Our History
Contents
1818: Our Foundation and the Church Building
Our congregation first met on September 8, 1818, when a group of five men and eleven women gathered in a barn on the farm of Captain John Diven, a veteran of the Revolutionary War. As the largest building in the area, it was the perfect place to organize a new church society. Known as the First Presbyterian Church of Reading, the first church services saw thirteen of the charter members' children baptized.
The area was sparsely populated, and over the next 15 years services were held irregularly in the homes of its members, the school house, and the barn where it was organized. The pioneer church had ten different ministers over this short time.
The first church building was constructed in 1833 in Savoy, now North Monroe Street between Cross and Partition. The building was sold to the Catholic Society in 1847, when a larger structure was completed at the corner of Fifth and Decatur. The tower in this new building contained the first bell ever to have rung in the Village of Jefferson (as Watkins Glen was then named). On September 28, 1847, the first regular pastor of the church was installed at this location.
Two additional pastors took over the ministry there before construction began on the current structure. Surprisingly, the building exists today due to the beneficence of a single person. In 1867, the Honorable John Magee purchased the property upon which the church now stands, and also provided sufficient funds to build the entire structure.
The cornerstone was laid on April 11, 1867, and construction was completed in time for dedication services on May 14, 1868. Sadly, the first regular service to be held in the new building was the funeral of our benefactor, Mr. Magee, who passed away the previous month.
That same year the former church building was moved across the village and used as the public school house until it burned in 1898.
The Manse was built in its place in 1874.
1965: Stained Glass Windows
In 1965, new windows were installed in the sanctuary, as well as the rest of the church. Read More...
1918: Our Centennial Celebration
The most significant change to our church building in the years leading up to our Centennial Celebration was the installation of a new pipe organ in 1917. Read More...
1968: Remodeling for Our Sesquicentennial
During the 29-year pastorate of Rev. William J. Cartmell, our building expanded to better serve our community. Read More...
1990s: The Broadcast Era
Starting in the mid-1990s and continuing for about a decade, our Sunday worship services were broadcast on network television. Read More...
2004: Millennial Modernization
The new millennium brought many changes to the church building under our new pastor, Rev. Bev's guidance. Read More...
2018: Our Bicentennial Celebration
In 2018, our newly installed pastor, the Reverend Cara S. Milne, created a small group of dedicated workers to organize a gathering... Read More...
2020: COVID Shutdown
With only two years in Watkins Glen, Pastor Cara found herself at the helm of another turning point in our congregation's history; or rather, in all of history! A new strain of coronavirus ravaged the world's population as nothing had in the previous century. Read More...
Ongoing: Charitable Programs
As we continue to maintain, repair and refurbish our beautiful Romanesque building, of course, we are ever mindful of the fact that the true Church is the body of believers, and not just a piece of architecture. Read More...
Additional Resources
Much of this information was taken from "A Brief History: United Presbyterian Church of Watkins Glen, N.Y." by Abigail O'Daniels, dtd. October 20, 1968. (Get PDF Reader)
For additional information about the history of the Presbyterian Church in the United States, please refer to extensive resources available at "Presbyterian Historical Society: The National Archives of the PC(USA)."
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Pastors Through the Years
Sixth & Decatur (1868-Present)
2017 Rev. Cara S. Milne
2016 Rev. Cynthia A. Weaver *
2015 Rev. Nancy Meehan Yao *
1997 Rev. Beverly Karr-Lyon †
1996 Rev. Thomas C. Montgomery *
1987 Rev. W. David Ashby
1985 Rev. William R. Knox *
1969 Rev. Clark N. McKinney
1939 Rev. William J. Cartmell
1934 Rev. Clayton T. Griswold
1916 Rev. Arthur B. Herr, D.D.
1910 Rev. James Elmer Russell
1905 Rev. Selden L. Haynes
1893 Rev. Louis F. Ruf
1888 Rev. Bryce K. Douglas
1882 Rev. George D. Meigs
1877 Rev. Milton Waldo D.D.
1876 Rev. William Lowrie
1870 Rev. J.S. McNair
* interim pastor
† pastor emeritus
Fifth & Decatur (1847-1868)
1860 Rev. Franklin S. Howe
1855 Rev. Benjamin Russell
1847 Rev. S.B. Shearer
The Savoy Site (1833-1847)
1843 Rev. Samuel Stryker
1838 Rev. Samuel Scott
1836 Rev. Royal West
1835 Rev. Egbert Roosa
The Diven Barn (1818-1833)
1832 Rev. Charles Goodrich
1831 Rev. David Harrower
1829 Rev. Richard Williams
1826 Rev. Jabez Chadwick
1826 Rev. Samuel White
1825 Rev. Henry Ford
1822 Rev. Joseph Crawford
1821 Rev. Lyman Barrett
1818 Rev. Samuel Parker
1818 Rev. David Higgins