Setauket Caroline Episcopal Church, approaching its 300-year anniversary, raising funds for a new roof

Nearly 250 years ago, Caroline Episcopal Church in Setauket saw a Revolutionary War battle fought just outside its doors. Musket balls reputedly still are lodged in the church's spire.

But the nearly 300-year-old church's cedar shake roof needs replacing because of battles with other threats: rain, snow, wind and fungus.

Church leaders say the roof is pockmarked with divots from decades of deterioration. Discolored shingles are coated with lichen, a combination of algae and bacteria that thrive in areas with abundant sun, air and rain.

Despite the church's age and history, congregation leaders want to make sure Caroline is able to continue operating as a working church. It holds four services weekly and serves about 600 members and other participants, said its rector, the Rev. Nick Griffith.

"It's just more than just a historic museum," said church member Kirk Cronk, 73, of Port Jefferson, who is leading efforts to raise up to $130,000 to replace the roof. "This is an historic church."

The last time the roof was replaced was about 30 years ago, said Bruce Cash, a church warden. Roofs typically last 40 years, Griffith said.

Rainwater sometimes drips into the sanctuary through air vents, the pastor said. Some services have been held with pails catching raindrops, he added.

The otherwise sturdy sanctuary is "a really rugged structure" that has weathered countless storms over the years, Griffith said.

Built in 1729, Caroline Church and its adjacent cemetery are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Church leaders hope to complete the roof project in three years, in time for the church's 300th anniversary.

Receiving that historic designation is an honor, but it complicates preservation efforts and may make the roof project more expensive, church leaders said.

The church cannot use contemporary building materials such as slate or architectural asphalt, they said. They must simulate the church's original roof and use cedar shake, a typical 18th century building material.

Using cedar shake probably will add to the cost, though church leaders said they are not sure by how much. 

The church is seeking a grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior's Semiquincentennial Grant Program, which makes a total of $11.9 million available nationwide to nonprofits, local governments and Native American tribes to restore National Register of Historic Places sites.

Church volunteers also are seeking local donations from individuals and institutions. Donations may be made through the church website, carolinechurch.net.

Believed to be the second-oldest Episcopal congregation in the United States, and one of Long Island's oldest churches, Caroline Church was named in 1730 for the then-queen of England, Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach, wife of King George II.

The royal connections don't end there: Church records from the 1950s show that the Duke of Windsor — formerly King Edward VIII, who abdicated the British throne in 1936 — and his wife, Wallis, attended a baptism there.

The roof project is one of several undertakings at the church in recent years.

The church recently completed a $50,000 effort to restore the cemetery, which contains graves and headstones dating to the 19th century. Last year, the church launched a $150,000 project to refurbish 14 stained-glass windows, Newsday previously reported.

Cronk said he joined the church less than a year ago after coming to appreciate its diverse group of people and activities. He pointed to the congregation's music school and a food pantry that serves about 60 families weekly.

"It's a living, breathing organism that's an asset to the community," Cronk said. "You get a warm feeling like you're part of a family, and families take care of their home."

By Carl MacGowan

carl.macgowan@newsday.comCarlMacGowan

Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.