History
ORGAN
HISTORIC COLONIAL CHURCHYARD
BUILDING ARCHITECTURE
SANCTUARY
SYMBOLS
One of Old Pine's first pastors, George Duffield established our lively personality soon after our founding in 1768 as the Third Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. Defying British arrest, Duffield served as chaplain to the First Continental Congress in 1774 and, with many of his parishioners, joined Washington at Valley Forge in the winter of 1776-77.
During that bitter winter of occupation, the British used Old Pine first as a hospital and later as a stable for their horses. They stripped the sanctuary of its plate and pews -- anything that could be sold or burned.
By the time the first Presbyterian General Assembly met in Philadelphia in 1789, Old Pine had become a leader in shaping both the church and the new nation, and its leadership has continued through the centuries. George Duffield was the first stated clerk of the General Assembly; Archibald Alexander left the pastorate of Old Pine to become the first professor of theology at Princeton Theological Seminary; Pastor Ezra Stiles Ely provided the land for Jefferson Medical College; six of Old Pine's pastors served as Moderators of the Presbyterian General Assembly; Pastor Thomas Brainerd led the crusade against slavery and joined in the founding of the Union League to support those fighting the Civil War.
Over the years, two congregations merged into Old Pine so that today, the official name of the church is The Third, Scots and Mariners Presbyterian Church.
By 1900, Old Pine and the neighborhood had begun to decline; by mid-century both church and churchyard stood in melancholy disrepair. Old Pine's neighborhood declined as well. Many of the residences deteriorated. Many churches moved away, but Old Pine remained to serve its community through vocational training for immigrants and services conducted in the Polish language. However, had it not been for its unique role in Presbyterian and national history, the old church would probably have been closed and demolished.
In 1951, Dr. Alexander Mackie formed the Friends of Old Pine, a support organization dedicated to restore Old Pine to its place as an active, self-supporting urban ministry. The group financed the first 20th century major renovation and restoration which included adding a kitchen and restrooms to the first floor. When William Pindar took the pulpit in 1971, the congregation began to grow and reclaim its role in the life of the church and the community.
During Bill Pindar's eighteen-year tenure, the people of Old Pine completely remodeled the church making the ground floor wheelchair accessible, and installing an elevator to connect the ground floor to the magnificently redecorated sanctuary.
In 1976, Old Piners built the Old Pine Community Center at Fourth and Lombard Streets thereby providing the community and the church with much-needed meeting, study and recreational space.
The Friends of Old Pine supported renovations to Old Pine's churchyard -- the resting place of thousands of parishioners, many significantly involved in the life of the church, the city and the nation. In the early 1980's, we added a memorial garden for the remains of those wishing to be buried in these historic grounds.
When the Presbyterian General Assembly celebrated its bicentennial in 1989, Old Pine played a major role in the planning and execution of all celebratory events. In 2006, Old Pine hosted the 300th Anniversary of the Presbyterian Church in the United States.
We, the people of Old Pine, are concerned with much more than bricks and mortar. Continuing our more than 200 years of community activism, we were among the first to respond to the problem of the homeless on the streets of our city. In 1982, we founded and, in the beginning, sheltered the Philadelphia Committee for the Homeless. In 1978, Old Pine started its Saturday for Seniors (SFS) program to provide a weekend hot lunch and take-home snack for the city's elderly -- a Philadelphia first. With no charge and no means test, SFS has become a vital weekend home for more than 100 older people from all over the city. Old Pine continues its commitment to serve the poor in the 21st century. We participate in a local Habitat for Humanity project in the Point Breeze neighborhood of Philadelphia, joining with other Presbyterian congregations to jump start development there and in surrounding blocks. In addition, we send members to the Gulf Coast to help the clean-up and rebuilding effort in the wake of the disastrous Hurricane Katrina.
In February, 1995, Old Pine installed its 17th pastor, the Reverend Deborah A. McKinley. Under her leadership, the people of Old Pine are writing a new and inspiring chapter in the life of this grand old church in the heart of the "most historic square mile in America."
More history about Old Pine Street Presbyterian Church. This site, sponsored by the Old Philadelphia Congregations, gives a brief history of the church plus two pictures of the church building; an exterior view prior to 1837 and a modern day view of the interior.
