The First Presbyterian Church of Port Kennedy was organized in the summer of 1845, mostly from members of the Great Valley Presbyterian Church of Chester County. The cornerstone of the church edifice was laid the same year, and the building was dedicated January 1, 1846.
Excerpts from an October 12, 1994 Philadelphia Inquirer article about the church when it was celebrating it’s 150th anniversary…
Sometimes progress takes its toll…
… in 1965, construction began on the County Line Expressway (now called Route 422), which virtually split the village of Port Kennedy in half. The original plan for a ramp off the expressway onto Route 23 would have meant cutting through the church property.
“Instead, a new Valley Forge Road was built parallel to us, and our road became Old Valley Forge Road,” said the Rev. Charles R. Holt, interim pastor of First Presbyterian. “Now our church sits on a dead end. You can see us from all the roads that circle Valley Forge Park, but it’s hard to find us.”
… The town that gave the church its name, Port Kennedy, no longer exists. Although it may still be found on many maps, it was officially disenfranchised on Oct. 26, 1973, when the postal service moved to Norristown.
Port Kennedy was founded in the early 1800s by Scottish and Irish Protestants…
… In 1909, the church’s distinctive bell tower was built to house the congregation’s newest acquisition, a 1,000 pound church bell … “It cost $1,700, a great deal of money in those days,” Henry said. “One thing I couldn’t find out, though, is how they ever got the bell up the tower.”…
The church is still there and the surrounding road construction continues!
