Christian History of Erie, Pennsylvania
- James Collazo
- May 28, 2023
- 9 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
Introduction
Today, every neighborhood in Erie, Pennsylvania, features at least one church building. However, when the city emerged from the wilderness in 1795, Christians were few. In 1810, Baptist missionary John Colby (1771–1851) arrived on the Lake Erie frontier and found a settlement known more for irreligion than faith. Over the following decades, Erie developed from a frontier town described as wicked into a city shaped by revivalism, abolitionism, education, and public service under the influence of Protestant Christianity. As Colby traveled from Ohio toward Erie, he recorded the stark reality he encountered:
I was advised not to go to this place, as there is no religious society in [Erie]—a noted place for wickedness. By some, for comparison, it was called Sodom. They likewise told me that the people there would not hear me, and I was credibly informed that the people had previously fallen into a frenzy, burnt the Bible, and sprinkled the ashes with whiskey! I, however, made an appointment, and the people had reasonable notice. At the hour the meeting began, I walked through the main street, nearly half a mile, with my hat off, singing the judgment hymn, hoping to excite their attention. I then went to the appointed place and, after waiting an hour and a half, began the service. My audience consisted of three men, three women, and four children. A few more also came in before I finished. The Lord has mercy on the people of Erie if there is any mercy for them.
An influential Quaker, William Penn (1644–1718) founded the colony of Pennsylvania in 1681 as a refuge for religious liberty and representative government. His original grant, however, did not include Presque Isle or the Erie region. In 1792, Pennsylvania acquired the 300-square-mile Erie Triangle from the federal government, securing access to Lake Erie and a strategic freshwater port. Three years later, Erie was founded on the shores of Presque Isle. When Colby arrived in the region during the early years of settlement, he encountered what he viewed as widespread irreligion and moral indifference. Disturbed by the community's spiritual condition, he reportedly referred to Erie as "Sodom," invoking the biblical city associated with divine judgment and human wickedness (Gen. 19). Colby preached throughout the area, calling residents to repentance and faith in Christ.
A Most Extensive Work of Grace
New settlers, many from the New England states, introduced their churches and religious traditions to Erie. These settlers established the first churches in the newly accessible regions of Northwestern Pennsylvania and Northeastern Ohio. During this era, the original Erie County Courthouse, built in 1808 near West Perry Square, served as a place of worship for both Episcopalians and Presbyterians, as dedicated church buildings had not yet been erected. This brick courthouse became the central gathering place for the city's initial Christian community. Across Western Pennsylvania, a religious revival was taking place. Johnston Eaton (1776–1847), a Presbyterian minister in Franklin, observed:
From 1781 to 1787, a most extensive work of grace was experienced in the churches of Cross Creek, Upper Buffalo, Chartiers, Pigeon Creek, Bethel, Lebanon, Ten Mile, Cross Roads, and Millcreek, during which more than a thousand persons were brought into the kingdom of Christ. . . . From 1795 to 1799, another series of gracious visitations were enjoyed by the churches generally throughout Western Pennsylvania, extending to the new settlements north of Pittsburgh.
In 1802, Presbyterian minister Elisha McCurdy (1763–1845) initiated a revival at his former church, Three Springs, which rapidly spread throughout Western Pennsylvania. This movement extended across the United States, leading to the establishment of Sunday schools, missionary campaigns, prayer meetings, the temperance movement, and efforts to abolish slavery. By 1808, these revival movements had significantly influenced the Erie region.
The Second Great Awakening (1795–1835) ignited a revival of Christianity throughout Western Pennsylvania, originating from Western New York's "burned-over district," known for the fervor of its religious revivals. Methodist and Baptist congregations experienced significant growth, with Erie following this trend. In 1797, Methodist settlers established themselves in Erie County and founded the borough of Wesleyville in tribute to John Wesley (1703–1791), the founder of Methodism. The Wesleyville Methodist Episcopal Church was established in 1810, with its structures reconstructed in 1828 and 1927. This parish—now known as Wesley United Methodist Church—played a role in the Underground Railroad, providing refuge to formerly enslaved African Americans in its rafters as they sought freedom in Canada. Wesleyville was officially incorporated in 1912. Presently, a shopping center stands at the original location at 3306 Buffalo Road, while the borough's founders are interred in the old Wesleyville Cemetery located behind it.
In 1826, Episcopal liturgies began at the Erie County Courthouse, drawing Presbyterians from other congregations and gaining new converts through word of mouth. In Harborcreek Township, local Methodists established the Old Erie Circuit of the Baltimore Conference in 1827, which is now known as South Harborcreek United Methodist Church. In 1834, the Protestant Episcopal Church founded St. Paul's parish on Myrtle Street between West 7th and 8th Streets, featuring a brick church and graveyard. Its present Gothic structure, constructed in 1866 at a cost of $60,000 (approximately $1 million today), still remains. In 1915, St. Paul's became the first Protestant Episcopal cathedral in Pennsylvania.
