The History of the First Presbyterian Church Charlottesville, Virginia “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:27 Robert E. Simpson Introduction Like many organizations with a time-honored history, the church documents its past in the tangibility of faces, official papers, portraits, material objects, and buildings. Expressed algebraically, history is the evidence of people added to places divided by time, a formula consciously present here. History, says the philosopher, counts Time not by the Hours but by the Ages. Time therefore is a vehicle by which each of us has traveled, history is knowing where that vehicle has been. The story of the First Presbyterian Church finds its beginnings back into the 18th century. This history will introduce you to many past and present citizens of Charlottesville and Albemarle County, and is but a speck in the story of the Church. To many we have not known, yet we have a sense of companionship. And, then there are those who we have known, and loved, and shared in Christian fellowship. For this history, I have relied heavily on primary sources: minutes of the various church courts; minutes of organizations of the church; letters; personal and written interview. In selecting items to be included, I have tried to make them representative of the life of the whole church. I realize that voices from the grave are mute, however, and items from the past which should have been included are known only to that great “cloud of witnesses” and to the Sovereign God. The history of the First Presbyterian Church would be impossible to tell without the help of a great many people. I am deeply grateful to the Presbyterian Historical Foundation at Montreat, North Carolina, for the use of their extensive library; the Albemarle County Historiccal Society for the loan of pictures of former pastors; to Mr. Robert Blaeser, former Director of Christian Education, for his contributions on the Church School; Dr. Arthur F. Stocker for his encouragement and editorial assistance; and Mr. & Mrs. Kal W. Howard for their research assistance. The encouragement and coorperation of Dr. Thomas D. Kennedy and The Rev. Gavin D. Meek were invaluable to this effort. I am most appreciative for the opportunity that has been mine in preparing this history. Many times I have found myself living in another eara as I tried to visualize what it must have been like to live in another time. I will forever be indebted to the officers and members of the First Presbyterian Church for the love and support that I have received over these many, many years. Robert E. Simpson November 1, 2011 2 The Contents Introduction, Page 2 Contents, Page 3 List of Illustrations, Page 4 Chapter 1, In the Beginning, Page 7 Chapter 2, The Bowman Years, 1827 – 1859, Page 15 Chapter 3, The White Years, 1836 – 1848, Page 18 Chapter 4, The Wailes Years, 1849 – 1853, Page 21 Chapter 5, The Smith Years, 1854 – 1859, Page 23 Chapter 6, The Civil War Years, 1859 – 1865, Page 27 Chapter 7, The Woods Years, 1866 – 1877, Page 31 Chapter 8, The Petrie Years, 1878 – 1928, Page 36 Chapter 9, The Chalmers Years, 1929 – 1949, Page 48 Chapter 10, The Grey Years, 1944 – 1949, Page 52 Chapter 11, The Burr Years, 1951 – 1958, Page 55 Chapter 12, The Taylor Years, 1959 – 1965, Page 63 Chapter 13, The Bestebreurtje Years, 1965 – 1981, Page 71 Chapter 14, The Kennedy Years, 1981 – 2000, Page 75 Chapter 15, The Interim Period, 2000 – 2002, Page 95 Chapter 16, The Massey Years, 2002 - 2008, Page 104 Chapter 17, The Interim Period, 2008 – 2011, Page 116 Chapter 18, The Forney Years, 2011 - , Page 130 Chapter 19, Membership Statistics, 1839 – 2011, Page 136 Chapter 20, I Choose, Page 138 Chapter 21, Elders and Deacons, Page 141 3 List of Illustrations Annan, John E., Page 27 Augusta Stone PC, Page 7 Authers, Roger, Page 125 Bailes, Jeff Page 112 Bestebreurtje, Arie D., Page 71 Bestebreurtje, Arie and Mrs., Page 74 Blaeser, Robert L., DCE, Page 67 Blair, Judy Page 111 Blue Ridge PC, Page 93, 94 Bowman, Francis, Page 16 Brown, Clarice, Page 81 Brown, Stephen H. and Mrs. Carolyn C., Page 80 Brunton, Laurence greeting Bill Isaacs, Page 80 Burr, David H., Page 55 Chalmers, Dwight M., Page 48 Charlottesville PC, 1856-1897, Page 24 Charlottesville PC Sanctuary 1856-1897, Page 25 Charlottesville PC the Manse, Page 38 Charlottesville PC, 1898-1956, Page 40 Charlottesville PC Rendering 1898, Page 41 Charlottesville PC 1950’s, Page 41 Charlottesville PC Interior, 1898, Page 42 Charlottesville PC spring and winter 1950’s, Page 42 Charlottesville PC Chancel, 1898-1956, Page 43 