The edifice is the oldest church building in a small city that at one time was a bustling community with as many as ten glass factories – and over 20 saloons.

[1][2] Located at the corner of High and Franklin Streets, the church is part of the Hartford City Courthouse Square Historic District.

A second branch of Christianity came to the area on December 18, 1843, when the Presbyterian Church of Hartford was founded by a group of thirteen people and the Reverend Samuel N.

[9] Members of the church's congregation included “some of the county's most respected citizens”, with surnames such as Willman, Gable, Reasoner, Fulton, Emshwiller, Woolard, Sanderson, and McEldowney.

On March 7, 1868, the Presbyterians purchased a lot on the north side of Hartford City at the corner of High and Franklin Streets, not far from the location of a Methodist church used in the 1840s.

Members of the congregation were unwilling to go deep into debt for a new structure, but they began to work to acquire the financial resources necessary to achieve their goal of a larger house of worship.

In 1883, an additional group was established with the extensive name of "The Woman's Home and Foreign Missionary Society of Hartford City, Muncie Presbytery, Auxiliary to the Northwest Branches of the Presbyterian Church."

The well-attended Sunday dedication ceremony (July 9, 1893) included the Reverend Charles H. Payne, a noted New York divine, in addition to visitors from nearby cities and towns.

[3] H. H. Richardson's interpretation of the Romanesque architectural style became popular in America in the late 19th century, especially for churches and public buildings.

The west side of the structure (see photo herein), which houses the main (High Street) entrance to the sanctuary (located at the base of the bell tower), features an enormous stained glass window surrounded with narrow brick buttresses topped with limestone.

Additional buttresses, similar in appearance but slightly lower in height, are located on both sides of the southwest corner of the building.

Another gabled section on the north side, further to the east from the tower, is the location for the Franklin Street entrance to the building – and more stained glass windows.

One of the main features of the 1893 version of the church building was (and still is) a huge stained glass window on the High Street (west) side of the sanctuary.

[18] The stained glass window was paid for by Mrs. George Gable as a memorial to her mother (Lydia Taughinbaugh), who was one of the charter members of the church.

[28] An American example of Capronnier's work with stained glass can be found in the “parable window” in the First Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia.

[31] This technological advantage enabled Belgium to be the top exporter of plate and polished glass to the United States during the early 20th century before World War I.

The many stained glass windows in Hartford City's Presbyterian Church carry on this tradition with both Biblical scenes and symbolism.

At first glance, the huge window on the church's west wall (see High Street photo) appears to be an elaborate geometric design without obvious Christian symbols.

Most art (stained) glass rose windows in cathedrals and churches in the UK, Europe and the US, feature rich primary colors of deep blue, purple, red, green and gold.

The art glass in the main west window in the sanctuary of First Presbyterian Church of Hartford City is unique in that it utilizes almost entirely pastel and muted colors to convey natural beauty and sacred meaning.

The various light blue tones portray the firmament, sky, air, containing moisture, rain, and water to replenish the earth.

The many light blues and muted greens in the main west window represent the opening story in the book of Genesis: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth: firmament, sky, natural processes of sunlight, air, and water nourishing the earth, soil, growing vegetation, the organic life cycle that sustains human life.

There is both the what and the why of the art glass design – God created organic life in azures and olives, accented with mauves and teals and all manner of pastels.

Together these priceless, world-class art glass windows are the unique story of God-given science of nature enabling human endeavor to connect with the divine.

[36] Over the first one hundred years, minor changes were made to the church, including moving doorways and modifications to the sanctuary.

[37] The door no longer exists, as can be seen in the west wall (High Street side) picture from 2010 (Architecture section).

Because of the larger number of attendees of the Sunday School classes, it was proposed to add a building to the east end of the church's property.

[1] The new pipe organ cost over $2,000, and was installed in 1912 after the platform for the choir and pulpit was enlarged to accommodate the magnificent new instrument.

While the recent membership total reflects a decline from the pre-World War II peak years, it represents a small increase from earlier in the decade.

Situated at the corner of Franklin and High Streets, much of the church building looks the same as the outstanding structure constructed in 1892 and 1893.