Grace Methodist Church, Harrisburg, Dauphin County

April feels (to me at least) like it's been about three months long. Then again, ever since the pandemic I'm pretty sure time has lost a lot of its meaning. In any case, I've got one more blog post for you before we head into the month of May, so let's take a trek to Dauphin County and learn about a building that served one very unusual purpose: saving Harrisburg's role as capital of the commonwealth.

The congregation of what today is the Grace United Methodist Church has been gathering since 1810, when they were first united as Harrisburg's Methodist society. The membership consisted of five people, plus the occasional services of what was called a circuit rider preacher - one of those itinerants who traveled between disparate congregations in order to minister to small groups that couldn't afford their own preacher. But the little society grew so much in its first ten years that, by 1820, they were able to build themselves a little church at the intersection of Second and South Streets in Harrisburg, and hire a full-time minister. 

As the tensions continued to brew which would lead to the American Civil War, the church had a terrifying incident. Their pastor, Jacob Gruber, had traveled to Maryland and delivered an anti-slavery sermon, and a faction of pro-slavery miscreants retaliated by breaking into the church and blowing up the pulpit. No one seems to have been injured in the explosion, at least as far as I can tell from the church's own website, but I can imagine the fear that must have struck at least some of the parishioners when they learned about it. 

By 1839, the congregation had grown so much that they had outgrown the space of their first church, so they relocated to the intersection of Locust and Third Streets to establish themselves as the Locust Street Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1851 they welcomed Jenny Lind, the opera singer known as the "Swedish Nightingale," who performed a concert in the church building as part of her United States tour. As the membership grew, they had to establish additional satellite congregations throughout the city. Finally, in order to bring all the members together, they purchased land in 1871 on State Street, near the Capitol, to build a church big enough for everyone.

State Street, in those days, wasn't much more than a swamp. In fact, when they laid the foundation stone for the new church building, it sank completely out of sight! Despite this, however, construction began in earnest. The new building was designed by Frank Davis, an architect from Baltimore, in the Gothic Revival style, with arches and buttresses and a spire reaching 226 feet into the sky. The "Mother Church of Harrisburg Methodism" was given the name of Grace Methodist Episcopal Church. The sanctuary cornerstone was placed in 1873, and while it continued to be built, the congregation worshiped in the educational building behind the church proper. They began to be able to use the sanctuary in 1874; a Calder organ was added to the choir loft in the rear balcony in 1884, and the spire was completed in 1888.

Fast forward a bit to 1897. The state legislative body met in what was known as the Hills Capitol building, so named for its architect, Stephen Hills. This was Harrisburg's original capitol building, completed in 1822. The representatives were in session during a snowstorm on February 2nd when a fire broke out in the building; I can't find anything which indicates the cause of the blaze, only that evacuation was quickly deemed necessary. Some of the state's records were rescued, but much was lost as the fire burned out of control, completely destroying the building.

As you very possibly learned in school, Harrisburg is the capital city of Pennsylvania due to its relatively central location. It was established as such in 1810, due to the ease of reaching it either on horseback or by sailing on the Susquehanna River. Prior to 1810, the capital had been Lancaster due to its population, and before that it had been in Philadelphia. Locals were concerned that the loss of the capitol building would resurrect the argument, and that either of those cities would again be named the state capital. To keep the capital in Harrisburg, the legislature needed to be able to continue meeting in Harrisburg. But there was only one building in the entire city which was big enough to hold both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

To that end, Grace Methodist was approached with an offer. In exchange for $20,000 (roughly $753,000 in today's money), the legislature would effectively take over the church building, except on Sundays, until the new Capitol was ready for them. The congregation agreed, and spent about a week removing religious items and furnishings and replacing them with what the lawmakers would require to do their work. The House of Representatives convened in the sanctuary, while the Senate was housed in the Assembly Hall on the church's top floor. For a year and change, the Pennsylvania General Assembly called the church home, and the rest of the city called the church "the Savior of the Capitol."

The new capitol building, still in use today, was completed far enough in 1898 that the legislature could go 'home,' leaving Grace Methodist with Harrisburg's everlasting gratitude for having kept the seat of government in the city. Using the money they had received for the inconvenience, the congregation began a series of renovations and improvements, such as becoming the first public building in the city to be wired for electric lights. They added a Tiffany stained glass window and Tiffany mosaics, and an altar mural called The Adoration of the Shepherds, all of which are still part of the church today. As the 20th century got underway, they added a parsonage, relocated the choir's position in the sanctuary, acquired a new organ, and constructed the Beggs Chapel. The building became known as the "Christmas Church" due to its red carpeting and Christmas-themed artwork and windows.

The church, like many others, has struggled in recent years, especially since the pandemic. They were nearly closed in 2019 due to a proposal from leaders at the Susquehanna Annual Conference, but were able to resist the effort to shut their doors and have recommitted themselves to keeping the congregation alive. They provide free Sunday breakfast for people in need, and also offer space for a shelter for unhoused women through Harrisburg's Christian Churches United. As a Reconciling Congregation, they support full inclusion of persons of all races, genders, and sexualities in all aspects of church life. The beautiful building which sits on a former swamp is also part of the Harrisburg Historic District, a collective of more than 300 19th-century buildings in the original core of the city, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Check out the official website in my sources section to see pictures of the church, including that incredible altar mural, and also to enjoy their video sermons, which have become a staple of their worship since 2020.

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Sources and Further Reading:

Official website of Grace United Methodist Church of Harrisburg

Grace Methodist Church at the Historical Marker Database

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Except where indicated, all writing and photography on this blog is the intellectual property of Laura Klotz. This blog is written with permission of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. I am not employed by the PHMC. All rights reserved.