Processed by
Paul Brockman
15 May 2002
Updated 18 March 2004
Manuscript and Visual Collections Department
William Henry Smith Memorial Library
Indiana Historical Society
450 West Ohio Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202-3269
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3 manuscript boxes, 1 oversize box, 9 folders of photographs, 1 reel microfilm |
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COLLECTION |
1839–1902 |
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PROVENANCE: |
Jeremy Efroymson, 1505 N. Delaware Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202, 21 November 2002 |
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RESTRICTIONS: |
None |
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COPYRIGHT: |
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REPRODUCTION |
Permission to reproduce or publish material in this collection must be obtained from the Indiana Historical Society. |
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ALTERNATE |
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RELATED |
Centennial Memorial, First Presbyterian Church, Indianapolis, Indiana (BX9211.I55 F5 1925) |
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ACCESSION |
2002.0019 |
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NOTES: |
Original copies of three Indianapolis newspapers announcing death of Benjamin Harrison, 18 March 1901, and the Indianapolis News, 15 May 1902, were given to the President Benjamin Harrison Home after being microfilmed. The microfilmed newspapers are in film number F 1694, part of this collection. |
The Presbyterian Church of Indianapolis was organized on 5 July 1823 by Reverends Isaac Reed and David C. Proctor and was handled by the Presbytery of Louisville. The first structure was built on Pennsylvania Street near Market Street. In 1837 the Presbyterian Church in America experienced a rift between what was known as the more conservative Old School and the liberal New School. This division affected the church in Indianapolis a year later when a group of fifteen members led by Reverend Henry Ward Beecher formed the New School General Assembly, which soon became the Second Presbyterian Church of Indianapolis. The original church property was then divided and the original assembly became the First Presbyterian Church of Indianapolis. The Reverend Phineas D. Gurley became the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in 1840 and a new building was erected on the corner of Market and Circle streets in October 1842.
A second church structure on the southwest corner of Pennsylvania and New York streets was begun in 1864 with the west end/chapel being completed in 1866. The main building and audience hall did not open for use until 29 December 1867. The Reverend J. Howard Nixon was the church's pastor at the time. Nixon served as pastor from 1861 until poor health forced his resignation in 1869. After several changes in leadership, the Reverend M. L. Haines of Astoria, New York, was named pastor in February 1885. Dr. Haines remained pastor until poor health forced his retirement in 1901.
In 1900 the church's location was designated as the site for a new federal building. The church-appointed committee decided to move to a location on the corner of 16th and Delaware streets. The cornerstone was laid on 16 June 1902 and the church was occupied and dedicated on 4 October 1903. President Benjamin Harrison became an elder in 1861 at the age of 28 and remained one of the church's leaders until his death in 1901. In 2001 the building became the home for the Harrison Center for the Arts with Redeemer Presbyterian Church sharing adjacent space. The cornerstone was removed at this time and its contents, which also included the items from the cornerstones of the 1841 and 1866 structures, were donated to the Indiana Historical Society.
Sources:
Information in collection.
Centennial Memorial, First Presbyterian Church, Indianapolis, Indiana. Greenfield, Indiana: Mitchell Printing Company, 1925. BX9211.I55 F5 1925
Rudolph, L. C. “Presbyterians.” In The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis, edited by David J. Bodenhamer and Robert G. Barrows, 1131-34. Bloomington & Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1994. F534.I55 E4 1994
The collection contains a variety of religious and historical materials and is divided into three series based upon the contents of three time capsule/cornerstones, dating from 1841, 1866, and 1902.
Materials housed in the 1841 time capsule (Series 1) include Sabbath School lists from various Protestant Churches in Indianapolis, Presbyterian missionary journals and historical information regarding the First Presbyterian Church. Non-religious material consists of The Indiana Almanac for 1841 and 1842, The American Almanac, 1840, and A Catalogue and Circular Indianapolis Female Institute, 1839. Newspapers contained in the earliest cornerstone are the Presbyterian (published in Philadelphia, September 1841); the two prominent Indianapolis newspapers of the time, Indiana Journal and the Indiana State Sentinel (August and September 1841); and the New York Observer (September 1841).
