Loading...The Newtown Presbyterian Church is one of the oldest in Bucks County. Its charter was granted on September 19, 1734, by the Presbytery of Philadelphia after a petition was presented “supplicating if Mr. William Tennent might be appointed to come and preach to them on the Lord’s Day every month.” Tennent, a well-known minister, was also the founding pastor of a church near Hartsville and started a seminary there for training ministers. The first installed pastor was the Reverend Henry Martin, who served from 1752 until his death in 1764.
The earliest services were likely held in a log cabin located on Swamp Road near the current Council Rock North High School. In 1769, the current church on Sycamore Street was erected on land deeded to the congregation by Nathaniel Twining (son of the original owner Stephen Twining) and his wife Sarah. Financed by a lottery, it was built of brownstone at a cost of $1,176.00 in Pennsylvania currency. The original layout had doors on the south side, brick floors, high-backed pews, a high pulpit and an upstairs gallery for servants and slaves. During the Revolutionary War, the church was commandeered by General George Washington and was used as barracks, a hospital and a prison for Hessian soldiers captured after the Battle of Trenton. In 1842, the church was remodeled and the entrance doors were moved to the east, the alcove where the pulpit now stands was added and the three-sided balcony was built. The porch was added in 1880 and the stained glass windows in 1901. The church stands now as it was in 1901. On July 16, 1987, the church was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places.
In 1886, the chapel was built on an acre of ground on the corner of Washington Avenue and Chancellor Street where our present sanctuary now stands. Facing Chancellor Street, it was built of local brownstone at a cost of $8,500. There were stained glass windows and a 53 foot bell tower. The interior was circular with a sanctuary that held 275-300 people and an outer circle that contained five classrooms and an infant room. When our present sanctuary was built, the stone walls of the chapel formed part of the foundation.
Our present sanctuary was dedicated in 1934, built in the middle of the depression using all local materials and labor, providing work for many people. The mortgage was paid off in 1938 with bequests from church members.
In 1941, the Reverend John E. Mertz became the pastor. He served for 20 years. After the end of World War II, when Newtown and the surrounding area began to grow, it became apparent that more room was needed to accommodate our growing congregation.
In 1954, ground was broken for an educational wing know as “Children’s Hall” to be built on the Chancellor Street side of the church. This two-story building ran from the red carpeted area behind the sanctuary to the third door on Chancellor Street.
It was during Reverend Robert Foulkes’ ministry in the sixties, that women were first allowed to serve on the Boards of the church.
Reverend Robert E. Canon’s ministry began in 1976. He retired in 1993. During his tenure, the church celebrated its 250th Anniversary and the third addition was made to the Washington Avenue church. A three-story building housed Ettenger Hall, church offices and more classrooms. This addition had long been a dream of Reverend Canon and a bequest by a church member provided the seed money to make his dream come true.
The Reverend George W. Blakesley, III served as well from 1995-2012. As we celebrate our 280th birthday, we look forward to continued growth and service to our faith and remember the words that highlighted the 250th Anniversary “And shall from age to age endure.”