Even more history about Old Pine Street Presbyterian Church. This site, sponsored by the Independence Hall Association (IHA), gives a full, detailed description of the founding and colonial era of the church.
In November 1997, Old Pine church made the decision to purchase an historic J. W. Steere Pipe Organ to replace the ailing electronic organ then in use.
The J. W. Steere and Sons Opus #344 Pipe Organ was originally built and installed in 1892 for the Unitarian Universalist Church located in Elgin, Illinois and was purchased by Mr. Robert B. Whiting in 1992. Mr. Whiting was an organ enthusiast who had collected some fifty historic organs over his lifetime. One of his attractions to the J. W. Steere Pipe Organ was to save this significant example of 19th century American Organ construction. The instrument was completely overhauled and installed in his studio in 1992. Mr. Whiting considered this his favorite of all the historic organs he had purchased over the years, due to its unusually rich and beautiful tone. After Mr. Whiting's death, the instrument went up for auction and was purchased by Patrick Murphy, who did the renovation work. The organ was installed at Old Pine during the summer of 1998.
The historic aspect is also worthy of note, since it is an organ of similar quality of what would have been present at Old Pine in the nineteenth century. One of the unique features of the Steere is the fact that the majority of the pipes are enclosed in a swell box. This means that by the manipulation of a foot device, most of the organ can be made to sound distant and quiet. This is particularly useful for anthem accompaniment and tonal balance in intimate buildings such as the Old Pine sanctuary.
The stoplist is extremely well balanced and complete with ample fundamental tone in the Pedal 16's and the 88's in the manuals. There are contrasting flute stops at different pitch levels on both manuals. String stops on both the manuals add a keen color well suited for romantic literature and an addition of a sparkling mixture stop adds flexibility to the instrument for brilliance and the ability to play the music of the Baroque period (i.e. Bach). In the Swell is a beautiful oboe stop and on the Great a brassy and bold Trumpet especially useful for bridal processions as well as to add some kick to the full organ.
The churchyard, even before the church was built, was divided into a grid with 5 sections having 41 rows. Single graves were dug to a depth of 9f, so it is not unusual to have 4 interments per grave – one on top of the other. In addition, there are about 100 vaults each having 2 to 10 interments. Not all of the graves are marked. During the Revolutionary War stone cutters either joined the military or, like many citizens, fled the city. Stone quarries outside the city simply shut down. By the 1830fs health codes no longer permitted any new burials in the old part of the city. This restriction created suburban 'cemeteries.'
The churchyard at Old Pine Church is eliving prooff of the early congregationfs historical and patriotic heritage seeking freedom from the crown of England. We count among those buried:
- A signer of the U.S. Constitution
- 3 Continental Congress attendees
- 2 colonial printers
- Over 50 Revolutionary War soldiers
- 1 Tory (oops!)
- Ringer of the Liberty Bell
- 9 members of the Carpenter's Company of Philadelphia
- 15 medical doctors
- 20 lawyers
- 22 sea captains
- 4 silversmiths
- 4 stone masons
- 5 tavern keepers
- a host of tradesmen and everyday citizens.
The last body interment in the Old Pine churchyard was in 1958 for In Ho Oh, a University of Pennsylvania student, murdered in a crime of hatred.
In 1983, the church created a Memorial Garden, creating 192 side-by-side 12" square units for receiving cremated remains. Next to the memorial garden is an iron fence enclosed plot marking the remains of world-famous orchestra conductor Eugene Ormandy, and his wife, Gretel.
In 2004, the churchyard was the site for a 4-day 'shoot' for Walt Disney movie, "National Treasure" starring Nicolas Cage.
The churchyard is open seven days, during daylight hours, and closed on national holidays. While there is no admission charge, contributions are appreciated.
Special churchyard tours, conducted by docents, are available upon request and it is best to schedule them well in advance. Click here to schedule a tour.
