The church was originally topped with a steeple 185 feet tall, making it visible to ships rounding Montauk Point about 21 miles away by road. The church was the tallest building on Long Island when it opened. The steeple was designed in three upward tapering sections. At the base was an octagonal Greek revival colonnade in which a bell hung. This was a replica of the 4th century BC Choragic Monument of Lysicrates. Above this was a section with four panels, each with Greek key and rosette motifs, which contained clockworks made by Ephriam Byram, Sag Harbor's clockmaker. The clock was removed in 1845 since the area's high winds, which powered the town's many windmills, caused vibrations that made the clock run inaccurately. The slender top spire supported a weather vane.