History

The Old Washington First Presbyterian Church has a rich and colorful history. It was the first Presbyterian Church established in Guernsey County and the second church established of any denomination in the county. It was formed in 1811 and the first building it occupied was a log structure about thirty feet square located on County Home Road. The cemetery of the church is still there. It had a puncheon floor, a clapboard roof held in place by weighted poles, and pews made of saplings split in half with four wooden pegs pounded in them to form the legs. Two upright timbers with a board nailed across the top of them formed the pulpit. The pews were so uncomfortable and the sermons so ling that the son of one of the church Elders smoothed one of the seats and attached a back to it. The congregation was shocked to the "ungodly act" and there was talk of his being called before the Presbytery for violating the scriptural admonition: "Woe to those who are at ease in Zion."

According to Session minutes of the time, several members of the church were brought before Session to give account of their sins against the religious principles of the church. Fighting, intoxication and dancing were a few of the many "sins" that were confessed and punished by the Church. Punishment consisted of being suspended from Church until evidence of repentance on the part of the guilty party was received and a confession of the sins was published in the congregation. The Session minutes of May 25, 1822 state: "Ebenezer Smith appeared before the Session and announced that he felt sorrow that he had engaged in dancing, thereby he offended the church, set a bad example for the world, and exposed himself to bad company. He resolved that he would avoid such practices in the future. The Session, being satisfied, restored him to his standing and orders this to be read before the congregation. "Another instance records that on September 1, 1837, the Session met to charge on Benjamin Nelson for a breech of the Sabbath and to appear before Session for carrying a bag of grain from the mill on the Sabbath. Since he wouldn't confess sorrow for doing so, he was suspended from privileges in the church until he gave evidence of repentance. Rules concerning personal conduct on the Sabbath were quite rigid and were strictly adhered to. All unnecessary work, cooking and sewing were forbidden on the Sabbath, which was to be devoted completely to church attendance, studying the Bible and prayer.

In 1827, the original church building was replaced by a small brick church, which was demolished by a tornado in the late 1850's. The current church building was build in 1861, the bricks for the building being kilned at a nearby fairground. It is a beautiful example of the "Western Reserve" style of church architecture having the worship area upstairs. An elevator has since been installed to make it easier to reach the second floor.

Perhaps the most significant historical event that occurred in Old Washington involved the pastor of First Presbyterian. On July 23, 1862, confederate General John Hunt Morgan and about 2,000 of his infamous "Morgan's Raiders" entered Guernsey County to escape from Union troops led by General Shackleford. The next day as he entered the village, he was met at the crossroads of what is now Route 285 and Old National Pike by the pastor of the Presbyterian Church, Rev. William Ferguson, who was carrying a white flag of truce. He asked Morgan to spare the village from destruction during the coming battle, promising that if he did so the villagers themselves would take no part in the battle. Morgan agreed and the northern-most battle of the Civil War began on July 24. The two armies traded cannon and rifle fire across the downtown area, with the Southern Troops positioned on the side of town and the Yankee forces occupying the Old Washington Cemetery. Three of Morgan's men were killed and two were wounded. The three that were killed were buried in the village cemetery and the two wounded men were nursed back to health by the townsfolk and were eventually able to return to their homes in the South. A painting depicting the event still hangs in the First Presbyterian Church sanctuary, showing Rev. Ferguson with his white flag of truce talking to General Morgan. Morgan was captured a few days later at Salineville, Ohio, and sent to the Ohio Penitentiary from which he promptly escaped only to be killed later in Tennessee.

As for the future of our church, someone once said, "While we don't know what the future holds, we do know Who holds the future" in His living and capable hands. With faith in Christ's continuing presence with us and with a serious commitment on our part to be open to His presence to lead, guide, and provide us with the help we need, we look forward to the future with both hope and confidence, praying that Christ will always use us to praise His Name and serve His Kingdom in ways that are pleasing to Him and beneficial to His church.

For a list of those who have served OWPC, Click Here