World’s Smallest Church Sits in Middle of a Central New York Pond

New York is home to the smallest church in the world.

Cross Island Chapel is in the middle of a pond in Oneida, New York. You actually have to take a boat to get to the small wooden deck it sits on. Unless you want to swim through all that green water.

Little White Church

The 51x81 foot little white church was built in 1989, making it large enough for two people. It's open to the public upon request and has been used a number of times for small, unique weddings.

A sign before you get to the church states everything you need to know about this one-of-a-kind structure:

Smallest Inhabited Island

Did you know Upstate New York is also home to the smallest inhabited island in the world, barely big enough for a house?

Just Enough Room Island or Hub Island as it was originally called, can be found among the Thousand Islands in the St Lawrence River between Heart Island and Imperial Isle.

The island is only 3,300 square feet or about one-thirteenth of an acre in Alexandria Bay, New York. That's about the same size as a regulation tennis court. There is just enough room for a house and a tree. When the water levels are low, there's a small beach/yard with room for a few chairs. But watch where you step. You could easily land in the water with one misstep.

The Sizeland family bought the island in the 1950s and built a house as a place to escape the world for a while. The plan backfired when tourists flocked to the area to see the tiny island with an even smaller house.