History

145 S. Juliana St

P.O. Box 7

Bedford, PA 15522

(814) 623-6891

Presby1786@embarqmail.com

Our History

The Bedford Presbyterian Church was deeded Lot 11 from Thomas and Richard Penn on February 7, 1774. A reproduction of the deed can be found in the glass-encased narthex. The church began its official worship in 1786. The narthex also contains a bronze plaque recognizing the organists that played to the glory of God in this century and a bronze plaque with the names of the 29 Ministers of the Word and Sacrament and their years of service.

The first religious services held in this pioneer settlement are said to have been conducted in 1763 by Charles Beatty and John Steel, chaplains in the Pennsylvania Provincials, the force which garrisoned Fort Bedford. The Rev. Beatty is supposed to have been an Anglican; the Rev. Steel was a Presbyterian minister.

Between 1763 and 1786, the Presbytery of Carlisle sent ministers to this mission outpost. Chosen in 1786, The Rev. David Bard served till 1789 as this church's first pastor. Thereafter, between sessions of Congress to which he had been elected, he returned occasionally to hold services. In the first years of his pastorate he was paid in British pounds, American currency not yet having been established.

For many years worship services were held in the old court house which stood in the square opposite Bedford's Trinity Lutheran Church. In or about 1810, a small brick building was erected on Lot No. 8, the site of the present Presbyterian Church which was built in 1829-30.

Through many discouragements and sorrows, but with much that was pleasant and precious, the church has lived and grown and today stands as the oldest [and only] Presbyterian house of worship in Bedford County.

- Complied by Winona Garbrick , 1986

More recent changes to the building include air-conditioning, Italian tile floor to the Penn Street entrance and the addition of a handicap ramp to the front entrance of the sanctuary. The church restored the stained glass windows which are in the original frames dating back to the late 1800's. Most recently the church renovated the social room in the church basement.

Bedford Presbyterian Church Pastors and Stated Supplies

The Rev. Mr. David Bard	1786 - 1789
The Rev. Mr. Alexander Boyd	1808 - 1817
The Rev. Mr. Jeremiah Chamberlain	1819 - 1822
The Rev. Mr. David McKinley	1827 - 1831
The Rev. Mr. James G. Breckenridge	1831 - 1833
The Rev. Mr. Baynard R. Hall	1833 - 1838
The Rev. Mr. Elbridge Bradburry	1839 - 1841
The Rev. Mr. Alexander Heberton	1842 - 1844
The Rev. Mr. William McClay Hall	1845 - 1847
The Rev. Mr. M. M. McCalla	1848 - 1850
The Rev. Mr. Thomas K. Davis	1850 - 1855
The Rev. Mr. Robert F. Sample	1856 - 1866
The Rev. Mr. A.V.C. Schenk	1866 - 1868
The Rev. Mr. Robert F. Wilson	1868 - 1878
The Rev. Mr. John R. Henderson	1878 - 1880
The Rev. Mr. Herbert C. Cone	1881 - 1883
The Rev. Mr. John K. Andrews	1884 - 1891
The Rev. Mr. John M. Barnett	1891 - 1892
The Rev. Mr. H. Woolverton	1892 - 1894
The Rev. Mr. George S. Bell	1894 - 1896
The Rev. Mr. Crofton C. Adams	1897 - 1901
The Rev. Mr. Henry B. Townsend	1901 - 1909
The Rev. Mr. E. F. Reiner	1910 - 1912
The Rev. Mr. Ralph W. Illingworth	1912 - 1913
The Rev. Mr. Kalil A. Bishara, Ph.D	1914 - 1918
The Rev. Mr. Rankin S. Caldwell, D.D.	1920 - 1953
The Rev. Mr. Ira O. Reed, D.Min.	1954 - 1959
The Rev. Mr. M. Edgar Datesman, D.Min.	1959 - 1992
The Rev. Mr. Stephen R. Melton, DMin.	1993 - 2000
The Rev. Douglas J. Friant	2001-

Historical Summary

1758 Worship Services held in Bedford by two Presbyterian Chaplains

1774 Church Deeded land in Bedford from Thomas and Richard Penn

1786 Church Worship Began

1789 First Pastor Resigns to serve in the US Congress

1810 First Church Building at the current location

1829 Current Presbyterian Church completed- oldest church building in Bedford County still in use. Cost $1515.50

193? Office and Sunday School area added to church building

195? Neighboring House purchased for Classroom space

Bedford Presbyterian Church is the first and last of 11 Presbyterian Churches that once spotted Bedford county.

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