A Timeline of Presbyterian History in Auburn, NY
1811, First Presbyterian Church is founded. Its first pastor, the Rev. David Higgins, preached at the funeral of Colonel Hardenbergh, Auburn's founder in 1806.
1817, First Presbyterian Church builds its first building, a white clapboard church on the corner of Franklin and North Streets. The pastor was the Rev. Dirck Lansing, who also established the Auburn Theological Seminary.
1818, Auburn Theological Seminary is built on land from the estate of Colonel Hardenbergh, and opens with eleven students.
1828, Second Presbyterian Church is founded on South St, near the Auburn City Hall.
1861, Central Presbyterian Church is founded with 66 anti-slavery members who break away from Second Presbyterian. They worship temporarily in a "basement chapel" at the corner of Genesee and William Sts.
1869, Central Presbyterian builds its church (still standing) on William St on land behind the home of William H. Seward, President's Lincoln's Secretary of State.
1869, The Trustees of First Presbyterian give the original First Presbyterian building to the Lansing Presbyterian Mission School. The building is dismantled and moved to the corner of Franklin and Capitol Streets, where it was first called the Seymour Chapel, and then Calvary Presbyterian Church, the oldest church edifice in Auburn. Calvary Church dissolved as a congregation in 2007.
1870, First Presbyterian builds a new stone church on the original site at Franklin and North.
1885, "Old" Westminster Presbyterian Church is formed in Auburn's west end, at the corner of West Genesee and Delevan Sts.
1899, Auburn Theological Seminary is at its peak with eleven faculty and 105 students. It continues to thrive into the 1920's, and by 1929, has sent 186 foreign missionaries all over the world. The campus abounds with unusual trees and plants brought back by missionaries.
1910, Central Presbyterian installs a Tiffany Rainbow Window, created by Louis Comfort Tiffany Studios, in memory of one of the church's early members Margaret Standart Watson, given by her daughter Janet Seward, the daughter-in-law of William H. Seward.
1921, Second Presbyterian Church closes, and merges with Central Presbyterian, with the newly merged churches taking the name of Second at Central's site.
1924, the Auburn Affirmation was written by Auburn Seminary staff, and signed by 1293 supporters. It tackled a conflict between fundamentalists and moderates by proposing that ministers could hold diverse beliefs rather than ascribe to the "five fundamentals" of faith.
1926, Second Presbyterian Church installs an E.M. Skinner Pipe Organ (Opus 579) in the rear of its sanctuary
1930's, Auburn Seminary enrollment declines.
1940, Auburn Seminary merges with Union Theological Seminary in NYC, and closes its Auburn campus.
1945, Second Presbyterian Church builds its War Memorial Chapel off the narthex in the church building, dedicated to honor members who served in World War II ad given by Mr. and Mrs. Edwin F. Metcalf.
1952, the "Weekday Nursery School" (later renamed Westminster Nursery School) opens at Second Presbyterian Church.
1962, the Cayuga Syracuse Presbytery Home for the Elderly (now Westminster Manor) opens on South St.
1968, "Old" Westminster Church closes, and merges with Second, with the newly merged church taking the name of Westminster at Second's site.
1973, The steeple collapses at the First Presbyterian Church on Franklin and North, destroying the building. The congregation breaks ground for a new church building on South St.
1976, First Presbyterian responds to the requests of the original Unity House volunteers to purchase the Case Mansion at 108 South St and works with the volunteers to formally establish their program in 1977.
1990, The Community Preservation Committee purchases the Willard Chapel, the only remaining building from the Auburn Theological Seminary, and the only known complete and unaltered Tiffany chapel known to exist. It functions as a community center, wedding site, and popular tourist attraction.
2007, The congregation of Calvary Presbyterian Church votes to dissolve. The Calvary Food Pantry, a separate not-for-profit corporation continued to operate out of the Calvary Church building for 15 years, which is now the home of the AME Zion congregation. The food pantry moved to a new building on Seymour Street in 2022.
2018, The Westminster Nursery School closes, due to changing family needs for longer school days or childcare and the competition of free UPK and 3PK.
