Thompson Memorial Presbyterian Church
1680 Aquetong Road, New Hope PA
A Brief History of the Thompson Church
(Formerly the Solebury Presbyterian Church)
The beginnings of Solebury Presbyterian Church go back to 1811 when land was acquired from Robert Thompson Neely (husband to Sarah Beaumont, son of
William and Elizabeth Thompson Neely, grandson of first-settlers Robert and Hannah Simpson Thompson). Mr. Robert T. Neely was born on July 16, 1769 and
was raised in the Thompson-Neely “House of Decision” on the Thompson-Neely Farmstead in what is now Washington Crossing State Park. The church is very
close, just up the nearby Aquetong Road. There was no Presbyterian Church nearby in the early 1800s. The nearest Presbyterian churches were in Newtown and
Doylestown in Pennsylvania, and Mt. Airy and Pennington in New Jersey.
The original subscription paper, dated August 19, 1810, contained the names of thirty-four subscribers pledged to a total of $1066 to build the church. They were:
William Neely (father of Robert Thompson Neely, son-in-law to Robert and Hannah Thompson, husband to Elizabeth Thompson Neely, and treasurer for the fund raising effort), Richard Corson, John Keith (cousins to the descendants of John and Jennett Wilson and brother-in-law to Abraham Slack), Robert Thompson Neely, John Ely, John Vandycke, Cornelius Van Horn, Solomon McNair, John Poore (brother-in-law to Robert Thompson Neely), James Simpson, Garret Johnson, Anthony Torbert, Samuel Torbert, Barnard Van Horn, James Slack, James Torbert, David McNair, William McMaster, John Harman, Cornelius Slack, Abraham Slack (husband to Mary Keith), Oliver Erwin, James Vance, James McMasters, Abner Torbert, James Kennedy, Henry B. Slack, Archibald Graham, Christian Van Horn, Thomas Gain, Joseph Johnson, James Johnson, Phineas Jenks, and Thomas Jenks.
Four Elders were chosen at the beginning: William Neely, Benjamin Pidcock, David Wynkoop, and Thomas Mifflin Thompson (husband to Betsy Wilson Thompson, son to John and Mary Huston Thompson, and cousin, once removed, to Robert Thompson Neely).
In 1822, when the First Presbyterian Church of Lambertville, NJ was organized, Solebury Church sent some of her members to strengthen the new congregation. Ministers serving Solebury also rendered pastoral assistance to growing Presbyterian concentrations in Forest Grove and New Hope, as well as Lambertville. The church cemetery dates back to the founding of the church and the original 2 acres of land. Tombstone inscriptions have been found dating to 1814.
During the Civil War, the Solebury Presbyterian Church was nearly forced to close her doors. Only an impassioned plea on the floor of Philadelphia Presbytery saved the little congregation from extinction. In 1873 the generous offer of Mr. William Neely Thompson to remodel the church in memory of one of the first elders of the church, Thomas Mifflin Thompson, his father, gave the church a new lease on life. According to the Wilson-Thompson Families Genealogy, published in 1916, p.217,
“…after joining with his relatives and others in a revival of interest in the old church which added fifty new members, he rebuilt the church structure, and purchased a tract of land which he added to the cemetery and donated to the church. He also agreed to an annual amount equal to that raised by the parishioners for the support of a good live minister. It was through this revival and rebuilding that the church came to be known as the Thompson Memorial Church.”
From 1876 through 1896, the Thompson Memorial Presbyterian Church conducted regular Sabbath School and Worship on the present site. Weekly Sabbath Schools were also conducted by this congregation in the Brownsburg, Buckmanville and Woodhill school houses nearby. One evening each month, a preaching service was conducted at the schoolhouses in turn. These three schoolhouses are still standing. In 1910 the Woodhill Chapel was constructed at the intersection of Woodhill and Eagle Roads. Sabbath School and Worship were conducted regularly for a number of years. Today this building is a private residence. From 1876 until 1966, a unique relationship existed between the New Hope Presbyterian Church and Thompson Memorial as the two churches often shared ministers. In 1928 a temporary building was erected next to the church for educational purposes. By 1957 a campaign had been completed to raise funds, and to construct and dedicate a new Educational Building. A fire in 1966 destroyed this building, but a new one was immediately completed in late 1967. Further renovation and expansion of the Christian Education Building was done in 1994.
In 2025, the church has taken on a new exciting renovation project, Building What Matters. The project hopes to create more worship opportunities, to encourage stronger connections, and to have a greater impact on the community. Today the Thompson Memorial Presbyterian Church is a vibrant center of worship, prayer, and activity. It has a welcoming and active congregation lead by a most capable and engaging set of ministers, elders, deacons, and staff.
Source: Thompson Memorial Presbyterian Church webpage; Wilson-Thompson Families Genealogy 1916.