Bedford Presbyterian Church

Since the year 1810, a Presbyterian church has stood on the northeast corner of the Bedford Public Square. It was the first- and for years the only - building in the center of town dedicated to the worship of God. The present church, completed in 1829, is the third oldest in Bedford County. It yields first place in age only to the log church at Schellsburg built in 1806, and second to the Roman Catholic chapel of St. Thomas dating from 1816-17. Yet neither of the latter two has been in continuous use. the honor of 157 years of continuous service belongs to the Bedford Presbyterian Church alone.
The first religious services held in this pioneer settlement are said to have been conducted in 1763 by Charles Beatty and John Steel, chaplains in the Pennsylvania Provincials, the force which garrisoned Fort Bedford. The Rev. Beatty is supposed to have been an Anglican; the Rev. Steel was a Presbyterian minister. In 1766, the Penn family deeded land near the center of town to the Presbyterian church, for use as a cemetery.
Between 1763 and 1786, the Presbytery of Carlisle sent ministers to this mission outpost. Chosen in 1786, the Rev. David Bard served until 1789 as this church's first pastor. Thereafter, between sessions of Congress to which he had been elected, he returned occasionally to hold services. In the first years of his pastorate he was paid in British pounds, American currency not yet having been established.
For many years worship services were held in the old court house which stood in the square opposite Bedford's Trinity Lutheran Church. In or about 1810, a small brick building was erected on Lot No., 8, the site of the present Presbyterian Church which was built in 1829- 30
Solomon Filler, the architect of Bedford County's court house, designed and supervised the construction of the church now in use. The two are done in a Pennsylvania version of the post- Georgian style then favored in the East. Much of the original is still intact. The brick walls, the winding stairs, the balcony with some of the old pews, the solid logs trimmed to form pillars, the random pine board floors now carpeted, the window frames, and the cupola with its bell chamber have withstood the wear and tear of nearly 157 years. Changes have been made by bricking up the windows behind the pipe organ, removing the high pulpit and lectern, replacing the clear glass with memorial windows, and taking out the old gated box pews. Recent renovation and redecoration has been done in the spirit of the original style.
Through many discouragements and sorrows, but with much that was pleasant and precious, the church has lived and grown, and today stands as the oldest Presbyterian house of worship in Bedford County.

Pastors and Stated Supplies
The Rev. Mr. David Bard........................... 1786- 1789 The Rev. Mr. Alexander Boyd.................. 1808- 1817 The Rev. Mr. Jeremiah Chamberlain.... 1819- 1822 The Rev. Mr. David McKinley................... 1827- 1831 The Rev. Mr. James G. Breckenridge.... 1831- 1833 The Rev. Mr. Baynard R. Hall.................... 1833- 1838 The Rev. Mr. Elbridge Bradburry............ 1839- 1841 The Rev. Mr. Alexander Heberton........... 1842- 1844 The Rev. Mr. William McClay Hall.......... 1845- 1847 The Rev. Mr. M. M. McCalla.......................... 1848- 1850 The Rev. Mr. Thomas K. Davis................... 1850- 1855 The Rev. Mr. Robert F. Sample.................. 1856-1866 The Rev. Mr. A. V. C. Schenk........................ 1866-1868 The Rev. Mr. Robert F. Wilson.................... 1868- 1878 The Rev. Mr. John R. Henderson.................. 1878- 1880 The Rev. Mr. Herbert C. Cone........................ 1881- 1883 The Rev. Mr. John K. Andrews.......................1884- 1891 The Rev. Mr. John M. Barnett........................ 1891- 1892 The Rev. Mr. H. Woolverton............................1892- 1894 The Rev. Mr. George S. Bell............................1894- 1896 The Rev. Mr. Crofton C. Adams.....................1897- 1901 The Rev. Mr. Henry B. Townsend...................1901- 1909 The Rev. Mr. E. F. Reimer..................................1901- 1912 The Rev. Mr. Ralph W. Illingworth.................1912- 1913 The Rev. Mr. Kalil A. Bishara, Ph.D.................1914- 1918 The Rev. Mr. Rankin S. Caldwell, D.D...........1920- 1953 The Rev. Dr. Ira O. Reed, d. Min. ......................1954- 1959 The Rev. Dr. Miles Edgar Datesman, D.Min....1959-1992 The Rev. Mr. Stephen R. Melton...............................1993- ?

Contributed for use by the Bedford County Genealogy Project (http://www.pa-roots.com/~bedford/)

Bedford County Genealogy Project Notice:

These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format, for any presentation, without prior written permission.

Return to Bedford County Church Page

Return to Bedford County Genealogy Project