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News, events, updates, and tidbits from the Presbyterian Historical Society. Use tags to read related articles or sort by author for similar posts written by PHS staff members and volunteers.

1819: First Presbyterian Church of Norristown, Norristown, PA

February 20, 2015 to August 28, 2017

The roots of “The First Presbyterian Church at Norristown” can be traced back to 1805 when a prayer group was started by Norristown resident Robert Hamill. He was also an Elder at Providence Presbyterian Church. The prayer group met in the Norristown Academy which stood next to where the church stands today. Parson John Jones was principle of the Academy and Pastor at Providence Presbyterian Church.

By 1814 a congregation had developed. In 1815, with the help of the Holy Spirit and Elder Hamill, this group built the Norristown Presbyterian Meeting House on Airy...

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Philadelphia Presbytery 300, Philadelphia

1835: Marple Presbyterian Church, Broomall, Marple Township, PA

February 17, 2015

Marple Presbyterian Church celebrated its 175^th anniversary in 2010. Our founding was recorded in the minute reporting the reception of the First Presbyterian Church of Marple Township by the Second Presbytery on October 7, 1835. It notes that "the Church ...is in a very interesting region remote from any Presbyterian Church." Apparently this mission of the Middletown Church was also remote from any concentration of Presbyterians in its early days. Reporting only 78 members in 1870,...

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Philadelphia Presbytery 300, Philadelphia

1837: First Presbyterian Church of Bridesburg, Philadelphia

January 17, 2015 to July 17, 2017

The first thought of forming a church in Bridesburg came out of a meeting in September, 1829. Henry Parkes and the Rev. Dr. Biggs of Frankford Presbyterian Church took the stagecoach to Bridesburg Village to meet with 21 faithful members of the community. This 1 ½ mile area was often impassable for pedestrians and carriages making it a hardship for people to attend Frankford Presbyterian Church. The members of this group wanted to establish a local house of worship to preach the gospel.

And so it was that in September 1829, a Sunday School was organized. Alfred Jenks, a...

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Philadelphia Presbytery 300, Philadelphia

1840: First Presbyterian Church of Glenolden, PA

August 15, 2014 to September 25, 2017

On April 9^th, 1840, a church was organized by 16 people in the living room of George Knowles’ home. From April to December of that year; the membership grew to 90. Reverend Marcus E. Cross was the Founder and First Pastor of the original church, known as the Second Presbyterian Church of Darby.

In 1910, the ongoing conflict between naming of the “then first and second churches” of Darby was resolved. The Presbytery of Chester approved the name change from “Darby First”, to the...

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Philadelphia, Philadelphia Presbytery 300