Reformed Presbyterian Church
Silver Spring Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
On August 23, 1752, Scottish Covenanter Presbyterians held their first recorded Communion in the New World here at Joseph and Elizabeth Junkin's farm. A scattered community of 250 worshippers attended this nine-hour outdoor service at the "Junkin Tent" on America's frontier. Rev. John Cuthbertson, the first Reformed Presbyterian missionary in America, presided over the gathering, which contributed to the establishment of the denomination.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
On a late-summer day in 1752, some 250 Scottish Covenanter Presbyterians gathered at Joseph and Elizabeth Junkin's frontier farm for what is recorded as the first Communion of their faith in the New World. The nine-hour outdoor service at the "Junkin Tent" was led by Rev. John Cuthbertson, the first Reformed Presbyterian missionary in America. This scattered congregation of immigrants helped plant the roots of the denomination on American soil.
Why it matters
The gathering marks the transplanting of a distinct Scottish religious tradition to the American frontier, part of the broader story of immigrant faiths shaping the young country's spiritual landscape.
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Related people
- · Rev. John Cuthbertson
- · Joseph Junkin
- · Elizabeth Junkin
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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