Lower Brandywine Presbyterian Church

From: Scharf, John Thomas. History of Delaware.:889-890 See also: NY Times article of 1896

The Lower Brandywine Presbyterian Church has a history as an organized body which is antedated only by that of the Friend's Centre Meeting. Its origin can be distinctly traced back to 1720, when the Presbyterian Synod, assembled in Philadelphia, wasasked to supply preaching for " some people in and about Birmingham, upon the Brandywine," and when the Rev. Daniel McGill was instructed to preach to this people as he in " Christian prudence " should find occasion.

...Birmingham is the southwest township of Delaware County, Penna., where the first meeting-house was built. For this purpose a tract of land was purchased, October 15, 1720, and a deed therefor executed to John Kirkpatrick ^[1], Person:James Houston (14), James Mole, William Smith, Magnus Simonson, Ananias Higgins, John Heath, members of the Presbyterian Meeting in Birmingham." The house stood near the foot of what was formerly called " Bald Hill," and was of hewed logs. Near by was a good spring, which may have had something to do in the selection of this spot, being a matter of great convenience for the congregation during the noon hour. The house stood until 1773, and possibly later, the exact time of its removal being unknown. A part of the half acre lot was used for burial purposes, and an interment was made there as late as 1820. It has since become neglected. In the course of fifty years the church had become dilapidated and too small to accommodate the congregation, many of the members of which lived on the west side of the Brandywine, while the meetinghouse, as has been stated, was on the east side of the stream. The question of building a new house being agitated, very naturally the people on the west side of the Brandywine, being in the majority, desired to have the house erected in their midst or at least to share honors with the old site and to have new houses built in each locality. Neither proposition was accepted by the minority and the question of building was a matter of controversy more than three years. In this period many of the members connected themselves with the churches at Wilmington. In the mean time the pastor left and the church was without a regular service several years, which had the eflect of still more dispersing the members, and it became apparent that if the organization was to be preserved a new house of worship must be provided. Accordingly it was determined to build on the west side of the Brandywine, and within the bounds of the State of Delaware. This purpose not being approved by the adherents to the old site, that interest soon declined and the old church passed out of existence as a place of worship about 1773.

In August, 1774, the distinctive history of the present Lower Brandywine Church had its beginning. On the 22d of August of that year Jeremiah Smith deeded not quite two acres of land to John Bratten, George Craghead and John Armstrong, as trustees for the congregation, and the work of building a new house of worship was begun. It was a small log building, but for many years accommodated the congregation which could not have had more than forty members when it was completed. There was no means of heating the house, and those attending had nothing but the fervor of the minister's discourse to keep them warm. After 1835 the chucrh was weath- erboarded and plastered, thus being made more comfortable and inviting. It continued in use until the fall of 1861, when the new edifice having been erected it was taken down and used in building horse sheds, but the ruins of its foundation may still be seen. The movement to build a new church was begun April 15, 1859, when a meeting to determine this purpose was held. The project was received with so much favor that it was " Resolved that the trustees be authorized to proceed immediately to have a new church erected, and that the following persons be appointed a building committee: John Brannen, David Martin, Peter W. Gregg, Samuel Armstrong, Reece Pyle, William Armstrong, J. Paulson Chandler, James L. Deleplain."

Work progressed so rapidly that the corner-stone was laid September 1, 1859, and the dedication followed November 8, 1860. It is a plain but substantial brick building, seating four hundred people, and has basement accommodations for Sunday-school and lecture purposes. The cost of the structure was five thousand dollars exclusive of the labor performed by the congregation, which at the time did not number more than twenty persons. The liberal donation of a Mrs. Gamble aided much to complete the Sabbath-school rooms of the church, a means which has greatly promoted the welfare of the congregation, which was one hundred and fifty- nine members strong, in 1887. The Sunday-school had a membership of two hundred and ninety-eight at the same time.