The items from the church's 1866 time capsule (Series 2) contain the cornerstone laying exercises (1866), lists for the Sabbath School, the general membership, church officers and subscriptions. There is also a published Historical Sketch of the First Presbyterian Church (1860) and nationally circulated journals of the Presbyterian Church and its missionary work (May–July 1866). Also included are photographs of elders, a composite of pastor and elders and church buildings (1865). Secular material includes information on Crown Hill Cemetery, lists of state and city officials, an Indianapolis City Directory for 1865, Redfield’s Indiana Business Register, 1865, and local and national newspapers for July 1866.
Among the materials placed in the 1902 time capsule (Series 3) are copies of the cornerstone laying exercises, 29 June 1902, a list of subscribers to the building fund, a list of contents for the previous cornerstones, and a proposal for a new church (n.d.). There also are items related to the First Presbyterian Church's operation including quarterly reports, 1899–1902, annual reports, 1893–99, church calendars, 1894–95, 1898, church manuals, 1870–98 and prayer meeting topics, 1902. Printed and historical publications include History, Indianapolis Presbytery, 1887; a published sermon from 9 December 1877 entitled The Unspeakable Gift; and several missionary and religious journals pertaining to the Presbyterian Church, 1875–1902. Other items include Soldiers and Sailors Monument Souvenir, 1902; Hyman's Hand Book of Indianapolis, 1897; and several Indianapolis newspapers containing stories regarding the church's construction and dedication, December 1901, the death of Benjamin Harrison, 18 March 1901, and the dedication of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, 15 May 1902. The capsule also contained portraits and photographs of the church's leaders, 1900–02.
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CONTENTS |
CONTAINER |
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Original Lists of Articles from 1841 and 1866 Capsules |
Box 1, Folder 1 |
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Writing Book—"Historical Notice of the First Presbyterian Church of Indianapolis," n.d. |
Box 1, Folder 2 |
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Church and Sabbath School Lists (1 of 2) |
Box 1, Folder 3 |
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Church and Sabbath School Lists (2 of 2) |
Box 1, Folder 4 |
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Historical Information |
Box 1, Folder 5 |
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Foreign Missionary Chronicle, January 1841 |
Box 1, Folder 6 |
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Missionary Herald, October 1841 |
Box 1, Folder 7 |
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Catalogue and Circular, Indianapolis Female Institute, 1839 |
Box 1, Folder 8 |
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Indiana Almanac, 1841, 1842 |
Box 1, Folder 9 |
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American Almanac, 1840 |
Box 1, Folder 10 |
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Newspapers, August–September 1841 |
OMB 0088, Folder 2 |
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CONTENTS |
CONTAINER |
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Corner Stone Laying Exercise, 1866 |
Box 1, Folder 11 |
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Sabbath School List |
Box 1, Folder 12 |
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Catalogue of Church Officers and Members |
Box 1, Folder 13 |
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Membership List and Subscriptions |
Box 1, Folder 14 |
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Historical Sketch of the First Presbyterian Church, 1860 |
Box 1, Folder 15 |
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List of State and City Officers |
Box 1, Folder 16 |
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American Freedman, June 1866 |
Box 1, Folder 17 |
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Crown Hill Cemetery, n.d. |
Box 1, Folder 18 |
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50th Anniversary, American Bible Society |
Box 1, Folder 19 |
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Christian World Magazine, May 1866 |
Box 1, Folder 20 |
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Home and Foreign Record of the Presbyterian Church, July 1866 |
Box 1, Folder 21 |
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Missionary Herald, July 1866 |
Box 1, Folder 22 |
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The Foreign Missionary, July 1866 |
Box 1, Folder 23 |
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Indianapolis City Directory, 1865 |
Box 2, Folder 1 |
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Redfield's Indiana Business Register, 1865 |
OMB 0088, Folder 1 |
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Newspapers, July 1866 (1 of 3) |
OMB 0088, Folder 3 |
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Newspapers, July 1866 (2 of 3) |
OMB 0088, Folder 4 |
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Newspapers, July 1866 (3 of 3) |
OMB 0088, Folder 5 |
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1866 Time Capsule Photographs |
Visual Collections: Photographs, folder 1 |
