First Presbyterian Church | |
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Hartford_City_Presbyterian_Church_Northwest_Side.JPG) Hartford City's First Presbyterian Church in 2010 | |
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| Location | Hartford City, Indiana |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°27′10″N 85°22′6″W / 40.45278°N 85.36833°W |
| Built | 1893 |
| Architect | Alec Gable |
| Architectural style | Romanesque |
| NRHP reference No. | 86001263 |
| Added to NRHP | June 13, 1986 |
The First Presbyterian Church of Hartford City is a Presbyterian church in Hartford City, Indiana, United States. The edifice is the oldest church building in a small city that at one time was a bustling community with as many as ten glass factories – and over 20 saloons.[1][2] Located at the corner of High and Franklin Streets, the church is part of the Hartford City Courthouse Square Historic District. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
Construction of the house of worship began in 1892 and was completed in 1893. The church building is considered one of the city's best examples of the Richardsonian Romanesque style of architecture.[3] One aspect of the building that makes it particularly notable is its windows. The church features massive stained glass windows that were hand-crafted in Belgium and assembled by local glass workers originally from that country.[1]
At the time the church was constructed, the region was undergoing substantial economic growth related to the discovery of natural gas, and this period is known as the Indiana Gas Boom. Most of the city's distinctive buildings within its Courthouse Square Historic District were built during that period, including both buildings listed in the National Register of Historic Places—the Blackford County Courthouse and the First Presbyterian Church.[4]
- ^ a b First Presbyterian Church, Hartford City, Indiana, National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form, Description.
- ^ See Dale, p.117-118 for list of saloons, and p.120-121 for glass factories.
- ^ First Presbyterian Church, Hartford City, Indiana, National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form, Statement of Significance.
- ^ Much of the church history information used herein was from a collection of documents made available from the Joseph Wood Evans Memorial Special Collections and Archives Center of Hanover College's Duggan Library. Those documents include Amstutz's Centennial Brochure, First Presbyterian Church, Hartford City, Indiana; Hall, Hill, and Henley's History of the First Presbyterian Church, Hartford City, Indiana 1943-1958; “Church Celebrates 110th Anniversary Here Sunday”, Hartford City News-Times, October 12, 1953; and “Presbyterian Church in Ground Breaking Ceremony”, Hartford City News-Times, August 24, 1959.