Second Presbyterian Church of Carlisle, Pennsylvania

Historical Note:

The immediate beginnings of the Second Presbyterian church of Carlisle are to be found in differences of theological opinions.  West of the Susquehanna River, in the area of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, the local Presbyterian Church had survived the Old Light/New Light schism of the eighteenth century and settled down into its relatively new sanctuary on the Town Square.  George Duffield III had been the minister for sixteen years, serving the needs of his congregation and the Presbytery, thinking and writing about spiritual matters.  In 1832 he wrote and published Duffield on Regeneration.  Reaction in the local church and the Presbytery was swift.  The Presbytery’s response was a fairly gentle admonition.  However, some members of the congregation, appalled by Duffield’s book, were joined by others unhappy about a variety of church problems and requested the Presbytery to set aside their membership and declare the formation of a new body:  The Second Presbyterian Church of Carlisle.  This done, they became the members of the new congregation, whose first meeting was Jan. 12, 1833 in the County Hall.

 

Collection Description:

The papers of the Second Presbyterian Church of Carlisle, Pennsylvania include records from the founding of the church in 1833 through 1977.  They are arranged into eight record groups:
RG 1 – Ministers;  RG 2 – Session; RG 3 – Trustees;  RG 4 – Financial Records; RG 5 – Congregation; RG 6 – Organizations; RG 7 – Printed Materials; RG 8 – Miscellaneous.  The description for each record group precedes its inventory.

Full Finding Aid (pdf)

Detailed Collection Inventory (pdf) developed by Luke Nicosia