The Beginnings of Springfield Presbyterian Church

 

In August of 1835, a group of prominent area landowners met at Brown’s Hotel, in Horse Train Stop, to arrange for construction of a “House of Worship and Academy” on land donated by George Patterson, from his Springfield Estate. The donated five-acre parcel was the highest point of the Patterson estate.

 

In attendance at Brown’s Hotel were: George Patterson, William Baer, William H. Warfield, Dr. Homer Goldsborough, Warner W. Warfield, and Aquilla Day. During that meeting, a board of trustees was formed, and George Patterson was named Chairman.

 

On May 9, 1836, the cornerstone, sourced from the quarry of William H. Warfield, was laid with Masonic and religious elements, including the mixing of oil, wine, and wheat to represent health, prosperity, and peace.

 

Our church was initially known as the First Presbyterian Church of Baltimore, as this area was within Baltimore County.

Then in 1837, Carroll County was formed from portions of Baltimore and Frederick counties. The Maryland General Assembly subsequently decreed that ‘said church shall henceforth be known by and styled “The Springfield Presbyterian Church of Carroll County”’, recognizing the role that George Patterson and his family’s Springfield Estate contributed to our beginnings.

 

Education at Springfield Presbyterian Church

 

Formal education began at the Springfield Academy as early as 1838 when the members of the newly formed Presbyterian Church provided lessons to the local children. Classes were held in the church fellowship room, beneath the sanctuary.

 

In the late 1850’s, after the completion of the manse, Springfield Institute was founded by the church trustees and supervised by Reverend T.W. Simpson. The Institute had many incarnations, meeting first in the church basement, and later the manse.  

 

In 1877, the Reverend Charles Beach was installed at Springfield. Rev. Beach was very passionate about education and was appointed the first principal of Springfield Institute in 1878. His wife and daughters taught classes at the church and manse until 1882, when a school was erected across the street to accommodate the 50+ children who attended each year.

 

Land for the new building was donated by Frank Brown, with a substantial financial donation by Mrs. Prudence Patterson. The newly constructed Springfield Institute was promoted as a “boarding and day school for girls’; local boys attended during the day as well.

 

Springfield Institute remained a beacon of education for local children until 1900, when dwindling enrollment and the presence of public schooling became undeniably appealing to the citizens of Sykesville and the surrounding community.

 

Today

 

Present day Springfield Presbyterian Church overlooks Sykesville, MD, with a historic cemetery and the original manse on the property. Our vision for ministry is to be an open, flourishing, multigenerational congregation, where all can worship, study, and act to discern God’s plan for ourselves and our community.