The History of Westminster Presbyterian Church

Westminster Presbyterian Church was founded in 1861, when 66 abolitionist members of Second Presbyterian Church broke away to form Central Presbyterian Church, following the Rev. Henry Fowler, who was forced to leave Second because of the controversy he caused there by praying publicly for the soul of John Brown.

Old records refer to Central as the "granddaughter church," because it descended from First Presbyterian and Second Presbyterian.

The original Central Presbyterian congregation worshiped in a basement chapel with "railroad pews" (so called because the seats flipped up and down to not only face forward but also backward, so that parishioners could face each other in small groups) at the corner of William and Genesee Streets, next to the present courthouse. The leader of the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman, was married to Charles Nelson Davis in the basement chapel on March 18, 1869. Later that same year, the church purchased the present site on William Street from William H. Seward and laid the cornerstone of the present sanctuary. The building was expanded in 1887 to include a narthex, parlor, Sunday School rooms, meeting rooms, and a kitchen. In 1910, the Tiffany window which depicts the 23rd Psalm was given in memory of one of the church's early members,  Margaret Standart Watson, by her daughter, Janet Seward, the daughter-in-law of the secretary state.

At around the same time, in the mid 1880's, "old" Westminster Church had its beginnings in Auburn's west end. Originally a Sunday School group which began meeting in a home on Baker Ave as a missionary endeavor of the Auburn Presbyterian churches, the fledgling congregation built a church on West Genesee Street and was officially organized in 1885. Originally called the Willard Chapel, it took the name Westminster so that the chapel at the Auburn Theological Seminary could be named in honor of Dr. Sylvester Willard, who contributed to both ventures.

In 1921, "old" Second Presbyterian Church re-united with Central at the William Street location of Central.  Central took back the name of Second Presbyterian Church in the merger.  During this period, the church thrived under the leadership of Rev. Frank Gosnell (1921-1947) and through its relationship with the seminary.  The E.M. Skinner organ was installed in 1926, and, in 1932, the three-story education building was built next to the church.  The Metcalf Memorial Chapel was dedicated in 1945 to honor members who served in World Wars I and II.

In 1952, the women of Second Presbyterian Church founded the "Weekday Nursery School" to provide preschool education for children in the community.  The school continues today as Westminster Nursery School, and is one of Auburn's oldest and most respected preschools.

In 1968, Second Presbyterian and Westminster Presbyterian Church merged at the William Street site, taking the name of Westminster. The common threads throughout Westminster's history--social justice, education, and active ministry in the community--continue to be important to Westminster  today.