Charlottesville PC Elders and Deacons, March 4, 1928, Page 46 Charlottesville PC Beginners and Primary 1950’s, Page 49 Charlottesville PC Juniors 1950’s, 50 Charlottesville PC Men’s Bible Class, ca 1954, Page 56 Cherry, Ann, Page 98 Chipman, Karen, Page 69 Cooke, Will Page 112 Cove PC, Page 11 Cox, Tina, Page 88 Dinwiddie, Mary, Page 58 Ewing, Rebecca, Page 127 First PC, after Church, Page 80 First PC, Appreciative Inquiry, Page 119, 120 First PC, Carriage House, Page 67 First PC, Consecration of Memorial Garden, December 19, 1999, Page 90 First PC, Construction 1956, Page 62 First PC, Cornerstone laying May 23, 1955, Page 58, 59, 60 First PC, Cover First PC, Deacons, ca 1956, Page 61 First PC, Educational Wing Ground Breaking, August 25, 1986, Page 78 4 List of Illustrations First PC, Educational Wing Construction 1987, Page 78 First PC, Educational Wing Dedication, October 11, 1987, Page 79 First PC, Ground breaking for Park Street Church, 1955, Page 57 First PC, Hand Bell Ringers, ca 1990, Page 70 First PC, Installation of organ, January 1995, Page 86 First PC, Join Our Flock, Page 125 First PC, Memorial Garden and Chapel 140 First PC, Millennium Bells installation and dedication, Pages 99, 100, 101 First PC, North Entrance, Page 103 First PC, Organ Committee, Page 86 First PC, Park Street Rendering, Page 62 First PC, Pastor Nominating Committee 2000, Page 105 First PC, Pastor Nominating Committee 2010, Page 118, 131 First PC, Rank of Pipes, Page 87 First PC, Sanctuary Choir ca 1982, Page 76 First PC, Session, ca 1956, Page 60 Forney, David G., Page 130 Freer, Kathy RN, Page 102 Friesema, Doug, Page 126 Gray, John H. II, Page 52 Haden Property, Park Street, Page 66 Howard (Kelly) Property, corner of Park and Maple Streets, Page 54 Joyce, Michael, Page 127 Kelly House, Page 12 Kennedy, Thomas D., Page 75 Kennedy, Thomas D. visiting Bernard Bailey, Page 79 Kennedy, Thomas D. and Church Mice, Page 82 Lauffenburger, Kaye, Page 30 Lawson, Susan, Page 127 Lebanon PC, Page 11 LeDuc, Jeff, Page 89 Massey, Samuel R. D., Page 104 McGuffey, William H., Page 29 Meadows PC, Page 65 Meek, Gavin D., Page 117 Mountain Plains PC, Page 9 Najera, Edmund, Page 30 Norfrey, David, Page 125 Norfrey, Elizabeth, Page 125 PCUSA Confessional Banners, Page 140 Petrie, George L., Page 36 Petrie, George L., in front of manse, Page 37 Pettit, David, Page 114 Pickell, Charles and Sally, Page 97 5 List of Illustrations Plitt, Colleen Page 112 Presbyterian Women Logo, Page 35 Read, Timothy T., Page 107 Reynolds, Bonnie, Page 69 Sanderford, John L., Jr., Page 80 Schneider, Carol A., Page 88 Sivley, James, Page 30 Smith, J. Henry, Page 23 South Plains PC, Page 12 South Plains PC First Sunday school, ca 1828, Page 13 Stocker, Arthur F., 150th Anniversary Celebration, Page 81 Stoner, Liz, R.N., Parish Nurse, Page 102 Tabor PC, Page 11 Taylor, Alfred G., Page 63 Tinkling Springs PC, Page 8 Wailes, Benjamin M., Page 21 Wells, Kimberleigh, Page 108 Westminster Presbyterian Church, Page 47 White, William Spotswood, Page 18 Wilkerson, John and Tyler Packard, Page 96 Wood Property, Park Street, Page 54 Woods, Edgar, Page 31 Yates, P. D., Page 127 6 Chapter 1 In The Beginning “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” The Gospel According to John 1:1-5 ===================================================================== In 1738, the Synod of Philadelphia, the highest Presbyterian Court in America, made an appeal to the Virginia Colonial government, by the Rev. James Anderson of Donegal, Pennsylvania, who was commissioned for that purpose. He spent several weeks in Williamsburg before the Council and the House of Burgesses seeking for the Presbyterians of Virginia the right to have their own pastors instead of complying with the Established Church. When permission was granted he spent another three weeks touring the Presbyterian settlements in the Colony. It seems certain that he visited the settlements of Ivy Creek and Mountain Plains in the Albemarle County just west of Charlottesville, and perhaps preached a sermon there. The Rev. John Craig established the Augusta Stone Presbyterian Church and Tinkling Springs Presbyterian in Augusta County in 1740. The Augusta Stone Church is the oldest Presbyterian Church in continuous use in Virginia and is located at Fort Defiance, about five miles north of Staunton on Route 11. Tinkling Springs Church is located at Fishersville, Virginia. Augusta Stone Presbyterian Church, Fort Defiance, Virginia 7 Tinkling Springs Presbyterian Church, Fishersville, Virginia At the beginning of the following year, 1739, the Rev.