“Devoted beginnings.” That’s how the story of Lower Merion Baptist Church starts. The church was founded in 1808. It became the first church in the Bryn Mawr area. Nineteen members gathered. They had been worshipping at the Harriton Estate. Charles Thomson’s estate was their meeting place. Thomson was the Secretary of the Continental Congress.
In 1809, Charles Thomson donated land. This land was for a Baptist Meeting House. He became a regular worshipper. The cornerstone was donated in 1810. Charles McClenaghan provided it.
The first pastor was Reverend Dr. Horatio Gates Jones. He served for 46 years. Lower Merion Baptist Church opened its cemetery in 1809. Trustee regulations initially restricted tombstones. They could only be 18 inches high. They also had to be placed horizontally. These rules changed in 1833. Now stones are vertical. Their heights vary.
Many are buried here. Sixteen descendants of William Penn rest here. So do veterans of various wars. Thirty-five soldiers of the Revolutionary War are buried here. Twenty-four from the War of 1812 also rest here. Fifty-one Civil War soldiers are interred here.
In 1887, a stained-glass window was added. It shows Charles Thomson. George W. Childs donated it. He published the Philadelphia Public Ledger. Other memorial windows were added. The building’s style changed. Plain glass became Gothic stained glass.
Additions to the sanctuary occurred in 1859 and 1887. An interior renovation happened in 1930. A vestibule was added in 1933. The Woodrow Wilson family gave it. They attended the church. They lived in its parsonage. Wilson was a professor at Bryn Mawr College then.
Lower Merion Baptist Church also played a role in local memorials. In 1931, land was provided. It was for a Revolutionary War Memorial. The memorial honored Charles Thomson. It honored soldiers from Lower Merion Township. They served in the Revolutionary War. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania erected a bronze tablet. The DAR donated a large granite tablet. Steps lead to the memorial. Thirteen steps represent the original 13 colonies.
The Lower Merion Baptist Church congregation established missions elsewhere. A chapel and educational building existed on Lancaster Avenue. It was used until 1952. In 1873, a Sunday School began in Merion Square. In 1884, a chapel was erected in Conshohocken. Churches were established in Ardmore and Newtown Square. Saints Memorial Baptist Church was established in Bryn Mawr.
Lower Merion Baptist Church has a long history. It shows faith and community. It is a place where history and spirituality meet.