Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-20


he was a teacher at the Lucy Webb Dea-
coness Home. The pastor was born in
Salem, Va, September IA, 1884, and came
to this city in January, 1868.
The story of the founding of the Central
Church is an interesting one. For many
years this was the only church of the
Presbyterian faith connected with the
southern wing of the denomination and the
history of it is as interesting a romance
in story book. The clouds of the great
civil war had hardly disappeared from the
horizon when Miss Mary E. Coyle, devout
lady, who lived at 21S street northwest,
full of the spirit which actuated Lydia of
old, wrote to the eloquent and venerated
Moses d. Hoge of Richmond, Va, telling
her own feelings on the subject, and asking
whether something could not be done to
establish in Washington a church whose
organization and management would put
1t in sympathetic touch with people from
the southland. That letter, communicated
to the Rev. A. w. Pitzer (whose Christian
name Is Alexander White), eliminated in
the Central Presbyterian Church, which
was organized in the parlors of Miss Coyles
house, with a membership of only twenty
nine persons. and not one of them person
Of wealth.
Had Not Dollar.
The church at that time had not a dollar,
not brick, not foot of ground for a house
of worship. Arrangements were made to
hire hall. and on the afternoon of jan
their first public worship in the upper
room of the old Columbian Law building,
on 9Th street between D and e streets
northwest. June IA, 1861 two little boxes,
made by loving hands, labeled For the
building fund" and placed near the door Of
their place of worship, yielded up $l3.O6.
Week after week these little boxes con-
tinued to yield up their offerings. Devoted
members gave pictures, silver plate and
jewery, to be sold for the benefit of the
church, and thus the building fund con-
tlnued to grow.
A silver vase afforded the material from
which a handsome communion service was
made. December /, 1871, the lot was pur-
chased at the corner of Sd and T streets
northwest, fronting sixty feet on 1 street
and 145 on Sd street. July 2 1872 ground
was broken for the chapel to be erected,
fronting Sd street, on the north forty feet
OF the lot. This building, which has a
seating capacity of 400, was dedicated jan
uary 49, 1S73-just five years to the day
from the time the first service was held in
the hired hall on 9TH street. The main
church edifce, which fronts on l street
and communicates with the chapel in the
rear. was completed November 4, 1885, and
dedicated December 6. 1855. the Rev. DIR.
Hoge of Richmond preaching the dedcat-
DRY sermon
A Virginian.
Dr. Pitzer who was destined to find the
browning glory of his life in the Central
Church of this city was born and educated
in Virginia, though two years of his theo-
logical training had been in the seminary
at Danville, KY. He had gone, in 1857, to
Leavenworth Kan, and organized the
First Presbyterian Church of that city, of
which he was pastor until 1851, the break
ing out of the civil war, when, resigning
the Leayenworth charge, he had returned
to the south and engaged in ministerial
work in Georgia in the army of Tennessee
and afterward in Virginia.
The little church organized In Washing
ton under his care, and which worshiped
for five years in hired hall on 9Th street.
was early known as the Rebel Church"
The strong feelings engendered by the war
had not vet fully subsidized. Timorous per-
sons could be found in the government de-
partments who feared for their official po-
sition If they should be known TO affiliate
with the Rebel Church..
Even the Rev. DR.. Byron Sunderland. the
great Presbyterian war preacher OF WASH
ington, who kept the nag in war times al
ways floating from his church edifice, could
hardly refer with charity to the young
church of southern connection; and yet the
time came when DR.. Pitzer and DR.. Sunder-
land knowing each other better, were the
warmest of friends, their congregations fra
ternizing in union services on every Thanks
giving day; and the last Thanksgiving SER
mon preached by Dr. Sunderland before he
became pastor emeritus was preached to
their united congregations in that once So
called rebel church. the Central Presby-
terrain, and the President of the United
States was an auditor.
Since 1872 DIR. Pitzer has been stated clerk
of the presbytery of which he Is member
| (the Chesapeake Presbytery). He has been
| a trustee of Hampdeu-Sidney College, Va,
his alma mater. His contributions through
many years to the leading church reviews,
papers and other periodicals show an ac-
| tive pen. and his works as an author are
accounted valuable. Indeed, 1t was In rec
{, ognition of his book entitled "Eece Deus
| Homo that Arkansas College In 1876 con-
| ferred upon him the honory degree Of D. d.