OLDEST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN THE STATE?
A recent Harrisburg magazine pictures the Paxton
Presbyterian Church, built in 1740, and calls it the oldest Presbyterian
sanctuary in continuous use in the state. We won’t protest their
claim, but it is believed that Donegal was built no later than 1740. Martha Bladen Clark, who was an
authority on our history (and was one of the organizers and first president of
the Donegal Society) believed Donegal was built as early as 1732.
That date, 1732, also was claimed by no less than Samuel Evans,
co-author of the well-known Ellis and Evans Lancaster
County history published
in 1883. Mr. Evans, whose great-grandfather was Col. Alexander
Lowrey, was Donegals Clerk of Session for many years in the late 1800s.
He at one time lived in the still-standing 1762 Marietta
mansion that Col. Lowrey built, before later moving to Columbia. An 1878 photo of the Lowrey
home can be seen in our narthex bookcase.
As for Donegal’s construction
date, it is unfortunate that while we have written confirmation of the date of
founding (1721), we cannot prove any date for our building. If any such
information should ever appear in a letter, it would be most welcome.
Last revised 09/19/10