OUR HISTORY
The Presbyterian Church of Punxsutawney aims to be a welcoming and service-oriented congregation, dedicated to providing religious and community building opportunities to our congregation and the people of Punxsutawney. We are currently focused on growing our ministry and community offerings. Our goal is to utilize our central location in Punxsutawney to become a hub for religious, spiritual, and community connection for both Presbyterians and non-Presbyterians alike. We hope you will join us on Sundays at 11:00 am for our worship services or at any one of our other events!
The Presbyterian Church of Punxsutawney began as a small gathering at the home of the founder of Punxsutawney, the Reverend David Barclay. Barclay arrived in Punxsutawney in 1816, and in 1819, purchased the first 327 acres to become recognized as Punxsutawney. The small park directly east of our church still bears his name. Prior to the 1790s, Punxsutawney was mainly inhabited by various groups of Indiginous people (to learn more about Indiginous geography, click here), including the Lenape (also known as Leni Lenape or the Delaware people), Shawnee, Seneca, and Iroquois. Remaining tribes were forcibly removed under the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Punxsutawney still evokes the memory of these tribes with its name, Punxsutawney, which stems from a Native legend involving a sorcerer. According to the Punxsutawney Historical and Genealogical Society, a “[Native] sorcerer first appeared in various forms and attacked travelers from the East. He was hunted and killed in combat by a young chief. His body was burned to destroy the ‘evil medicine’ but miraculously turned to searing sandflies, or ‘ponksad,’ which plagued the area and the [Native Americans]. From that time the [Native Americans] called the location, ‘Ponksaduteney,’ which meant the ‘town of the sandflies.’”
Following the small gathering at Rev. David Barclay’s home, our church as we now know it was built in 1904. In December of 1921, the two groups of Presbyterians in Punxsutawney joined together to construct the sanctuary that we still use today. Our church was incorporated in 1922. Since 1918, our pastors have included: E. Clair Good, 1918-1923 Herman C. Humke, 1929-1958 George C. Culp, 1959-1972 William C. Starr, 1973-1990 Kent E. Holmes, 1991-2010 Brett J. Swanson, 2011-2017 Erin E. Kobs, 2020-present We are excited to share our past with you as we actively work on our present. Join us as we build a strong foundation of community both within and outside of our church, and as we develop our faith, values, and creativity in outreach. We know that by actively working for our present, we’ll build a bright future. |