1811, First Presbyterian Church is founded. Its first pastor, the Rev. David Higgins, preached at the funeral of Colonel Hardenbergh, Auburn's founder in 1806.
1817, First Presbyterian Church builds its first building, a white clapboard church on the corner of Franklin and North Streets. The pastor was the Rev. Dirck Lansing, who also established the Auburn Theological Seminary.
1818, Auburn Theological Seminary is built on land from the estate of Colonel Hardenbergh, and opens with eleven students.
1828, Second Presbyterian Church is founded on South St, near the Auburn City Hall.
1861, Central Presbyterian Church is founded with 66 anti-slavery members who break away from Second Presbyterian. They worship temporarily in a "basement chapel" at the corner of Genesee and William Sts.
1869, Central Presbyterian builds its church (still standing) on William St on land behind the home of William H. Seward, President's Lincoln's Secretary of State.
1869, The Trustees of First Presbyterian give the original First Presbyterian building to the Lansing Presbyterian Mission School. The building is dismantled and moved to the corner of Franklin and Capitol Streets, where it was first called the Seymour Chapel, and then Calvary Presbyterian Church, the oldest church edifice in Auburn. Calvary Church dissolved as a congregation in 2007.
1870, First Presbyterian builds a new stone church on the original site at Franklin and North.
1885, "Old" Westminster Presbyterian Church is formed in Auburn's west end, at the corner of West Genesee and Delevan Sts.
1899, Auburn Theological Seminary is at its peak with eleven faculty and 105 students. It continues to thrive into the 1920's, and by 1929, has sent 186 foreign missionaries all over the world. The campus abounds with unusual trees and plants brought back by missionaries.
1910, Central Presbyterian installs a Tiffany Rainbow Window, created by Louis Comfort Tiffany Studios, in memory of one of the church's early members Margaret Standart Watson, given by her daughter Janet Seward, the daughter-in-law of William H. Seward.
1921, Second Presbyterian Church closes, and merges with Central Presbyterian, with the newly merged churches taking the name of Second at Central's site.
1924, the Auburn Affirmation was written by Auburn Seminary staff, and signed by 1293 supporters. It tackled a conflict between fundamentalists and moderates by proposing that ministers could hold diverse beliefs rather than ascribe to the "five fundamentals" of faith.
1926, Second Presbyterian Church installs an E.M. Skinner Pipe Organ (Opus 579) in the rear of its sanctuary
1930's, Auburn Seminary enrollment declines.
1940, Auburn Seminary merges with Union Theological Seminary in NYC, and closes its Auburn campus.
1945, Second Presbyterian Church builds its War Memorial Chapel off the narthex in the church building, dedicated to honor members who served in World War II ad given by Mr. and Mrs. Edwin F. Metcalf.
1952, the "Weekday Nursery School" (later renamed Westminster Nursery School) opens at Second Presbyterian Church.
1962, the Cayuga Syracuse Presbytery Home for the Elderly (now Westminster Manor) opens on South St.
1968, "Old" Westminster Church closes, and merges with Second, with the newly merged church taking the name of Westminster at Second's site.
1973, The steeple collapses at the First Presbyterian Church on Franklin and North, destroying the building. The congregation breaks ground for a new church building on South St.
1976, First Presbyterian responds to the requests of the original Unity House volunteers to purchase the Case Mansion at 108 South St and works with the volunteers to formally establish their program in 1977.
1990, The Community Preservation Committee purchases the Willard Chapel, the only remaining building from the Auburn Theological Seminary, and the only known complete and unaltered Tiffany chapel known to exist. It functions as a community center, wedding site, and popular tourist attraction.
2007, The congregation of Calvary Presbyterian Church votes to dissolve. The Calvary Food Pantry, a separate not-for-profit corporation continued to operate out of the Calvary Church building for 15 years, which is now the home of the AME Zion congregation. The food pantry moved to a new building on Seymour Street in 2022.
2018, The Westminster Nursery School closes, due to changing family needs for longer school days or childcare and the competition of free UPK and 3PK.