All Saints Episcopal Church, Briarcliff Manor - Notebook 2025-6.
You could argue that the area at the top of Scarborough Road around All Saints Church is where Briarcliff Manor originated. Certainly, it’s where the name “Briarcliff Manor” came into being.
“Dr. John Ogilby, founded All Saints’ Church in 1848, designated it as ‘All Saints’ Church Brier Cliff, Sing Sing, N.Y”. 2.
Dr. Ogilby adopted the name “Brier Cliff” (or Briar Cliff – different sources give different spellings) from that of his family estate in Ireland. So, the area around All Saints Church was known as Brier Cliff/Briar Cliff decades before Walter W. Law arrived here. Mr. Law liked the name and so, he combined the two words into one and changed the spelling a little and thus was born “Briarcliff Farms”. When it became time to incorporate the village his friend Andrew Carnegie joked that Law was the ''laird of the manor''. Law liked the sound of that so he called the village “Briarcliff Manor”. This was therefore the name given the village even before its actual incorporation.
So, who was this Dr. John Ogilby:
“John David Ogilby, clergyman, born in Dublin, Ireland, 80 December 1810; died in Paris, France, February 1851. He came to the United States at the age of six years and was graduated at Columbia in 1829. He was first rector of the College grammar-school, engaged in teaching and editing classical works, and was elected professor of ancient languages in Rutgers college in 1832. This post he held for eight years. Having resolved to enter the ministry, he made due preparation, and was ordained both deacon and priest by Bishop Onderdonk, of New York, in 1838. Three years later he was elected professor of ecclesiastical history in the General theological seminary. In the spring of 1842, he made a visit to Europe for the benefit of his health, and returned in September of the same year. In 1843 he received the degree of D. D. from the University of Pennsylvania. He went abroad again for rest in the spring of 1846, and returned in August. Three years later his health failed. He sailed for Europe in November, 1849, spent the winter in the south of France, visited his relatives and friends in England and Ireland in 1850, and returned to Paris in December, where early in the next year he died. His body was brought to the United States and buried in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Dr. Ogilby's chief publications were "An Outline of the Argument against the Validity of Lay Baptism " (New York, 1842); " The Catholic Church in England and America," three lectures (1844); with numerous conventional and other sermons on special occasions. He had made considerable preparation for a large work on "Ecclesiastical History," but his premature death prevented its completion. -- His brother. Frederick, clergyman, born in Ireland, 27 December, 1813; died in New York city, 25 March, 1878, came to this country early in life, was graduated at Rutgers in 1833, and at the New York general theological seminary in 1887. After being connected with Grace church, New York city, as deacon, he was ordained priest, was rector of the church of the Ascension, Philadelphia, and in 1855 returned to New York and was assistant minister of Trinity church until his death.” 4.
We have been unable to discover exactly when Dr. Ogilby first established his estate in what would become Briarcliff Manor.
However, we do know that Dr. Ogilby went to Europe for his health in 1846. It’s likely that it was during this trip that he visited St. Andrew’s church, Bemerton.
“The beautiful, ivy-covered church at Bemerton, near Salisbury, England, looked out upon the peaceful crossroads at its door, little dreaming that the long shadows of its influence would reach out the Atlantic and up the shores of the Hudson River, to another crossroads in a faraway land.
The Reverend John David Ogilby, D. D., professor of ecclesiastical history at the General Theological Seminary, in New York had recently returned from a trip to England where he had visited the historic church of Bemerton which, two centuries before, had been the parochial charge of the revered clergyman and poet, George Herbert. As Dr. Ogilby strolled across the grounds of his summer estate located just east of, and overlooking, the village of Sing Sing (since renamed Ossining), to which he had given the name “Brier Cliff” (Author’s note: or possibly “Briar Cliff” or “Briar Cliffe” depending on which source you read) after his ancestral home in Ireland, he was struck by the similarity of the southeast corner of his land to the site of George Herbert’s church. Each lay between and looked out upon the forks of a highway which threaded its way through pleasant countryside. Here, however, the similarity ceased for unlike Bemerton no church outlines etched themselves on the landscape of Briar Cliff. Then and there Dr. Ogilby made the firm resolve that this site should also have erected thereon an edifice dedicated to the glory of God, wherein the residents of the community might come together for common and public worship. Accordingly, he gave for this purpose a plot roughly 60’ x 100’ and plans for a structure resembling the Bemerton church were drawn by architect Richard Upjohn, who also designed the present Trinity Church and Church of the Ascension in New York City.” 1.
Work began on the Gothic Revival Style building in 1848, but unfortunately Dr. Ogilby died in 1851 before the church could be completed. Indeed, it might never have been completed at all, but for the efforts of Henry McFarlan (a good friend of Dr. Ogilby) of New Jersey who bore the entire cost of completing the church. By 1854 the church had been completed, and the opening service took place in December of that year.
In 1863 the Church was incorporated as: “The Rector, Church Wardens and Vestrymen of All Saints Church, in the Town of Ossining in the County of Westchester” and joined the Diocese of New York as a regularly established and recognized parish.
In 1879 Miss Harriet McFarlan presented the church with the building and land which was used as a rectory for some years thereafter (note that this is not the current rectory). This property, located on Old Briarcliff Road was sold in 1884 for $1,025, and the proceeds used toward the cost of construction of a new rectory.
In 1882 The widow and children of Dr. Ogilby executed and delivered deeds of conveyance vesting title to the property in the church corporation.
The present rectory, located on Scarborough Road was built in 1883 on about two acres of land presented by Mr. Robert Oliver. It was planned and built under the supervision of C.W. Woolsey. It is in the Victorian Stick Style with rubble stone first story walls and a half-timbered second story. It has a high-pitched gable roof, overhanging eaves and exposed rafters.
