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The surviving records of the Church tell little about the first building that the Frederick Presbyterians erected at the southwest corner of Bentz Street and the "Almshouse Road" (Fourth Street), outside of the historic "Fredericktowne". In his historical sketch of 1905, Dr. Dixon, a church pastor, described it as a modest brick structure, inside which were "high backed pews, a lofty pulpit, and a brick floor." That building, supplanted in 1825 by the present one on Second Street, was the scene of the reception to Lafayette during his visit of 1824-1825. After the congregation vacated the site, it was for a time used as a factory.
On the original grounds the Presbyterians also maintained their graveyard, which they continued to use even after the new church building had been erected. In 1885, the Trustees considered plans for giving up the old cemetery, but it was not until 1887 that arrangements were finally completed for the removal of bodies and markers to the newer Mt. Olivet Cemetery, and a sale of a large part of the old property along Bentz Street to the Salvation Army for $400. Other portions of the property, lying along Fourth Street, were sold off as building lots before the close of 1893. (Trustees' Records 1, and Treasurer's Ledger, 1883-1885).
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Any description of the new church is based on photographs taken at later times and from the records of alterations that were made in intervals. As completed in 1825 and dedicated in 1827, the entrance to the church was farther back from the street than it is today, since the vestibule, or narthex, was not added until 1858; the wall of the present sanctuary farthest from the street was the back wall of the church building itself. This is the wall which, when viewed from the interior, was the pulpit area, as it is now, but the present choir loft was not there. ,The windows of the church appear to, have been of clear, possibly frosted, glass, The organ, with its pipes, probably was located originally in the balcony, but moved at a later time to the front of the auditorium, where it occupied the northwest comer. It was, of course, manually operated and required a boy or man to serve as organ blower to make it function. |
| Church and Manse about 1870 |
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Also, located on the balcony and centered so that the minister's eye could not fail to see it, was a clock. As late as 1887, the treasurer recorded the cost of having the clock repaired. Oil lamps were used for lighting at one period, and later gas fixtures were installed. Outside, at the front of the church, was a brick pavement, characteristic of Frederick streets of the time. When the front of the church was altered just before the Civil War, a handsome iron fence was placed just inside the pavement and extending across the property.
In 1845, the congregation purchased the lot adjacent to the Church where they built the manse, or home, for the pastor and his family. In 1847, a house and lot on the east side of the church were purchased, and the house was referred to as the “sexton's house.” It was later remodeled between 1881 and 1884, becoming the site of the Sunday School, as well as the lecture room, later to be called the chapel. By 1896, with repairs needed for both gas fixtures and the organ, the Trustees installed the first electric lights. They also decided to purchase a new organ, as well as arranging for a new organ loft and choir pews to be constructed at the rear of the pulpit. The Trustees employed the Moller Company of Hagerstown to do the work of building a "new" organ and moving the pipes and console from their former location in the northwest comer of the sanctuary.
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