Father Pitt

McDonald was a very Presbyterian town, with at least four Presbyterian churches all within an easy walk of one another. In 1897, two Presbyterian churches went up in McDonald side by side—a Presbyterian church and a United Presbyterian church. They seem to have been called First Presbyterian and First United Presbyterian at first, but later took the names Trinity and Calvary. After the denominations merged, so did the congregations—but they kept the two buildings, now called the Calvary Center and the Trinity Center of McDonald Presbyterian Church.⁽¹⁾

The United Presbyterian church, now Calvary Center, was the larger of the two. The architect was James N. Campbell.⁽²⁾

Behind the church is a neat and prosperous-looking foursquare parsonage built of matching brick.

The smaller Presbyterian church, now the Trinity Center, was designed by the Washington (Pennsylvania) firm of McCallum & Ely.⁽³⁾

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Footnotes

1. Father Pitt would be happy to hear from any members of the church who can correct or supplement his information here. (↩)
2. Source: Philadelphia Real Estate Record and Builders’ Guide, April 21, 1897: “J. N. Campbell, Penn Building, [will make the plans] for the Presbyterian Church at McDonald, Pa.” (↩)
3. Philadelphia Real Estate Record and Builders’ Guide, January 20, 1897: “At McDonald, Washington Co., the Presbyterian congregation will erect a church from plans prepared by McCullum [sic] & Ely, of Washington, Pa. The structure will cost $20,000.” March 10, 1897: “—At McDonald, Washington Co., the congregation of the Presbyterian Society will erect a new church building from plans prepared by McCallum & Ely, of Washington, Washington Co., Pa.” (↩)