Did Jerome ever have a Presbyterian Church?

Once upon a time, there was a Presbyterian Church in Jerome. It was established in the village on December 16, 1853 as the Frankfort Presbyterian Church. The first pastor to serve the congregation was the Reverend William H. Brinkerhoff. And, founding members included Mr. and Mrs. John Fleck, Mrs. Mary Patterson, Mrs. Maria Brinkerhoff, Templeton Liggett, Mrs. Rebecca Liggett, Mrs. Hannah McReary, Mrs. Scofield, Samuel Clark, and Mrs. Nancy Clark.

A frame church building was erected in the village in 1856. And, when the village name changed to Jerome, the congregation embraced the change. It became the Jerome Presbyterian Church.

Note the date that the church was founded. It was founded about 7 years before the start of the American Civil War. And, the winds of change abounded in Jerome Township. One of the major issues that was continuously debated within the Presbyterian Church nationwide was the issue of slavery. And, on November 2, 1862 the congregation voted to leave the Presbyterian denomination in favor of the Congregational denomination. The church would remain affiliated with the Congregational church until October 7, 1877. On that day, the church changed its affiliation back to the Presbyterian denomination. But, by 1898, membership had dwindled to a point that it was no longer feasible to keep the church open. The church soon united its membership with that of the Jerome Methodist Church.