First
Presbyterian is one of Lockport's landmark churches at 21 Church Street, in sight of The
Big Bridge in the city's downtown area.
First
Presbyterian is one of Lockport's landmark churches at 21 Church Street, in sight of The
Big Bridge in the city's downtown area.
The church's first home in Lockport was a log cabin in 1823, then a small brick building, and in 1855, the present edifice pictured at the left. Stone for the church came from a stone quarry at the north end of Church and Lock Streets. The steeple was added in 1867.
The church is a Lockport tourist attraction and point of pride not only because of its long standing in the community but its original Tiffany glass windows. There are six such windows made by Louis C. Tiffany or his company plus another six were made with Tiffany glass. The windows are protected from the outside now with heavy Plexiglas and can only be viewed from inside the church.
Besides the windows, inside is a beautiful colonial interior with a three-sided balcony.
In addition to regular services, a tour of the church can be arranged. A descriptive brochure with color photos is available.
Rev. Malbie D. Babcock was pastor at Lockport's First Presbyterian Church from 1882 to 1887 (when he moved on to a church in Baltimore, MD and, in 1899, to another congregation in New York City). Lockport was Rev. Babcock's first pastorate after graduation from Auburn Theological Seminary.
The young pastor enjoyed outdoor walks during his time in Lockport and often told his friends, that he was going out "to see my Father's world." One of his favorite walks was to the area now known as Outwater Park. He enjoyed watching birds here and looking out over the Niagara Escarpment toward Lake Ontario and beyond. He marveled at the beauty God had made for the Lockport area. It was during these days, looking out over the escarpment in Lockport, that he was inspired to write the words to the world-famous hymn, "This Is My Father's World." The hymn hails the power of God in nature and the evidence of this was none other than the scene we can still see today at Outwater Park.
For those whose computer is properly equipped, a rendition of the hymn (music composed by Franklin L. Sheppard) may be heard in the background on this page. Although his time in Lockport was relatively short, Malbie Babcock was entered into the "Lockport Walk Of Fame" during the summer of 2001.
This Is My Father's World
This is my Father's world,
and to my listening ears
all nature sings, and round me rings
the music of the spheres.
This is my Father's world:
I rest me in the thought
of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
his hand the wonders wrought.
This is my Father's world,
the birds their carols raise,
the morning light, the lily white,
declare their maker's praise.
This is my Father's world:
he shines in all that's fair;
in the rustling grass I hear him pass;
he speaks to me everywhere.
This is my Father's world.
O let me ne'er forget
that though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father's world:
why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King; let the heavens ring!
God reigns; let the earth be glad!
"The
Great Commissioning" one of the windows in the church was dedicated
in 1950 in memory of Alice Pomroy Kenan, wife of Lockportian,
William Rand Kenan Jr.
There are six windows in the church that are original Tiffany windows or made by his company plus six which were made using Tiffany glass. The latter windows were made by the Payne-Spiers Studios in the late 1940's and early 1950's through the efforts of Mr. Thomas Hildreth who was able to have enough of the original Tiffany Glass set aside for the church to be used when the opportunity for new window construction arose. Upon close inspection you can see Tiffany's signature in the lower right corner of the dedication portion of Window Five and the company signature in the lower right corner of the dedication portion of Window Ten.
Tiffany found that the conventional method of constructing a leaded window was too constricting. Rather than follow the lines of the cartoon with lead strips and then cut the glass to fit, he cut the glass according to the colors and cut the leading to fit them. This was much more difficult, but the results were worth it. To achieve the desired effects took much experimentation both on his part and that of his partners. He admired the strong colors of the great cathedrals of the thirteenth century and the methods used by the French Impressionists in their treatment of light color. Color was all-important to him.
Some of these effects he discovered could be made by "layering" one piece of colored glass over a different color, by applying color in streaks or dry-brushing the color on the surface. An important method of treating glass was developed by the Heidt Works, which they called Drapery Glass. The surface had actual folds in it and the process used in making it was very difficult. The molten glass was poured on a steel table and as it cooled, workers would use tongs and steel rods to pull and push the glass into folds resembling cloth. By running your fingers over the surface of the windows, you will be able to feel this effect. Another thing you might try if you tour the church in person is to guess how many layers of glass were used in various parts of the window.
For more information about Louis Comfort Tiffany, you can read Rebel in Glass or Louis C. Tiffany's Art Glass by Robert Koch. Both books are found in The Lockport Public Library.
...The above text on
church windows was adapted from the church's brochure
written by Lockport Artist, William W. Storrs
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THE PICTURE OF LOCKPORT