Richmond Presbyterian Church

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The original Richmond Presbyterian Church lot as depicted in an atlas published by G. M. Hopkins in 1875. The brick dwelling directly behind the original frame church may have served as the first parsonage Courtesy of the Philadelphia Historical Commission

A Presbyterian church had been founded in Richmond Village in 1833, and belonged to the New School Philadelphia Presbytery,1 but was dissolved in April 1842 due to a sharp decline in attendance over the decade. 2 By 1844, a new congregation had been established, possibly in part by members of the previous congregation. Meeting in an old schoolhouse at the corner of William and Larch Streets, the congregation seems to initially have been associated with the New School Presbytery—but in 1845, the congregation became associated with the Old School Philadelphia Presbytery as the First Presbyterian Church of Richmond, apparently causing a number of members to leave the church. 3 Around this time, a 60-x-200-foot lot on Richmond Street between William and Ann Streets had been acquired from Philadelphia lawyer Eli K. Price for the construction of a permanent church. 4 This frame church was complete enough to be used for services by October 1846. 5 By the mid-1850s, a parsonage had been constructed behind the church, fronting on Larch Street. 6 This rear portion of the lot seems to have had at least one house erected upon it in the 1860s for use as a rental property. 7

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Program for the dedication of the second Richmond Presbyterian Church featuring an engraving of the building before the steeple was removed Courtesy of the Presbyterian Historical Society

In March 1872, the congregation approved the sale of the rear potion of the church lot containing the parsonage and the two rental houses. 8 With the proceeds of these sales, the congregation purchased a lot at 1810 (now 3012) Richmond and erected a new three-story brick parsonage. 9 The following year, construction began on a new brick and stone church building on the site of the frame structure, with the congregation meeting in a tent at Richmond and William Streets in the interim. This new structure, built in the Gothic style and topped with a 140-foot spire (later taken down), was completed in early 1876. 10 The construction of this new edifice left the congregation several thousand dollars in debt, and by May 1877, they were already falling behind on interest payments. 11 This financial situation, coupled with his increasingly poor health, may have driven the pastor, Rev. Henry J. Owen, to resign in late 1876.12 Under his successor, Rev. Macduff Simpson, strenuous efforts were made to keep creditors at bay, including two church fairs held to raise money to pay down the debt.13 It was only after Rev. George H. S. Campbell took over as pastor in December 1880 that the church’s financial situation began to drastically improve. Over the eight years Campbell served as pastor, nearly 200 new members were added to the congregation and the debt of $7,000 was canceled.14 In addition, he served as a prominent figure in the relief effort following the tornado that struck Port Richmond in 1885.15

Despite his accomplishments, discontent was brewing among the elders and trustees of the congregation by late 1888. In mid-November 1888, a month and a half after Campbell returned from a seven-month vacation in Europe, the elders and trustees asked for his resignation, alleging that his sermons were not satisfactory.16 Campbell refused to resign, continuing to conduct services at the church and holding meetings of the congregation in an attempt to shore up his support. Despite a petition that 150 members of the church allegedly signed, the elders and trustees eventually won out. Campbell stepped down as pastor, but would continue to be paid and have use of the parsonage until July 1, 1889.17 Campbell continued to agitate against the forces that had led to his removal, allegedly holding meetings of loyalists to his cause in the Richmond Mutual Hall just a block and a half north of the Church. When this issue was brought before the Philadelphia Presbytery in May 1889, he was told to hold no meetings within five blocks of the church.18 By July 1889, the issue seems to have resolved itself, with the Disston Memorial Church in the Tacony neighborhood of Philadelphia inviting him take over as their pastor.19

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Photograph of the Richmond Presbyterian Church, circa 1895, after the steeple was removed Courtesy of the Presbyterian Historical Society

