985: 6).

The school at Ebenezer was opened in 1810 under the headmastership of John Youl, a layman of the Anglican Church. It operated out of the church until the 1880s when a public school was built. When this burned down shortly afterwards, the school returned to the church until the present public school opened in 1902 (Cox and Corkhill 1985: 7).

In 1959 the church was extensively repaired and a vestry was built nearby. In 1985, a Heritage Council grant assisted the restoration of the Church, Vestry and Schoolmaster's Residence (Cox and Corkhill 1985: 11).

The pioneer families who worshipped at the Church were a vital part of the development of the Hawkesbury as the food bowl for the colony. Most of them supported Governor Bligh at the time of the Rum Rebellion. They made a significant contribution to commerce and government administration. Shipbuilding was a major enterprise of a number of local families (Cox and Corkhill 1985: 7).

BENEATH THIS HISTORIC TREE / ELDER JAMES MEIN CONDUCTED / THE FIRST SERVICE FOR THIS AREA / THIS PLAQUE WAS UNVEILED BY / COUNCILLOR B.E.BROWN D.F.C.* / PRESIDENT, HAWKESBURY SHIRE COUNCIL / ON 10TH OCTOBER 1982 / STRUCTURE DONATED BY / OWEN CAVANOUGH FELLOWSHIP // ALD.K.CAVANOUGH A.M. / CHAIRMAN // MISS J.CAVANOUGH / SECRETARY

Credits: Transcriptions and photography by Jonathan Auld and Michelle Nichols - December 2005.

 

Copyright © 2000-2007 Hawkesbury on the Net Directory - all rights reserved