Tualatin Plains Presbyterian Church
Encyclopedia
The Tualatin Plains Presbyterian Church, better known as the Old Scotch Church, is a church and national historic site located in Hillsboro
, Oregon
, United States
. The church dates to 1873 while the church structure with an eight-sided steeple dates to 1878. A cemetery
on the church grounds has the burials of church members and local pioneer settlers of the Tualatin Plains
, including Joseph Meek
.
These first members of the congregation came primarily from the same area in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, which is located west of Aberdeen. In Scotland
, they had been members of the Free Church of Scotland
. After immigrating to the United States
and traveling to Oregon, they settled near each other in the Tualatin Valley
. Because of the settlers' Scottish origin, their church building acquired its common name "The Old Scotch Church." The twelve original Scottish pioneers were: Mr. and Mrs. William Chalmers and their daughter Catherine, Mr. and Mrs. James Smith, Rev. and Mrs. George Ross, Mr. and Mrs. George Alexander, their daughter Eliza, Miss Alexander and John Milne. Many of the descendants of these founding members are buried in the cemetery surrounding the church, as well as eight of the twelve founders.
-style building in early 1878. The architect for the structure was Mr. Balantyne. His design included buttresses, stained glass
windows, a steep roof, and the signature eight-sided steeple. Construction commenced with much of the material and labor being donated by the congregation. The stained glass windows in the building were imported from Scotland. The church building, adjacent to McKay Creek, was completed in 1878 and dedicated that same year. A church bell was added in 1926 to the steeple.
are also buried in the cemetery. Joseph Meek
is one of the best known of those buried at the Old Scotch Church. Meek died on June 20, 1875, and was originally buried at his homestead, located near a historic marker dedicated to him along the Sunset Highway
. Meek was a mountain man, a member of Oregon’s Provisional Government
, and the first U.S. Marshall of the Oregon Territory
. After his land was sold, his remains were moved and re-interred at the church’s cemetery. The cemetery also contains a cairn
added in 1985 as a memorial to ancestors in Scotland who were massacred
at Glen Coe
in 1692.
to be honored. On November 5, 1974, the church was added to the National Register of Historic Places
as the Old Scotch Church. The Tualatin Plains Presbyterian Church still holds services in the Old Scotch Church building every Sunday.
Hillsboro, Oregon
Hillsboro is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County. Lying in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city is home to many high-technology companies, such as Intel, that compose what has become known as the...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The church dates to 1873 while the church structure with an eight-sided steeple dates to 1878. A cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
on the church grounds has the burials of church members and local pioneer settlers of the Tualatin Plains
Tualatin Plains
The Tualatin Plains are a prairie area in central Washington County, Oregon, United States. Located around the Hillsboro and Forest Grove areas, the plains were first inhabited by the Atfalati band of the Kalapuya group of Native Americans. Euro-American settlement began in the...
, including Joseph Meek
Joseph Meek
Joseph Lafayette "Joe" Meek was a trapper, law enforcement official, and politician in the Oregon Country and later Oregon Territory of the United States. A pioneer involved in the fur trade before settling in the Tualatin Valley, Meek would play a prominent role at the Champoeg Meetings of 1843...
.
Organization
The Tualatin Plains Presbyterian Church was organized in 1873 with the first service on November 16. This first service was held at the four-room Columbia Academy schoolhouse with the Reverend George Ross as pastor, four miles (6 km) northwest of the present site. Services were held at the academy until a permanent site for construction of a house of worship could be located by the congregation.These first members of the congregation came primarily from the same area in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, which is located west of Aberdeen. In Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, they had been members of the Free Church of Scotland
Free Church of Scotland (1843-1900)
The Free Church of Scotland is a Scottish denomination which was formed in 1843 by a large withdrawal from the established Church of Scotland in a schism known as the "Disruption of 1843"...
. After immigrating to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and traveling to Oregon, they settled near each other in the Tualatin Valley
Tualatin Valley
The Tualatin Valley is a farming and suburban region southwest of Portland, Oregon in the United States. The valley is formed by the meandering Tualatin River, a tributary of the Willamette River at the northwest corner of the Willamette Valley, east of the Northern Oregon Coast Range...