For information about persons buried (or proportedly buried) at Old Pine Church – Third Presbyterian until the 1953 merger with Scots Church (Third, Scots Church) and the 1959 merger with Mariners Church (Third, Scots and Mariners Church) click here to submit a written request. In addition to Old Pine Church burial records, limited interment information for Mariners Church and Holland-Scots Church members is available at Woodland Cemetery and Mount Moriah Cemetery. No information is available for either First Presbyterian Church members interred from the then Bank Street burial ground to Laurel Hill or Second Presbyterian Church members on Arch or Market Streets.
Old Pine's colonial architecture is with us today – hidden from view by facade changes made in the 1790's, 1837 and 1857. The 1768 church stands on its original foundation – retains its original brick walls (stuccoed and modified with different openings) – and above it all is the original cedar shake roof (now encased in the attic below a steeper pitched metal clad roof).
Philadelphia, by the 1760's, was the fastest growing city in the English speaking world. The First Presbyterian Church near Market Street eased growth pains when a Second Presbyterian Church was built two blocks to the north. Worshipers to the south complained about the long walk up town through filthy, muddy streets. Aware of a need for a Third Presbyterian Church, Thomas and Richard Penn freely gave a lot on the edge of the City at Fourth and Pine Streets so Presbyterians could erect a new church and establish a burial ground. Once granted, a burial ground was laid out – reserving sufficient space to build a church. Burials began along the Pine Street side as early as May, 1766.
Inside the church, an east to west center aisle was flanked by high box pews with side aisles near both the south and north walls. A high pulpit centered on the west wall was accessed by opposing curved staircases with boxed rails. Two narrow rounded arch windows, centered on the west wall provided the only natural light (behind the pulpit) faced the worshipers. The first service preached was the first Sabbath day in June 1768.
When the British marched on Philadelphia they conscripted Third Church for use as a hospital to keep wounded soldiers warm. It was a cold winter! Troops removed and burned pews, flooring and the pulpit. By early spring they burned many of the window sashes and frames. When the British left Philadelphia, the new Third Church was in ruins. Gradually, repairs were done as money became available. In 1792, a gallery (the first ever in the church) was built along the length of the interior east wall. A cellar was dug under the pulpits so dry wood could be stored. An elevated deck was built over the cellar on top of which a new elevated pulpit was built. Missing windows were replaced. Then followed the first of several changes to the original facade. The centered entrance door on the east wall became a window – the opposing end windows became pedimented doors.
By 1835, the church had growing pains. The only practical solution was to horizontally bisect the large, single room sanctuary and create two levels. Worship orientation was switched from east-west to north-south. An extension at the midpoint of the south wall created space for the new pulpit. A new primary entrance was added to the Pine Street facade. Palladian windows above the centered entrance provided much needed light for two opposing interior curved staircases with open side rails. In all probability, additional window openings were created on the west wall. The exterior facade was uniformly stuccoed.
In the 1850's space again became a problem. This time there was a need for additional galleries, Sunday School and meeting rooms as well as office space. A decision was made to take the "unsightly and unattractive building and transform it into a beautiful and classic temple – uniting venerated antiquities with demands for modern taste." To accomplish this, the church hired noted Scottish-born e'migre' architect, John Fraser. By 1857, Fraser had cloaked the last vestiges of the 1768 building behind a fashionable Greek Revival edifice. A new metal clad roof of a higher pitch was raised over the original covered with cedar shakes. The north facade was extended to the sidewalk at Pine Street. Opposing steps of granite led upstairs to an open air portico supported by paired Corinthian columns. Window openings on the east and west walls were widened, squared off, elongated and glazed with clear colorless glass. Gas lighting was installed throughout the building. In 1868, the interior sanctuary walls were elaborately stenciled above the wainscoting. Stained glass windows gradually replaced the clear glass. In the 1960's-1970's, the sanctuary walls were re-stenciled with iconography celebrating the merger of the Third, Scots and Mariners Presbyterian Churches. New plumbing, utilities, lighting and renovated room spaces completed the modernizing.
Affectionately known as Old Pine, the church building has stood the test of architectural endurance for nearly 240 years.
Someone once said of Old Pine, "If these walls could speak, what stories they would tell of courage, devotion, and of a people's love and service to God."
The walls of Old Pine's sanctuary do speak if we will but listen.
