A BRIEF HISTORY

The exact date of the founding of the First Presbyterian Church of Hillsboro is not certain, but sometime in the year 1804 has become the accepted date.  The church was named Nazareth, and was a log structure on the east bank of Clear Creek in the general vicinity of the bridge on U.S. 50.  In October, 1810, Presbytery met at the Nazareth Church and approved the call of Rev. Nicholas Pittinger, who was to divide his time between the Nazareth, New Market, and Rocky Spring Churches.

Hillsborough was incorporated in 1807, and in 1816 the congregation decided to move the church to the village and change the name to First Presbyterian Church.  For two years the services were held in the county courthouse.  In 1818-19 a brick structure was erected at the "Y" where Chillicothe Avenue and East Main Street merge (present site of the Main Street Primary building of Hillsboro City Schools).

The first year Sunday School was organized in 1830, and the following year the church moved its site again, this time to its present location, and erected a new building.

Three years later, in 1834, the Rev. Samuel Steele began his long and successful pastorate.  Growth of the church necessitated the razing of this building in 1845, to make possible a larger structure, which became known as the "Crusade Church".

On Christmas Eve, 1873, a temperance lecturer's remarks of the preceding evening started a temperance movement in Hillsboro to close saloons.

Day after day, groups of women invaded the saloons where they knelt on the floor and prayed for abolition of the liquor traffic, from this grew the Women's Christian Temperance Union.  Actually it was an interdenominational effort, and Mother Thompson, the leader, was not a Presbyterian.  However, some of the more active ladies in the crusade were Presbyterian, and the prayer meeting from which the ladies moved out to begin their crusade was held in the Presbyterian  church on the morning of December 24, 1873.  Thus the W.C.T.U. has looked upon this church as the birthplace of the movement, and over the years has celebrated their 50th, 100th and 125th anniversaries  by a pilgrimage of the national meeting to this location to hold its meeting.

Continued growth of the parish under the long pastorate of the Rev. W. J McSurely, led to the razing of the "Crusade Church" in 1895 to building the present building.  This building was dedicated  on May 11, 1899.

WINDOWS

There is a "Resurrection Window" on the east side of the sanctuary, and an equally beautiful window on the west side which represents the Institution of the Lord's Supper.  ON the south side between the sanctuary and fellowship room are 6 beautiful panels dedicated to children.  On the north side of the sanctuary is a beautiful window representing the Ascension of our Lord.  It is made by M. Androvette of Chicago and is a copy of the famous work by Pleim.