Stanford Presbyterian Church
FOUNDED 1788
The Stanford Presbyterian Church was founded in 1788, just two years after Stanford received the city charter from the Virginia Legislature. The first record of the Church is an order of the Transylvania Presbytery, which was recorded during a meeting at Paint Lick in 1790. During this meeting, Rev. McConnell was instructed to preach twice a month at the Lincoln County Courthouse for the congregation there.
In the early 1790s, Mrs. Mary Briggs, sister of Benjamin Logan, donated land to Stanford for the construction of the church building. The one-room log meeting house, built in 1792, still stands on West Main Street. Over the years, additions were made, and it was once the residence of Mrs. Harvey Helm, a member of the church.
The county now owns the building and serves as a museum.
Old Cemetery: Buffalo Springs Cemetery
In 1802, Benjamin Logan transferred three and one-half acres of land to the Presbyterian Society for the Buffalo Springs Congregation. A log structure with a gallery at each end was built on that land. The congregation used it until 1836 when a new church was built on the present site. That location is now known as the Old Cemetery and is part of the Buffalo Springs Cemetery.
New Buildings & Remodels
The congregation constructed a brick structure featuring a central row of pews and additional rows on each side, positioned next to the walls. There was a stairway that led from the vestibule to a gallery that the black families used. At that time, there were no basements or Sunday school rooms. Sunday school met in the church room. The bell, which was taken from the first church, was rung before Church services. That bell is still used today.
Some repairs were made to the building in 1877, and in 1888, a tornado tore away the roof and cupola. The building was severely damaged. Within a year, reconstruction was finished, costing $5,500.00. In 1928 and 29, the sanctuary was remodeled, and the colonial front was added.
In 1958, new Sunday school rooms were added. A steam heating system and a Pilcher pipe organ were also installed at that time.
During the history of the Stanford Presbyterian Church, there have been four buildings on three locations. There have been thirty-one ministers. A roster of the past and present ministers of the Stanford Presbyterian Church reads: Rev. McConnell, David Rice, Samuel Finley, Archibald Dixon, Lapsley Yantis, Timothy Root, James Barnes, S.S. McRoberts, George Barnes, William Crow, J. L. Barnes, Isaac McElroy, A.S. Moffatt, Benjamin Helm, W. Slaymaker, Stanford Rankin, Gilbert Glass, J. L. Yandell, P.L.Bruce, C. E. McLean, Joe Sudduth, Julian Huston, George Thompson, Charles McAuley, Benjamin Lenhart, Robert Geizentanner, Daniel Clark, Lee Jennings, James Erwin, Jay Mumper, and Brad Napier.
The church survived the Civil War, a tornado, and a division of members. The present church contains a vestibule, bell room, and sanctuary with a pipe organ, a basement with an assembly room, restrooms, kitchen, and classrooms.
Several members of the church have become missionaries, and others have gone into the ministry. The spiritual life of Stanford Presbyterians has been greatly enhanced by the devout witnesses, and the congregation remains committed to service and witnessing to its fellow men.
Expanded Parking Lot
2019
New Transportation
