Second Presbyterian Church History
On January 14, 1832, The Rev. George Duffield, pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Carlisle, published a treatise on "Spiritual Life: or Regeneration." His treatise was but one ripple of the theological division sweeping the country in 1833. The issue was centered on the importance of a conversion experience versus the solid nurturing in the standards of the faith. Duffield seemed to be stressing the importance of a charismatic experience as a sign of spiritual rebirth. Members of his flock felt "surprised and distressed at what they looked upon as a departure from the standards of the church." A trial was held in Presbytery to study the work and hear the complaints of parishioners. Duffield was never found guilty of any heresy, but the Presbytery did allow seventy members of the church, who so petitioned, to leave his congregation and start a Second Presbyterian Church one block down the street.
The new congregation was formed in 1833 with 133 members, who built a sanctuary of Grecian temple design for $7,356.48. That building was standing when Confederate troops occupied the town during the Battle of Gettysburg. In fact, it was one of two sanctuaries in town that opened that Sunday morning for worship with both Northerners and Southerners in the pews.
By 1870, the congregation had grown to 375 members, who found themselves in need of a new sanctuary. The 1833 building had crumbled and was of inadequate size. The local and national differences which had brought the congregation into being had been settled, but the churches did not choose to re-unite. The new sanctuary was completed in 1873 at a cost of $50,486.00.
The Rev. George Norcross was pastor from 1868 until 1909. His brother-in-law was the noted missionary Sheldon Jackson, who used Carlisle as his home base when resting from his western travels. Jackson met Col. Richard Pratt in Carlisle, and together they petitioned successfully to have the military base, Carlisle Barracks, become the Carlisle Indian School. Seminoles from Pratt's Florida charge and Jackson's converts from Oklahoma to Alaska began to arrive in Carlisle. Dr. Norcross saw to it that they the church welcomed them to the church and active membership.
By 1955, steady growth had led to an overcrowding of church school facilities. A Long Range Planning Committee urged the purchase of adjacent lots for the purpose of expansion. By 1965, the congregation faced the difficult choice between extensive renovations or relocation of the entire church. That decision was not made until 1971, when the congregation voted to build a contemporary church on the southwest edge of town at 528 Garland Drive.