The Rev. Robert Cathcart appears to have been the first pastor of the church, beginning his ministry in November, 1730, serving also the congregation at Middletown, and continued about eleven years. A vacancy in the pulpit followed, the only preaching being by supplies until April 18, 1769, when the Rev. Joseph Smith was ordained pastor. But owing to the divison of the congregation on account of the dissensions arising from the inability to agree upon a church site, this pastorate was continued only a little more than three years. After preaching was established in the new church, in Christiana Hundred, Mr. Smith again became the pastor and continued until April, 1778. A short vacancy ensued when the Rev. Wm. R. Smith became the pastor of the Lower Brandywine and Wilmington churches, ministering to the latter only after October, 1785. For a number of years there was no pastor, and the congregation had become so weak that its existence was with difficulty sustained ; and the preaching was by supplies, the Rev. Alexander Mitchell, filling the pulpit most frequently. In September, 1801. the Rev. Thomas Grier, entered upon a pastorate of the Lower Brandywine and Middletown Churches, and was pastor and supply a little more than seven years. In the fall of 1809, the Rev. Nathaniel R. Suowden, became the stated supply, and so ministered several years. He was succeeded by a regular pastor, the Rev. Samuel Henderson, who was installed in November, 1813. This pastorate was terminated in less than a year.

A period of ten years now ensued in which there was no regular minister and, consequently, a dearth of spiritual matters. The Rev. James Taylor, next preached, serving in an independent connection. But in December, 1825, the Rev. Thomas Love became the pastor of the church, in connection with the congregation in Red Clay, and entered upon a ministry which was productive of much good. In 1828, the Presbytery of New Castle met with the church, and was entertained the first time in its history without ardent spirits. This was a bold departure from a long honored old custom, but the ladies of the church furnished an acceptable substitute in the tea which they provided, some of the presbyters testifying that " they never left a meeting with better feelings." From this time on temperance sentiment had an assured and steady growth. Closely connected with this feeling was the revival of 1831, which augmented the membership of the church to more than double its former proportions. In 1832, twenty-six more persons were added to the church. Mr. Love's pastorate continued until October, 1856, and was one of the longest and most eventful in the history of the church. For a period of four years the pulpit was supplied, but in March, 1861, the Rev. David W. Moore became the pastor, beginning a ministry which added many members to the church, and more firmly established its temporal affairs. His pastoral relation was dissolved October 15, 1872, and for several months the pulpit was again supplied. In May, 1873, the Rev. George £. Jones was installed pastor, and acceptably filled that position until July, 1877. After an interval of a few months the Rev. Robert Graham, became the settled minister, and served from the fall of 1877, until October, 1883. Again the pulpit was supplied a short period, but since May, 1884, the pastor has been the Rev. T. R. McDowell under whose ministry the church continues to prosper.

The Ruling Elders of the church have been the following: James Houston, James McCorkle, George Creaghead, John Augustus, John Armstrong, John Boughman, William Houston, John McMinn, Peter Hendrickson, Alexander McMullin, William Armstrong, Benjamin Chandler, Thomas Sterling, John Nixon, James Delaplain, J. Poulson Chandler, Peter W. Gregg, James M. Brackin, William Bratten, James Leach, John B. Barney, John Armstrong, George I. Fenn, Jacob Chandler, Geo. K. Woodward, Wm. Wilson. Lower Brandywine has had many seasons of growth, followed by corresponding ones of decline, but has outlived its vicissitudes, and although other churches of like faith have been established within the bounds of its original territory, it is to-day a strong, vigorous body, whose promise for usefulness in the future cannot be fairly estimated, but whose outlook is beneficent in the highest degree.

Footnotes

1. ↑ Surviving church records for the Nottingham Presbyterian Meeting House near modern Rising Sun, identify a "John Kirkpatrick" as one of the church elders c1735. It is possible this is the same person. (Need to check to be sure he was "John", and need a specific source for this.)