Between 1869 and 1887 the church continued to grow:
Mrs. Cornelia Rogers (and members of her family) established and ran a Sunday school.
Miss McFarlan presented the church with a new organ.
The Family of Mr. Henry Brinckerhoff, a Vestryman for many years, established a memorial fund.
Mr. and Mrs. C.W. Woolsey established another fund “in memory of the little girl we have lost” The Woolsey’s also donated a memorial in the form of chancel furniture.
Two handsome art glass windows were placed opposite each other in the nave – one to the memory of Maria L. Knevels and the other to the memory of Harriet McFarlan.
The family of Henry McFarlan donated a memorial oak door of gothic design.
The period between 1887 and 1900 was a difficult one for the church. Attendance diminished and with it operating income. Deficits increased year by year. The church could no longer afford the services of the organist and compensation for the rector was reduced. By 1900 the parish owed the rector seven years of salary. In 1901 the records record:
“Owing to reduced revenue of the Parish, caused by social changes in the neighborhood and consequent decrease in attendance,” the vestry questioned the expediency of a separate corporate existence and considered transferring the parish property to the Diocese of New York, but subsequently reported “no progress”.
By 1902 the situation had started to improve with the appointment of the Reverend Thomas R. Hazzard. During his tenure the parish grew considerably, Church attendance increased, and the resulting revenues allowed needed improvements to be made:
The roof was replaced
A cellar on the north side of the church was excavated
A hot air heating system was installed.
Miss Helen Brinkerhoff, organist for many years provided a legacy “so that the church would never be without music at its services”.
Around 1904 a small fieldstone parish house was built on a rocky rise behind the rectory. This structure is remarkable more for its history than its architecture. Designed in the Arts and Crafts style and completed in 1904, it was constructed almost entirely by parish women, an almost unheard-of thing at the time. The hall has walls of undressed fieldstone, a split entrance door in the Dutch manner and a fieldstone fireplace. Though somewhat removed from the church proper, this and the rectory both add to the surviving religious complex and show an interesting progression in architectural styles.
Miss Fanny E. Rogers started the “Auxiliary Women’s Guild of All Saints Church” in 1906 “to serve the church in every phase of its life, and in every field of the Church’s activity.” Conditions had improved to such an extent that the Vestry now felt able to pay the organ blower “25c per service, and the same for practice nights”.
By 1910 the congregation (the usual congregation plus students from Mrs. Dow’s school, the Holbrook School, and guests at the Briarcliff Lodge) had outgrown the existing church. Money was raised, and architect William Henry Deacy was commissioned to design an extension. Plans called for a cruciform church of field stone, using the existing building as nave and adding transepts and chancel. Parish members donated stone from their estates for the walls.
As for the interior:
“The beautiful hand carved reredos, altar and credence table, gifts to the memory of Henry McFarlan Brinckerhoff in 1884, the lectern given in 1874 to the memory of P. Remsen Brinckerhoff and the reading desk and chair gifts of Charles H. Woolsey in 1883, were moved to their new locations in the chancel.
The beauty of the church was further enhanced with construction of a graceful spire (bell tower) over the crossing, and the installation of a pipe organ.
The prized art glass windows in the old chancel, gift of A. Beresford Hope, were to have been relocated in the east wall of the new chancel but were broken beyond repair by workmen, removing them from their frames. They were replaced by a circular leaded glass window depicting the “Adoration of the Magi”. This window was designed by Frederick Wilson, a local resident, associated with Tiffany Glass Works in New York (Author’s note: In fact, Mr. Wilson was much more than that. At that time, he was Tiffany Studio's chief window designer who also had a studio in Briarcliff Manor). It was contained within a five-foot diameter frame and located in the centre of the east wall over the alter. It bears the inscription “All Nations Shall Come the Worship Before Thee”. 1.
The remodeled church building was completed by summer of 1911 and was consecrated November 1, 1911, by the Right Reverend David Hummell Greer, then Bishop of New York. The church now looked very much like it does today.
Hard times came again to All Saints during the years of the Depression and World War II. The Briarcliff Lodge closed as a hotel and some large estates were broken up. The Holbrook School closed. All of this reduced the size of the congregation. There was a fire in the rectory in 1934 and another fire in the church basement in 1943. The Reverend George F. Bratt was rector of St. Paul’s Church in Ossining. He also served as priest-in-charge at All Saints at that time. He once remarked that only angels attended the early services at All Saints. However, under his leadership the church made it through the lean years until the end of World War II when it looked as if the church population would soon increase. A .6-acre plot of land surrounding the church was purchased. William Deacy, who had designed the 1910 addition designed a new parish hall.
The church population steadily increased through the 1950s and 1960s. Two additional parcels of land (more than an acre) were donated by parishioners.
All Saints was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002 and with the closing of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in July, 2015 it is now the oldest functioning church in Briarcliff Manor.
For many more photographs of All Saints as it looks today (including photographs of the church furnishings, the organ, and all the stained-glass windows including the large circular window) see here and here.
Sources:
“A History of All Saints Church, Briar Cliff. In commemoration of its centenary, December 13, 1954”
“A History of Briarcliff Manor”, by Rev. Robert B. Pattison. Published in the Briarcilff Weekly, 1939.
“The Changing Landscape. A History of Briarcliff Manor - Scarborough by
Appleton's Cyclopedia of American Biography, edited by James Grant Wilson, John Fiske and Stanley L. Klos. Six volumes, New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1887-1889 and 1999 via Virtualology.com
Briarcliff Manor-Scarborough Historical Society (BMSHS) files.