Don't Give Up the Ship
Today, the Erie Maritime Museum preserves the Brig Niagara, the flagship on which United States Navy commander Oliver Hazard Perry (1785–1834) defeated the British Royal Navy. However, Perry's religious convictions are often overlooked. He became a member of Trinity Church in Newport, Rhode Island, was baptized at age 9, and was immediately confirmed by Samuel Seabury (1729–1796), the first Episcopal bishop in the United States. Perry regarded the parson Theodore Dehon (1776–1817) as an exemplar, emulating his sense of duty, decorum, tradition, and commanding presence. Today, Perry's motto, "Don't Give Up the Ship," remains one of Erie's most enduring symbols of perseverance.
New Jerusalem
In 1827, Christian abolitionist William Himrod (1791–1873) established a neighborhood known as "New Jerusalem" for African Americans who had escaped slavery in the South, as well as for impoverished white laborers in the area. The neighborhood's boundaries extended from the Bayfront to the north, 6th Street to the south, Cherry Street to the west, and Sassafras Street to the east. The name was inspired by the New Jerusalem described in Revelation, as recorded by the apostle John:
I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' [cf. Isa. 25:8] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away (Rev. 21:3–4).
Himrod dedicated himself to alleviating the hardships faced by African Americans. In 1824, he established the French Street School for Colored Children, which later evolved into the Himrod Mission and served as a station on the Underground Railroad. By 1836, he became a member of the Erie County Anti-Slavery Society. Additionally, he founded Erie's first ironworks and played a key role in the incorporation of Erie Cemetery. For two decades, Himrod lived at the corner of French and 2nd Streets, where he educated African-American children.
The black community in New Jerusalem continued to uphold Himrod's legacy throughout the following century. The Lawrence family emerged as prominent figures: Earl Lawrence became the first black musician to perform with the Erie Philharmonic and served as a mentor to composer Harry T. Burleigh. Meanwhile, his daughter Ada distinguished herself as one of the first black educators in the Erie Public Schools. For further information on New Jerusalem, refer to Journey from Jerusalem: An Illustrated Introduction to Erie's African-American History, 1795–1995 (Erie County Historical Society, 1996) by Sarah S. Thompson.
In November 2023, the Harry T. Burleigh Society, Our West Bayfront, along with several other nonprofit organizations in Erie, erected a historical marker at the intersection of Sassafras and West 5th Streets to commemorate the New Jerusalem neighborhood. The marker states:
Erie's first African-American neighborhood, this nearly 30-block area located north of West 6th Street and west of Sassafras Street offered lots for early residents, welcomed freedom seekers on the Underground Railroad, housed important small businesses, and provided a home field for the Pontiacs baseball team.
What Death More Glorious!
St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Waterford, the oldest place of worship in Erie County, has conducted regular services since 1827, with its exterior largely unchanged except for a white tower. In 1833, Edward Buchanan (1811–1895), brother of future President James Buchanan, served as rector, leading the congregation in faith. Strong Vincent (1837–1863), baptized there in 1835, carried this spiritual foundation with him until his family relocated to Erie in 1843; a Bible given by his mother is now preserved in the church archives. Vincent attended Trinity College and Harvard before joining the Union Army during the Civil War. At Gettysburg, he commanded 1,300 infantrymen at Little Round Top, proclaiming, "What death more glorious can any man desire than to die on the soil of old Pennsylvania fighting for that flag!" Mortally wounded in battle, he passed away seven days later while reciting the Lord's Prayer.
Coming for to Carry Me Home
The African-American composer Harry T. Burleigh (1866–1949) began his musical journey singing in the choir at St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal Church, subsequently performing at other local churches before relocating to New York in 1892. As the grandson of a formerly enslaved individual, Burleigh gained recognition for his classical adaptations of African-American spirituals, particularly "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," whose refrain—"coming for to carry me home"—symbolizes enduring hope. He collaborated with Czech composer Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904), integrating these spirituals into the classical music repertoire. Pfeiffer-Burleigh Elementary School, named in his honor, was dedicated on May 4, 1980, on East 11th Street. In 1894, Burleigh was appointed as a soloist at St. George's Episcopal Church in New York, with financier J. P. Morgan (1837–1913) casting the deciding vote. In 1994, Burleigh was "reinterred with an appropriate ceremony in the Erie Cemetery." The institutions and individuals who influenced Erie's Protestant history have left a lasting legacy evident in the region's religious landscape today.
