Heritage Weekend Tile 1972

The Presbyterian Church congregation in Moorefield was organized with 31 members on the rolls in 1838 but traces its roots to itinerant preachers in the 1780s.

In 1846, several prominent families deeded Lot 18 in Moorefield to the trustees of the church for a new sanctuary that was begun in 1847 and completed in 1855. The church called the Rev. William V. Wilson as their pastor in the same year, and both church and pastor survived the Civil War.

During the war, the church was occupied at various times by Confederate and Union troops and both armies used it as a hospital. In 1914, the U.S. government paid the church $800 for damage done by Union troops, including burning pews and stabling horses inside the sanctuary.

The exterior reflects many characteristics of Greek Revival architecture. On the gabled roof, a bell tower houses a bell cast in Philadelphia in 1842 that was used as a fire alarm for the town until 1934. The belfry is topped with a weather vane in the shape of a fish and inscribed by its maker, Gottlieb Hutter. A Civil War Trails marker in front of the church provides more information.

Location: 109 South Main Street, Moorefield.