They speak of a journey of faith from the remote past through the present into eternity. Beginning in the rear, hand painted stencils tell the story of faith as they guide us through time to focus on the means of grace: the Word, the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, and the water of the Sacrament of Baptism.
The hand-stenciled symbols gracing the walls and ceiling of the sanctuary reflect the rich religious heritage of Old Pine Street Church. The congregation at Old Pine Street draws upon that heritage as we bear witness to Jesus Christ today.
Our Official name is Third, Scots and Mariners Presbyterian Church. The large thistle and wave motifs relate specifically to Scots and Mariners Churches and have contextual overlays that reach back to the beginnings of our faith (see, for example, Genesis 4:18 and Psalm 107:23-32). The waves also remind us of the waters of baptism.
These symbols were developed in cooperation by architect David Slovic and the Churchfs Construction Control Committee, chaired by Thomas S. Rittenhouse. The skillful painting was accomplished by the firm of Adolph Frel & Son who employed the same stenciling technique as that used in the 1886 decoration that may be seen through gThe Window into Historyh in the northeast corner of the room.
The intent of the symbols is to lead people on a journey of faith from the remote past into the present and on into eternity. The symbolic progression begins on the rear walls and moves forward to focus on the liturgical center of the sanctuary, the Word and Sacrament.
The four back wall symbols are derived from the Old Testament and witness to our ancient Jewish past. Then beginning on the rear west wall, there is a set of three symbols representative of the Life of Christ as recorded in the New Testament. Across the room on the rear east wall are symbols of early Christianity, including the establishment of the Roman Catholic Church. Moving again to the west wall, the central symbols mark the great Protestant Reformation. Their counterparts on the central east wall highlight aspects of Christian development in America through the Civil War. The single front most symbols on the east and west walls represent specifically Old Pine Street Church. On the front wall are symbols for the sacraments that admit believers into eternal life with Christ.
Each medallion symbol is repeated on the main floor and above in the gallery. In the guilloches, the interlaced curvilinear motifs that ride just above the waves, the entire progression of symbols appears randomly again.
The following are brief notes on each of the twenty symbols. The notes are intended to serve merely as helps or centering points for the symbols to which each person is invited to bring individual interpretation while pausing to reflect on the journey of faith.
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NOAH'S ARK Genesis 6:14-16
Because the people had turned their hearts away from their Creator, God swore to destroy them along with all the animals. But Godfs continued compassion for a rebellious people was extended to Noah and his family. And out of the flood a covenant between God and the people was born. |
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THE BURNING BUSH Exodus 3:2-4
Moses became aware of the presence of Yahweh on Mount Horeb through a fire which burned in a thorn bush but which did not consume the bush. After that initial recognition, Moses was able to converse with Yahweh directly. |
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THE TEN COMMANDMENTS Exodus 24:12; 32:19; 34:1
The Lord first presented Moses with the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone on Mount Sinai. Infuriated by the idolatry of the Israelites, Moses subsequently flung the tablets to the ground and shattered them. Again, the Lord instructed Moses to cut two stone tablets and to write on them his covenant with the Israelites. |
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THE STAR OF DAVID
From the Hebrew Mogen David, literally Shield of David. This traditional symbol is formed by two (here interlaced) equilateral triangles. It is used here to represent the founding of the nation of Israel. |
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THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM Matthew 2:2, 9-10
The Epiphany Star is traditionally five pointed. In the wall medallions here it is doubled, and it is further embellished in the large corner ceiling motifs. It represents the revelation of Christ to the Gentiles in the form of the Wise Men. |
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THE CROWN OF THORNS Matthew 27:29
Having been proclaimed a king, Jesus was guilty of treason or rebellion under Roman law. When he had been sentenced to death, the soldiers ridiculed his claim by pressing a crown made of thorns into his head. |
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THE CROSS Matthew 37:32; Mark 15:21
The cross on which Christ was crucified is here as the Celtic Cross, the cross of Iona, Scotland. The present symbol, with a circle representing eternity, was developed in the early Christian church of Ireland and introduced to Scotland by a missionary in the 6th century. |
