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Articles
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Faith of Our Fathers:
Lawrenceville’s
Religious Heritage This series of twenty articles was originally written by James Wudarczyk for this website. Some additional information was added by Jude Wudarczyk. Portions of the above story are very gloomy and distressing. But cold records do not enumerate the real history of a parish. That history is written in the hearts and lives of countless men and women. It is written in the years of loving service and sacrifice and prayer of its members.
Taken from The Church News, April 1933 of Saint John Episcopal Church in Lawrenceville.
Introduction
When the Lawrenceville Historical Society conducted its tour of historical churches on Sunday, July 10, 1994, it was fortunate to have five Roman Catholic, two Lutheran, and a Primitive Methodist edifice open their doors and participate in the venture. The tourists greatly appreciated the experience, and the project taught the society that (1) while faith is diminished and not as fervent as in days past, organized religion remains very important to many people; (2) there still is a keen interest in the artistic beauty of the traditional churches; and (3) there is a great need to document our heritage because much has been lost over the years.
In the search for historic documentation, it was discovered that what remains is often scattered and fragmented. Rather than lament the loss, the tour was a chance to celebrate what remained, and issued a challenge to begin to collect the historical record of our neighborhood’s religious past.
Although the Lawrenceville community was founded in 1814, it was not until 1832 that there was sufficient population to support a church.
The earliest congregations established in the area were the Methodists (1832), Presbyterians (1832) and Episcopalians (1833).
While records of services in the early years of the community tend to be sketchy, the first Presbyterian minister to serve Lawrenceville was Reverend Joseph Stockton, who while serving as the principal of the Pittsburgh Academy, journeyed three miles to preach as frequently as possible to the soldiers and artisans clustered around the Allegheny Arsenal. Services were conducted in the village schoolhouse. Reverend Stockton continued in this ministry until 1829 when he began to alternate conducting services with Reverend John Joyce, who founded the East Liberty Presbyterian Church the previous year.
In 1832 the Presbyterians began construction of the Lawrenceville Presbyterian Church on the present 39th Street. The edifice was completed in 1834. Until the structure was completed, all services and Sabbath School instructions were conducted in the basement of the church.
From humble beginnings, Presbyterians emerged as one of the leading denominations in and about Lawrenceville. In the late 1820’s the village of Lawrenceville had a scant population of 200, but by 1900 had grown into a community that boated of a population in excess of 30,000, a thriving commercial area, numerous industries and a host of churches. A directory of 1901 showed that the area was home to several Presbyterian churches. In addition to the Lawrenceville Presbyterian Church, there were the Forty-Third Presbyterian on 43rd and Summit Streets, the McCandless Avenue Presbyterian, the Seventh United Presbyterian on 44th Street, and the Good Hope Mission United Presbyterian on Penn Avenue and 44th Street.
The Methodists also grew from a simple structure at 3535 Butler Street in 1832 to eventually erecting spacious accommodations at 40th and Butler Streets. By the late 1880’s, the Butler Street Methodist Episcopal church had established its reputation as one of the leading Methodist churches in Pittsburgh. Like other denominations, Methodism saw a major expansion in Lawrenceville. By the turn of the twentieth century, the neighborhood was home to the Denny Methodist Episcopal Church on 34th near Penn Avenue, the McCandless Avenue Methodist Church on McCandless Avenue near Butler Street, the Second German Methodist Church at 167 40th Street, and the First Primitive Methodist Church at 5223 Holmes Street.
Roman Catholicism came to Lawrenceville in 1853 with the establishing of Saint Mary Church on 46th Street. As a result of Irish immigration into the area in 1870, Saint John the Baptist was erected at 32nd and Liberty Avenue in 1870, and Saint Kieran on Carnegie Street in 1886. Three ethnic Roman Catholic churches also found a home in the area: Saint Augustine (German), 37th Street, 1863; Saint Mary Assumption Church (Slovenian), 57th Street, 1894; and Holy Family (Polish), 1902. Saint Francis Hospital Chapel on 44th Street also offered an interesting architectural and spiritual study in the religious life of the community.
Another prominent denomination was the Lutherans, who in 1859 started the German United Protestant Congregation of Lawrenceville. This congregation later became known as the Saint John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church. Other Lutheran churches that dotted Lawrenceville over the years included the Lawrenceville Evangelical Lutheran at 44th and Sherman (Sherrod), Swedish Evangelical Lutheran at Plummer and Cotton Way, and Zion Evangelical Lutheran at 37th and Bandera.
Three Baptist congregations also made their home in the area: Antioch Baptist at 37th and Charlotte Streets, Lawrenceville Baptist on 44th near Butler, and Trinity Baptist on Ligonier near 34th Street.
Other denominations included the Lawrenceville Christian Disciples of Christ (43rd and Butler), Swedish Mission Congregationalist (44th near Butler), Saint John Episcopal (Main and Butler), the Salem Evangelical Association (52nd and Carnegie), Saint Paul’s Reformed Church of America (44th near Butler), the First Spiritualists of Lawrenceville (49th and Butler), and the Swedish Church (45th Street).
In more recent years, other congregations that worshipped in the area included the Friendship Baptist Church, the Refuge of God Church, and an Assemblies of God Church.
While this is by no means a complete listing of the churches that once dotted our community, it is a sampling to illustrate the past and present spiritual vitality exhibited by the neighborhood.
Today many of these congregations are no longer found in the area, and many of the churches likewise have long since vanished from the landscape. Sadly, not only have we lost valuable monuments, but the records of those congregations have also frequently disappeared; and with the disappearance of the churches and records, Lawrenceville has lost part of its story and part of its heritage. Hence, while researching this project one was confronted with the great question, “Does one go with part of the story or insist on an “all-or-nothing” approach. Since whole congregations have disappeared with no trace, it was decided that we gather together what bits and pieces we find, and hope that this study will lay the foundation for other historians to fill in the missing pieces of the puzzle.
Rather than lament the loss, religion in Lawrenceville was and will be part of our story, and it is a testimony to the sacrifices of past and present generations who erected edifices for the glory of God and the benefit of His people.
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Stephen
Collins Foster (1826-1864)
Born on July 4, 1826, while the country celebrated its 50th anniversary of independence, Stephen Foster has become Lawrenceville’s most famous native son. He was the son of William Barclay Foster, founder of Lawrenceville and Eliza Tomlinson. Foster’s parents moved to Allegheny City (now Pittsburgh’s North Side) when Stephen was very small.
He developed a love for music at a very tender age of about three or four, and from that point forward there was no stopping him. Foster is considered by many to be the world’s foremost composer, and is the only person to have written two state songs – “My Old Kentucky Home” (Kentucky) and “Swannee River” (Florida). A third song “Oh! Susanna” was considered by the state of California as being their state song, but it was rejected.
Today he is considered the founder of “Pop Music” and his works are played throughout the world. There are many books written on Stephen Foster and the University of Pittsburgh maintains the Stephen Foster Memorial Center in his honor. It is located in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh close to the Cathedral of Learning. |
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