Guide to the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. National Capital Presbyterian Commission Records
Open for research.
The proposal for a Presbyterian church of national scope first came before the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the USA in 1803. In 1905, it was proposed again by Supreme Court Justice Harlan and others. Interest in the project continued until in 1921 the Presbytery of Washington City requested the General Assembly to "give serious consideration to the needs of Presbyterianism in the National Capital." In 1923, the General Assembly authorized the General Council to appoint a commission for the purpose of founding "a National Church in our Federal Capital, worthy in all respects of our Communion and adequate to the large and legitimate demands made upon it in this rapidly growing and increasingly prominent city." In 1925, the National Capital Presbyterian Commission was established and the Rev. George B. Stewart, D.D. (1854-1932), President of Auburn Theological Seminary in New York, was appointed Chairman, which position he held until reorganization of the Commission in 1930. The Commission commenced development of plans under the direction of the General Council.
In 1930, the Church of the Covenant and the First Presbyterian Church in the District of Columbia were united and a contract was entered into between these two churches and the National Presbyterian Church, Inc. whereby upon fulfillment of certain terms (chiefly endowment funds) the Congregation of the Covenant-First Presbyterian Church would become the National Presbyterian Church. On March 10, 1947, the Presbytery of Washington City took the following action:
Be it resolved, that Presbytery approve the change of name and the transfer of title from the Covenant-First Presbyterian Church to The National Presbyterian Church, Inc.
By May, 1947, all necessary legal steps in the consolidation of the resources and transfer of titles of the three corporations had been completed, and all interests of the Covenant-First Presbyterian Church, Inc. had been conserved under The National Presbyterian Church. The National Capital Presbyterian Commission was discharged.
Record Group 27 consists of records accumulated between 1925 and 1931 by Dr. Stewart. Correspondence constitutes the bulk of the collection--approximately two-thirds--with minutes, reports and some miscellaneous items forming the balance. A significant part of the correspondence, found throughout, is an exchange of letters between Dr. Stewart and the Rev. Charles Wood, D.D. (18511936), pastor of the Church of the Covenant for twenty years, member of the Commission, and sometimes spoken of as the instigator of the National Presbyterian Church enterprise.
The collection is arranged as follows:
SERIES 1: CORRESPONDENCE, 1925-1931
The correspondence is chronologically arranged by year and consists largely of correspondence between Chairman George B. Stewart and members of the Commission, representatives of the Presbyterian Church's boards and agencies, and various committees of the Presbytery of Washington City, primarily the National Capital Church Extension Committee. There is also correspondence with architects, attorneys, et al.
SERIES 2: REPORTS, 1924-1930
These are the annual reports of the National Capital Presbyterian Commission to the General Council and the General Assembly.
SERIES 3: MINUTES, 1927-1928
The minutes are those of the Board of Trustees of the National Presbyterian Church, Inc. The series includes minutes of the meeting of Incorporators, the certificate of incorporation, constitution and by-laws and the minutes of the first or organization meeting of the Board of Trustees.
SERIES 4: MISCELLANEOUS, 1925-1931
Includes historical data on the National Presbyterian Church project, reports of conferences of the National Capital Church Extension Committee, agreements between the Church of the Covenant and the National Presbyterian Church, Inc. It also includes architects' plans and items relating to campaign matters, legal matters and publicity.
For records complementary to Record Group 27, the researcher is directed to Record Group 134, which records events following the discharge of the Commission in May, 1947. A reading of the annual reports of the Commission published in the Journal of the M
Collection processed: March 1969
Grace Mullen, Assistant Records Researcher
Finding aid prepared: 1984
Jane Ramsay
Finding aid revised: June 1991
Stephanie Muntone, Processing Archivist
| Box | Folder | Description | |
| 1 | 1 | Finding Aid to Record Group 27 | |
| SERIES 1: CORRESPONDENCE, 1925-1931 | |||
| 1 | 2 | 1925 | |
| 3 | 1926 | ||
| 4 | 1927 | ||
| 5 | 1928 | ||
| 6 | 1929-30 | ||
| 7 | 1930-31 | ||
| SERIES 2: REPORTS, 1924-1930 | |||
| 1 | 8 | Reports, 1924-1930 | |
| SERIES 3: MINUTES, 1927-1928 | |||
| 1 | 9 | Minutes of Meeting of Incorporators; Certificate of Incorporation; Constitution and By-Laws; Minutes of Meetings of Board of Trustees of National Presbyterian Church, Inc, 1927-1928 | |
| SERIES 4: MISCELLANEOUS, 1925-1931 | |||
| 1 | 10 | Miscellaneous: Minutes, Reports, Notes, Agreements, Resolutions, Historical Data 1925-1931 |