224 Mansfield--United Presbyterian Church

Originally built in 1834 on property donated by Garrett D. Wall, this church was a daughter church of old Oxford Presbyterian (founded before 1744). The Presbyterian Church at Belvidere began with a meeting at the Courthouse in Belvidere. The first building was completed on the present site in late 1834. The congregation divided during the Civil War, and Second Presbyterian Church (now apartments on Market Street, see Tour Site #17) was established in 1849-1850. The church on Mansfield Street was then designated “First Presbyterian.” A fire destroyed the building in 1859 and in 1860, the present structure was largely completed. In May 24, 1964, First and Second Presbyterian Churches combined as United Presbyterian Church.

The stained glass windows in the sanctuary are, in part, actually paintings, and were placed in the sanctuary in 1910. The Gleaners, in the northwest wall, tells the Biblical story of Ruth. The Christmas window, “Behold I Bring You Glad Tidings,” follows on the north side, followed by the resurrection window, and the last of the art is a depiction of Revelation 3: 20, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.”

The windows in the south wall include “Christ Teaching in the Temple,” The Ascension Window, Jesus as the Great Shepherd, and the glorious Gethsemane window, which is backlit on Good Friday evening services held in the sanctuary.

The beautiful hand painted church sign on the church lawn was designed and made Peach Cole, the editor of The Busy Peach.

The United Presbyterian Church is part of the Belvidere Historic District, added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 3, 1980 for its significance in architecture, commerce, community planning, industry, politics and government during the 19th century. The district is bounded by Market and Race streets; Greenwich and Mansfield Avenues; and the Pequest River. It includes 228 contributing buildings. United Presbyterian Church is #183 of the contributing buildings.