Central Presbyterian Church
Follow the green arrows on the signs as you walk
The present Central Presbyterian Church structure, completed in 1905, is the second edifice to be erected on the corner of Federal and Second Streets. The first, known as Second Presbyterian Church, was dedicated in the summer of 1853 and served until its condition deteriorated, requiring a new building. A portion of the 1853 structure—the Hurlbut Chapel—survives, but it’s been moved to a location east on Federal Avenue.
The sanctuary of Central Presbyterian is a classical Akron-plan design where seating is arranged in a semi-circular configuration around the pulpit and communion table. Along with the large custom-designed stained glass windows that grace the north wall of the sanctuary and east wall of the narthex, a unique architectural element is the stained glass dome.
A magnificent new 80-stop Allen Renaissance organ was installed in 2002 and custom-built furniture was added to the chancel area in early 2004. A beautiful backlit cross accents the chancel wall. Throughout its history, Central has been a mission outpost in the heart of Massillon, reaching out at various times with free lunch and clothing program, hosting the community’s adult education program, harboring Salvadoran refugees, and offering a number of other community-based outreach projects
Directions: Keep walking in the same direction (north) on Second Street. Cross Federal Avenue and several more streets until Second Street dead-ends into Cherry Road. Let’s look first at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, the light brick Gothic church.