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SCROLLS Luke 4:16-21
Ancient manuscripts were often written on lengths of leather or papyrus and rolled up to form books. The discovery in modern times of the Dead Sea Scrolls, hidden in the late A.D. 60's presents us with some of the earliest known copies of the parts of the Old Testament. One of the best preserved of the Dead Sea Scroll is an Isaiah Scroll, such as Christ read from in the synagogue at Nazareth. |
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THE PAPAL TIARA
The crown depicted here represents the Triple Crown used for centuries in the coronation of the Pope, the head of the Roman Catholic Church. |
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FISH
The Greek word ichthus, meaning "fish" forms an acrostic for "Jesus Christ, Godfs Son, Savior". This was used as a secret password by early Christians in times of persecution as was the simplified fish figure represented here. The figure could be quickly drawn in the sand and erased. The fish also appears in the art of the oldest Christian catacombs. |
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LUTHER'S 95 THESES
The beginning of the Protestant Reformation can be dated from October 31, 1517 when Martin Luther nailed a list of ninety-five theses to the door of the palace chapel at Wittenberg. Luther's protest was instigated by his anger at abuses connected with the sale of indulgences for the remission of sin, particularly during a campaign to raise money for the rebuilding of St. Peter's. |
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THE BIBLE
The open Bible represents the direct availability of the Word that became possible with translation into the language of common people. 16th Century reformers taught that everyone could understand the Word without the assistance of the Church. In turn, this created a popular demand for reading and interpreting the Bible in worship and brought to the pulpit into the front center of the church. |
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CALVIN'S HEART
John Calvin, the organizer if modern Presbyterianism, was invited to return to the religious leadership of Geneva two years after he had been banished from the city. Out of a sense of Christian duty, but against his own personal desire, he made the painful decision to accept the invitation. He wrote to a friend "When I remember that I am not my own, I offer up my heart, presented as a sacrifice to the Lord." |
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THE CORNUCOPIA Joshua 5:6
As in ancient days, the Lord promised the Israelites "a land that floweth with milk and honey," so America became a "promised land" for much of its early European settlement. The cornucopia, overflowing with vegetables and fruit symbolizes the abundance envisioned in the promise. |
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THE ANCHOR CROSS Hebrew 6:19
Of the many references that may be attributed to the anchor, it represents specifically here Mariners Church, founded in the early 1800's. More broadly, the anchor, as a means of safety for sailors on stormy seas, represents the cross of Christ as the hope of the world. |
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THE BROKEN CHAIN Jeremiah 40:41
Chains, as a symbol of bondage and oppression, figure throughout our history. The Lord loosed the Babylonian chains from Jeremiah and Herodfs chains from Peter. So too, by the Civil War, the chains of American slavery were broken. |
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THE PINE CONE
Pine and Fir were generic terms for coniferous trees in the Old Testament writings; probably the Aleppo pine furnished the lumber for the floors and doors of Solomonfs Temple. In Philadelphia, Pine was one of the original streets laid out by William Penn in his "greene countrie town". When Third Presbyterian Church was situated here (on the outermost edge of the city) it quickly became known as "The Pine Street Church". |
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TOUCHING RELATIONSHIPS
William Pindar, a former pastor, put words to this original design by Lotus Yu with the benediction; "We are called out to be in touching relationships to the glory of God." The design represents the spirit of regrowth of this church in our own time. |
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THE SCALLOP SHELL 1 Peter 3:20-21
The two sacraments of the Presbyterian Church are figured on the front walls of the sanctuary on each side of the chancel. A scallop shell with three drops of water represents the Sacrament of Baptism. Baptism by water has been the regular means of initiation into the Christian community since the day of Pentecost. |
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WHEAT John 12:24
The Sacrament of the Lordfs Supper is represented by three sheaves of wheat. Wheat has been figuratively used to symbolize bountifulness, thanksgiving, Christians and Christfs death and resurrection. In the wheaten bread of the Lordfs Supper, God offers believers continued spiritual nourishment. |
Text and historical research: Harold A. Bair Symbol Concepts: Harold A. Bair, William H. Pinder Original Medallion Symbol Graphics: Lotus Yu, Hillary Largas