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Pastor and Elders, 1865 |
Visual Collections: OVA Photographs, folder 1 |
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CONTENTS |
CONTAINER |
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List of Contents from Previous Cornerstones, 10 December 1901 |
Box 2, Folder 2 |
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Cornerstone Laying Exercise, 29 June 1902 (5 copies) |
Box 2, Folder 3 |
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Building Fund Subscriptions, n.d. |
Box 2, Folder 4 |
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First Presbyterian Church Quarterly Reports, 1899–1900 |
Box 2, Folder 5 |
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First Presbyterian Church Quarterly Reports, 1901–02 |
Box 2, Folder 6 |
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Proposal for New Church, n.d. (2 copies) |
Box 2, Folder 7 |
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First Presbyterian Church, Annual Reports, 1893–99 |
Box 2, Folder 8 |
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Woman's Home and Missionary Society Yearbook, 1902–03 |
Box 2, Folder 9 |
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Prayer Meeting Topics, 1902 |
Box 2, Folder 10 |
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"Continuation of Historical Sketch" (from 1860) |
Box 2, Folder 11 |
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The Unspeakable Gift, 9 December 1877 (published sermon) |
Box 2, Folder 12 |
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First Presbyterian Church Calendars, 1894–95, 1898 |
Box 2, Folder 13 |
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First Presbyterian Church Manual, 1870, 1893 |
Box 2, Folder 14 |
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First Presbyterian Church Manual, 1878 |
Box 2, Folder 15 |
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First Presbyterian Church Manual, 1882 |
Box 2, Folder 16 |
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First Presbyterian Church Manual, 1896, 1898 |
Box 2, Folder 17 |
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Special Church Services, 1873–1902 |
Box 2, Folder 18 |
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History, Indianapolis Presbytery, 1887 |
Box 2, Folder 19 |
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Sunday School, 1 May 1902 |
Box 3, Folder 1 |
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Reports and Directory, 1878–1902 |
Box 3, Folder 2 |
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Statement of Reasons, Doctrine and Discourses of Emanuel Swedenborg, 1875 |
Box 3, Folder 3 |
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Church Information, 1895, 1902 |
Box 3, Folder 4 |
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The Assembly Herald, June 1902 |
Box 3, Folder 5 |
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Soldiers and Sailors Monument Souvenir, 1902 |
Box 3, Folder 6 |
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The Interior, May 1902 |
Box 3, Folder 7 |
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Hyman’s Handbook of Indianapolis, 1897 |
Box 3, Folder 8 |
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Indianapolis Sentinel, 18 March 1901 |
F 1694 |
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Indianapolis Journal, 18 March 1901 |
F 1694 |
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Indianapolis Press, 18 March 1901 |
F 1694 |
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Indianapolis Journal, 11 December 1901 |
OMB 0088, Folder 6 |
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Indianapolis News, 11 December 1901 |
OMB 0088, Folder 7 |
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Indianapolis News, 11 December 1901 |
OMB 0088, Folder 8 |
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Indianapolis News, 28 December 1901 |
OMB 0088, Folder 9 |
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Indianapolis News, 15 May 1902 |
F 1694 |
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Photographs/Portraits |
Visual Collections: Photographs, folder 2 |
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Photographs/Portraits |
Visual Collections: Photographs, folder 3 |
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Photographs/Portraits |
Visual Collections: Photographs, folder 4 |
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Dr. Isaac Coe Portrait |
Visual Collections: OVA Photographs, folder 2 |
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Church Views, 1901 |
Visual Collections: OVA Photographs, folder 3 |
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William A. Holliday Graphic |
Visual Collections: OVA Graphics, folder 1 |
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Thomas MacIntire Graphic |
Visual Collections: OVA Graphics, folder 2 |
For additional information on this collection, including a list of subject headings that may lead you to related materials:
1. Go to the Indiana Historical Society's online catalog: http://157.91.92.2/
2. Click on the "Basic Search" icon.
3. Select "Call Number" from the "Search In:" box.
4. Search for the collection by its basic call number (in this case, M 0771).
5. When you find the collection, go to the "Full Record" screen for a list of headings that can be searched for related materials.