The congregation continued to function into the twentieth century, but demographic changes—most notably the large influx of Catholic Polish immigrants into Port Richmond—precipitated a decline in membership.20 This in turn put a financial strain on the congregation, leading to ultimately fruitless discussions of moving the church in 1905.21 The church continued to experience financial issues, which prevented it from hiring a permanent pastor in the 1920s, and perhaps were the reason for the sale of the parsonage and purchase of a more modest home at 2519 East Indiana Avenue in August 1921.22 In September 1926, a proposal to sell the church was voted down by the congregation, but the sale of the new parsonage was approved.23 In 1930, noting the changing demographics of the area and their financial inability to continue running the congregation, the church voted to have the Philadelphia Presbytery fund the church’s work and have the congregation be converted into a mission to attract Polish residents to the Presbyterian faith.24 In 1932, the congregation turned over their deed to the Presbytery, which terminated the mission and dissolved the congregation in October 1939.25 The Presbytery continued Sunday school and community activities for a time, but sold the church building and property to John and Jean Suleski in August 1946 for $7,500.26 Two years later, the Suleski’s conveyed the property to Simon and Marion Sulkes, who used the former church as a warehouse for their furniture and appliance store located across the street at 2928-36 Richmond Street.27

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Plate from the 1919 Sanborn fire insurance atlas, depicting Richmond Presbyterian Church and the surrounding area Courtesy of Pennsylvania State University

Though the congregation reestablished in 1844 did not survive until its centennial, the First Presbyterian Church of Richmond was an important institution in the Port Richmond neighborhood through the nineteenth century. Many of its members during this time were prominent in their community, such as Charles McCoy, the “richest man in Richmond,” or Ernest H. Steinmeyer, whose social and business circles included department store owners and governors.28 Much of the block of Richmond Street between William (now East Cambria) and Ann Streets was associated with the church in the 1880s. The membership included the owner of 2911 Richmond and 2910 Melvale, as well as residents of 2913, 2917, 2919, and 2925 Richmond.29 As the twentieth century dawned, however, many residents either no longer chose to affiliate with the church or (more often the case) were of a different religious denomination. This shift is especially pronounced as the residents of the neighborhood became increasingly those of Irish or Polish descent.