Christian Demographics of Erie
The Erie metropolitan area hosts approximately 227 Protestant congregations, representing both conservative and mainline traditions. In 2020, there were 104,751 residents identified as religious adherents, about 38.7 percent of the area's population of 270,876. Among these, mainline Protestants numbered approximately 24,481, evangelical Protestants 27,608, and historically black Protestants 2,652, resulting in a combined total of 54,741 Protestant adherents, or roughly 20.2 percent of the population. These statistics underscore the enduring presence of Protestant Christianity in the Erie region (Clifford et al., 2022).
Conclusion
In 1810, John Colby arrived in Erie and observed a lack of organized religious societies and a general indifference towards Christianity. Initially, his congregation was modest in size. Over the subsequent decades, the Second Great Awakening introduced various Protestant denominations to the region, including Methodists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and Baptists. These congregations initially gathered in courthouses and private homes before establishing permanent places of worship. Christian communities played a crucial role in founding schools, supporting missions, opposing slavery, assisting the Underground Railroad, and significantly influencing Erie's civic and cultural development. Notable figures such as Oliver Hazard Perry, William Himrod, Strong Vincent, and Harry T. Burleigh exemplify the impact of Protestant Christianity on Erie's history.
Today, the Erie metropolitan area hosts approximately 227 Protestant congregations and over 54,700 Protestant adherents, a significant transformation from the days when Colby first arrived in a frontier settlement with little organized Christian presence. Over the years, the region has developed into a community characterized by its churches, ministries, schools, charitable institutions, and successive generations of believers.
Bibliography
Primary Sources
Colby, John. The Life, Experience, and Travels of John Colby, Preacher of the Gospel. Lowell, MA: Thurston & Watson, 1838.
Eaton, S. J. M. History of the Presbytery of Erie: Embracing in Its Ancient Boundaries the Whole of Northwestern Pennsylvania and Northeastern Ohio—with Biographical Sketches of All Its Ministers and Historical Sketches of Its Churches. New York: Hurd & Houghton, 1868.
Root, James Pierce. Steere Genealogy. Cambridge, MA: Riverside, 1890.
Whitman, Benjamin, ed. Nelson's Biographical Dictionary and Historical Reference Book of Erie County, Pennsylvania. Vol. 2. Erie, PA: Nelson, 1896.
"Obituary for Edward Young Buchanan." Carlisle Evening Herald. January 23, 1895. ↗
Books
Erie: A Guide to the City and County—Written and Compiled by the Erie County Unit of the Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. London: Forgotten, 2018.
Skaggs, David Curtis. Oliver Hazard Perry: Honor, Courage, and Patriotism in the Early U.S. Navy. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2013.
Snyder, Jean E. Harry T. Burleigh: From the Spiritual to the Harlem Renaissance. Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 2016.
Thompson, Sarah S. Journey from Jerusalem: An Illustrated Introduction to Erie's African-American History, 1795–1995. Erie, PA: Erie County Historical Society, 1996.
Stevens, Lloyd P. A History of the First Free Will Baptist Church of Smithfield in Greenville, Rhode Island: A Pictorial History Directory. 1973.
Articles and Essays
Brooke-Stewart, Jeff. "John Colby, Preacher of the Gospel." ↗
Burdick, Jonathan. "The Story of the Erie Triangle." Erie Reader. November 20, 2019. ↗
Digital Collection, Holding Institution. "The Burned-Over District." New York Heritage Digital Collections. ↗
Johnson, Johnny. "Black History." Our West Bayfront. July 27, 2020. ↗
Last, John. "Wesleyville Church Has a Remarkable History." Erie News Now. August 28, 2025. ↗
Myers, Valerie. "Remembering 'New Jerusalem.'" Erie Times-News. February 15, 2018. ↗
Sherry, Jeff. "Strong Vincent—'What Death More Glorious.'" Hagen History Center (blog). August 28, 2020. ↗
Weiser, Becky. "Happiness and Long Life for All Its Residents, no. 31." Hagen History Center (blog). November 4, 2020. ↗
"What's in a Name: Wesleyville Settlers Chose Name of Methodism's Founder." Erie Times-News. April 5, 2010. ↗
Local History and Organizational Sources
"History of the Church." South Harborcreek United Methodist Church. ↗
"History of Erie County." Erie County, Pennsylvania. ↗
Statistical Sources
Clifford A. Grammich, Erica Dollhopf, Mary Gautier, Richard Houseal, Dale E. Jones, Alexei Krindatch, Richie Stanley, and Scott Thumma. "Erie, PA Metro Area - Metro Area Membership Report (2020)." In 2020 U.S. Religion Census: Religious Congregations & Adherents Study. Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies, 2022. ↗
