Calvary Presbyterian Church

  An Indiana Landmark

This congregation was organized in 1807 as the First Presbyterian Church in Indiana. Meeting first in homes and, after 1809, in the County Courthouse, the congregation erected its first building in 1827 on this site ‑ ground donated by George Clymer, a signer of the Declaration of Indepen­dence. In 1858 a second church replaced the initial building.

In 1904 work began on the third and present building, a Victorian eclectic structure designed by J.C. Fulton of Uniontown. Built of Hummelstown brownstone by Indiana contractor John S. Hastings, the new edifice was completed in 1906. Its octagonal sanctuary, dominated by an art glass dome 28 feet in diameter, incorporates the central pulpit and semi‑circular pew arrangement of the "Akron Plan," allowing worshipers to hear and see easily from any seat.

Our windows exemplify the Arts and Crafts style with painted details on opalescent glass. The "David and Jonathan"window on the east wall of the sanctuary was commissioned by the families of John Sutton and A.W. Wilson. Its creator, Robert L. Dodge, was an associate of L.C. Tiffany's studio who went on to form his own company. The layered glass in this window ‑ seven layers in some areas ‑ shows the Tiffany influence.

The dome and all other art glass windows in our building were created by the Rudy Brothers Company of Pittsburgh and York, Pennsylvania. J. Horace Rudy designed windows in the English Arts and Crafts style for churches, mansions, schools, and commercial buildings, including the home and factories of H.J. Heinz in Pittsburgh.

Originally the northwest tower of our building was crowned by a steeple, which was removed in 1966 after weather damage affected its stability. In 1955, the education wing was added to accommodate a growing congregation.

In 1959 the congregation changed its name when the merger of two branches of Presbyterians into a single denomination left two "First" churches standing side by side in Indiana. Our congre­gation became Calvary Presbyterian Church.