. Because of the settlers' Scottish origin, their church building acquired its common name "The Old Scotch Church." The twelve original Scottish pioneers were: Mr. and Mrs. William Chalmers and their daughter Catherine, Mr. and Mrs. James Smith, Rev. and Mrs. George Ross, Mr. and Mrs. George Alexander, their daughter Eliza, Miss Alexander and John Milne. Many of the descendants of these founding members are buried in the cemetery surrounding the church, as well as eight of the twelve founders.
Structure
In 1876, 1 acres (4,046.9 m²) of land was donated to the church by Jacob Hoover to provide a place for a permanent church building and cemetery. On March 11, 1878, the church board began the process of building a permanent building by authorizing an estimate to determine the costs of building a church structure. An estimate of $2120 was completed for a Carpenter GothicCarpenter Gothic
Carpenter Gothic, also sometimes called Carpenter's Gothic, and Rural Gothic, is a North American architectural style-designation for an application of Gothic Revival architectural detailing and picturesque massing applied to wooden structures built by house-carpenters...
-style building in early 1878. The architect for the structure was Mr. Balantyne. His design included buttresses, stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
windows, a steep roof, and the signature eight-sided steeple. Construction commenced with much of the material and labor being donated by the congregation. The stained glass windows in the building were imported from Scotland. The church building, adjacent to McKay Creek, was completed in 1878 and dedicated that same year. A church bell was added in 1926 to the steeple.
Expansions
In 1905, the church was expanded when an annex was built onto the back of the building, adding additional classrooms for Sunday school. Then in 1940 the annex was expanded and a half-basement added, followed by a second addition in 1955 that included the first indoor restrooms at the church. From 1959 to 1960 the building was raised, allowing for a full basement to by completed. In 1984 construction was completed that added four classrooms to the church structure .Cemetery
Many pioneers of the Oregon CountryOregon Country
The Oregon Country was a predominantly American term referring to a disputed ownership region of the Pacific Northwest of North America. The region was occupied by British and French Canadian fur traders from before 1810, and American settlers from the mid-1830s, with its coastal areas north from...
are also buried in the cemetery. Joseph Meek
Joseph Meek
Joseph Lafayette "Joe" Meek was a trapper, law enforcement official, and politician in the Oregon Country and later Oregon Territory of the United States. A pioneer involved in the fur trade before settling in the Tualatin Valley, Meek would play a prominent role at the Champoeg Meetings of 1843...
is one of the best known of those buried at the Old Scotch Church. Meek died on June 20, 1875, and was originally buried at his homestead, located near a historic marker dedicated to him along the Sunset Highway
Sunset Highway
Sunset Highway may refer to:*Sunset Highway , the western most portion of U.S. Highway 26 in Oregon*Sunset Highway , a.k.a Primary State Highway 2...
. Meek was a mountain man, a member of Oregon’s Provisional Government
Provisional Government of Oregon
The Provisional Government of Oregon was a popularly elected government created in the Oregon Country, in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. It existed from May 2, 1843 until March 3, 1849. Created at a time when no country had sovereignty over the region, this independent government...
, and the first U.S. Marshall of the Oregon Territory
Oregon Territory
The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Originally claimed by several countries , the region was...
. After his land was sold, his remains were moved and re-interred at the church’s cemetery. The cemetery also contains a cairn
Cairn
Cairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...
added in 1985 as a memorial to ancestors in Scotland who were massacred
Massacre of Glencoe
Early in the morning of 13 February 1692, in the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution and the Jacobite uprising of 1689 led by John Graham of Claverhouse, an infamous massacre took place in Glen Coe, in the Highlands of Scotland. This incident is referred to as the Massacre of Glencoe, or in...
at Glen Coe
Glen Coe
Glen Coe is a glen in the Highlands of Scotland. It lies in the southern part of the Lochaber committee area of Highland Council, and was formerly part of the county of Argyll. It is often considered one of the most spectacular and beautiful places in Scotland, and is a part of the designated...
in 1692.
Currently
This structure is one of the oldest continuously used churches in the state. The church was the 13th historical site in Washington County, OregonWashington County, Oregon
- Major highways :* Interstate 5* Interstate 205* U.S. Route 26* Oregon Route 6* Oregon Route 8* Oregon Route 10* Oregon Route 47* Oregon Route 99W* Oregon Route 210* Oregon Route 217* Oregon Route 219-Demographics:...
to be honored. On November 5, 1974, the church was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as the Old Scotch Church. The Tualatin Plains Presbyterian Church still holds services in the Old Scotch Church building every Sunday.