References

  1. Randall Balmer and John R. Fitzmier, The Presbyterians (Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1993), pp. 66-67;In the 1830s Presbyterians in the United States split over doctrinal issues into the New School and Old School factions. The New School favored a more liberal theological doctrine influenced by the Second Great Awakening and promoted revivals as opposed to the more conservative Old School. Furthermore, much of the New School was opposed to slavery, while the Old School attempted to avoid the subject or in some cases supported it ↩
  2. Kenneth A. Hammonds, Historical Directory of Presbyterian Churches and Presbyteries of Greater Philadelphia: Related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and Its Antecedents, 1690-1990 (Philadelphia: The Presbyterian Historical Society, 1993), 75 ↩
  3. “Richmond Presbyt’n Church,” Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) Inquirer, September 8, 1874, p. 2, Genealogy Bank, subscription database accessed March 2014, http://www.genealogybank.com ↩
  4. Philadelphia County Deed Book RLL 38:356, “Historical Land and Vital Records,” subscription database accessed August 2015, https://www.phila-records.com/historic-records/web ↩
  5. “Richmond Presbyt’n Church,” Philadelphia Inquirer, September 8, 1874 ↩
  6. A. McElroy, comp., McElroy’s Philadelphia Directory for 1855, “Philadelphia City Directories,” subscription database accessed subscription database accessed October 2015, https://www.fold3.com; entry for Jas. G. Shinn, p. 502 ↩
  7. Samuel L. Smedley, Smedley’s Atlas of the City of Philadelphia (Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1862), plate 13; G. M. Hopkins, City Atlas of Philadelphia by Wards, Complete in 7 Volumes vol 4. (Philadelphia: G. M. Hopkins, 1875), plate A; A. McElroy, comp., McElroy’s Philadelphia City Directory for 1866, subscription database accessed October 2015, https://www.fold3.com; entries for Samuel Davison, p. 184, and David Kennedy, p. 833 ↩
  8. “Philadelphia, Pa. Richmond Presbyterian Church. Trustees’ papers & other records, 1872-1934.” MS P526tp, Presbyterian Historical Society, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Philadelphia County Deed Book JAH 249:517, “Historical Land and Vital Records,” subscription database accessed October 2015, https://www.phila-records.com/historic-records/web; Philadelphia County Deed Book JAH 292:247, “Historical Land and Vital Records,” subscription database accessed August 2015, https://www.phila-records.com/historic-records/web; Philadelphia County Deed Book FTW 16:217, “Historical Land and Vital Records,” subscription database accessed October 2014, https://www.phila-records.com/historic-records/web ↩
  9. Philadelphia County Deed Book GGP 359:264, “Historical Land and Vital Records,” subscription database accessed October 2015, https://www.phila-records.com/historic-records/web; “Philadelphia, Pa. Richmond Presbyterian Church. Trustees’ papers & other records, 1872-1934.” MS P526tp, Presbyterian Historical Society, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ↩
  10. “Ground Broken,” Philadelphia Inquirer, October 27, 1873, p. 2, Genealogy Bank, subscription database accessed january 2015, http://www.genealogybank.com; “Richmond Presbyt’n Church, Philadelphia Inquirer, September 8, 1874; “Religious,” Philadelphia Inquirer, January 21, 1876, p. 3, Genealogy Bank, subscription database accessed August 2015, http://www.genealogybank.com ↩
  11. “Philadelphia, Pa. Richmond Presbyterian Church. Trustees’ papers & other records, 1872-1934.” MS P526tp, Presbyterian Historical Society, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ↩
  12. “Religious,” Philadelphia Inquirer, November 21, 1876, p. 2, Genealogy Bank, subscription database accessed August 2015, http://www.genealogybank.com ↩
  13. “Philadelphia, Pa. Richmond Presbyterian Church. Trustees’ papers & other records, 1872-1934.” MS P526tp, Presbyterian Historical Society, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; “Meeting of Presbyteries,” Philadelphia Inquirer, November 6, 1877, p. 2, Genealogy Bank, subscription database accessed August 2015, http://www.genealogybank.com; “Richmond Church Fair,” Times (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), October 30, 1879, p. 2, Newspapers.com, subscription database accessed August 2015, http://www.newspapers.com; “Richmond Presbyterian Church,” Philadelphia Inquirer, December 3, 1879, p. 3, Genealogy Bank, subscription database accessed August 2015, http://www.genealogybank.com ↩
  14. “Church and Chapel,” Philadelphia Inquirer, January 4, 1889, p. 3, Genealogy Bank, subscription database accessed October 2015, http://www.genealogybank.com ↩
  15. “The Recent Tornado,” Philadelphia Inquirer, 18 August 1885, p. 2, Genealogy Bank, subscription database accessed September 2015, http://www.genealogybank.com; “Urged to Remain,” Philadelphia Inquirer, November 21, 1888, p. 2, Genealogy Bank, subscription database accessed August 2015, http://www.genealogybank.com ↩
  16. “Back to Their Pulpits,” Times, October 1, 1888, p.1, Newspapers.com, subscription database accessed October 2015, http://www.newspapers.com; “A Church Difficulty,” Reading (Pennsylvania) Times, November 17, 1888, p.1, Newspapers.com, subscription database accessed October 2015, http://www.newspapers.com ↩
  17. “Pastor Campbell Preaches,” Times, November 19, 1888, p.1, Newspapers.com, subscription database accessed August 2015, http://www.newspapers.com; “The Richmond Church Row,” Times, November 21, 1888, p. 1, Newspapers.com, subscription database accessed August 2015, http://www.newspapers.com; Congregational Meeting Minutes 1884-1936, (1 vol.), p. 11, Upper Vault V MI46 P526+, Presbyterian Historical Society, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ↩
  18. “Trials of a Preacher,” Philadelphia Inquirer, May 7, 1889, p. 3, Genealogy Bank, subscription database accessed August 2015, http://www.genealogybank.com ↩
  19. “Summer Church News,” Philadelphia Inquirer, July 12, 1889, p. 8, Genealogy Bank, subscription database accessed October 2015, http://www.genealogybank.com ↩
  20. Hammonds, Historical Directory, 75 ↩
  21. Congregational Meeting Minutes 1884-1936, (1 vol.), pp. 43-44, Upper Vault V MI46 P526+, Presbyterian Historical Society, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ↩
  22. Congregational Meeting Minutes 1884-1936, (1 vol.), pp. 43-44, Upper Vault V MI46 P526+, Presbyterian Historical Society, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; “Philadelphia, Pa. Richmond Presbyterian Church. Trustees’ papers & other records, 1872-1934.” MS P526tp, Presbyterian Historical Society, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Philadelphia County Deed Book JMH 1079:548, “Historical Land and Vital Records,” subscription database accessed October 2015, https://www.phila-records.com/historic-records/web; Philadelphia County Deed Book JMH 1131:445, “Historical Land and Vital Records,” subscription database accessed October 2015, https://www.phila-records.com/historic-records/web ↩
  23. Congregational Meeting Minutes 1884-1936, (1 vol.), pp. 110-11, Upper Vault V MI46 P526+, Presbyterian Historical Society, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Philadelphia County Deed Book JMH 2482:190, “Historical Land and Vital Records,” subscription database accessed October 2015, https://www.phila-records.com/historic-records/web ↩
  24. Congregational Meeting Minutes 1884-1936, (1 vol.), pp. 127-31, Upper Vault V MI46 P526+, Presbyterian Historical Society, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ↩
  25. Congregational Meeting Minutes 1884-1936, (1 vol.), pp. 139-41, Upper Vault V MI46 P526+, Presbyterian Historical Society, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Philadelphia County Deed Book JMH 3513:428, “Historical Land and Vital Records,” subscription database accessed October 2015, https://www.phila-records.com/historic-records/web; “Church Dissolved By Presbytery,” Philadelphia Inquirer, 6 A.M. edition, September 19,1939, p. 11, Old Fulton NY Post Cards, database accessed September 2015, http://www.fultonhistory.com/Fulton.html ↩
  26. Philadelphia County Deed Book CJP 1411:134, “Historical Land and Vital Records,” subscription database accessed October 2015, https://www.phila-records.com/historic-records/web ↩
  27. Philadelphia County Deed Book CJP 2224:85, “Historical Land and Vital Records,” subscription database accessed October 2015, https://www.phila-records.com/historic-records/web; Philadelphia County Deed Book CJP 2231:488, “Historical Land and Vital Records,” subscription database accessed October 2015, https://www.phila-records.com/historic-records/web; Sanborn Map Company, Insurance Maps of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Vol. 9 (New York: Sanborn Map Co., 1947), Plate 814; “Come Tonight or Tomorrow for Best Choice!,” advertisement, Philadelphia Inquirer, May 18, 1962, p. 17, Old Fulton NY Post Cards, database accessed October 2015, http://www.fultonhistory.com/Fulton.html ↩
  28. “A Son’s Threat Preceded a Will,” Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) Record, November 17, 1894, p. 8, Google News, database accessed March 2014, https://news.google.com/newspapers?hl=en; “Melarge of Events,” Philadelphia Inquirer, January 2, 1898, Sunday Magazine section, p. 34, Genealogy Bank, subscription database accessed February 2015, http://www.genealogybank.com ↩
  29. Philadelphia County Deed Book JAH 216:491, “Historical Land and Vital Records,” subscription database accessed March 2014, https://www.phila-records.com/historic-records/web; James Gopsill, comp., Gopsill’s Philadelphia City Directory for 1883, “Philadelphia City Directories,” subscription database accessed subscription database accessed October 2015, https://www.fold3.com; entry for Samuel A. McCaulley, p. 1001; James Gopsill’s Sons, comp., Gopsill’s Philadelphia City Directory for 1885, “Philadelphia City Directories,” subscription database accessed subscription database accessed October 2015, https://www.fold3.com; entries for Thomas S. Bartram, p. 153, Edward Ewing p. 512, Gottlieb H. Hartman p. 779, Charles McCoy and Alexander McCoy, p. 1115; “Philadelphia, Pa. Richmond Presbyterian Church. Trustees’ papers & other records, 1872-1934.” MS P526tp, Presbyterian Historical Society, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ↩