History of the First Presbyterian Church of Mountain View, California 1851-1991 Highlights of the original history written by the late Mildred G. Winters, former Professor at San Jose State University and member of the First Presbyterian Church of Mountain View The First Presbyterian Church of Mountain View is one of the oldest Protestant churches in California. Its inception dates back to July, 1851, when a small group of seventeen hardy pioneers organized the Cumberland Presbyterian Church shortly before the State of California observed its first birthday. It was the first Prostestant church to exist between San Francisco and San Jose, and the second First Presbyterian Church on the Pacific Coast to evolve from Cumberland beginnings, its predecessor having been the Church in McMinnville, Oregon. Here, in California, it was the sixth Presbyterian church to be formed, the earlier ones, in sequence, having been the First Presbyterian Churches in San Francisco, San Jose, Stockton, the Howard Presbyterian Church in San Francisco, and the First Presbyterian Church in Marysville. Today, the beautiful church which stands on a spacious five acre site in Mountain View is in marked contrast to its humble beginnings. The stately beauty of the large sanctuary, the conformity in style of Fellowship Hall, the Chapel, and the adjacent buildings for classroom and office use present an inviting appearance and reflect the growth of the church and the expansion of its program. It is the fourth Presbyterian Church to have been built in Mountain View, and the second site of its buildings. The three earlier churches were erected on the Castro Street block where the City Hall is located. Recently, the Mountain View Mayor's Award for 1969 was presented to the church in recognition of its contribution to the city's development along the lines of civic improvement. The genesis of the local church took place 120 years ago when a few Cumberland Presbyterians joined together in 1851 to form a congregation. As yet, the town of Mountain View did not exist and only a number of individual landholdings were commencing to appear, in many cases, having belonged previously to Mariano Castro, owner of the vast Rancho Pastoria de las Borregas with the new occupants acquiring possession through purchase, rental, or squatterism. The San Francisco San Jose Road (El Camino Real) was the main route of travel for stages and other forms, but there were no surveyed streets, no schools before 1852, and no railroad to indicate the beginnings of a town.   These prevailing conditions were similar to the frontier situation which had given rise to the first Cumberland Presbytery, formed in 1810 in Dixon County, Tennessee. There a small group of Presbyterian ministers took issue with their church concerning the high standards of education required for the ministry. They recognized the frontier needs for more ministers men of spiritual devotion, though lacking a formal education. The idea produced a movement which grew, especially in Tennessee, Kentucky, and on the Western frontier. Cumberland Presbyterian Churches continued to form until 1906, when most of the members reunited with the mother church. The newcomers to the area who formed the local Cumberland Presbyterian congregation had the wisdom to record their actions. The first report stated: At a meeting of the Cumberland Presbyterians of Santa Clara County, California, held at Oak Grove, it was agreed that we form ourselves into an association and to be governed agreeably to the usages of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, whereupon the following named persons came forward and gave their names: John E. Braly Jane McClellan Susan Braly David W. Dickey Sarah Ann Braly Barbara Dickey Cornelius Yager Edward Dale Sarah E. Yager Elizabeth Dale Wesley Gallimore Milton Lewis Samuel Rutherford Mary E. Lewis Mary Rutherford Isaac C. Allen James W. McClellan Cornelius Yager, who had come to California from Tennessee the previous year with the same wagon party as Edward Dale, presided as chairman at the meeting. An election was held for ruling elders, who would serve as the only officers of the church in its early years, and the results showed the choices to be James W. McClellan, Samuel E. Rutherford, and David W. Dickey.   Although the location of Oak Grove was not specified, it is generally considered to have been adjacent to where the Cumberland Presbyterian Church was built in 1859-60. In a history of the church, co-authored in 1951 by Mrs. Minnie Whittemore who came to Mountain View in 1894 as the Presbyterian minister's wife, the Oak Grove camp ground was identified as having been where a medical office now stands at 578 Castro Street. This is about one half block from where the first church was built. Dr. Clifford Drury, professor of Church History at the San Francisco Theological Seminary, in his treatise in 1956 on the church, placed Oak Grove "near or within the present city limits of Mountain View". Occasionally, he referred to the "Oak Grove Church". However, some members of very early families have cited a different location for Oak Grove. The confusion may stem from the fact that there were many stands of beautiful oaks in the area, and the name may have been used for more than one location.   The Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Mountain View was built during 1859-60 on Castro land, the site being the present one of the Wells Fargo Bank at the intersection of Castro and Church Streets. These streets did not exist at the time, but the original county road between San Francisco and San Jose had passed there before the road was straightened out in 1852. The church was built to face present Church Street, and Henry Rengstorff, a member of the church, and one of his workers hauled the timber for the building from the Lexington Mills in the Santa Cruz mountains. The sanctuary was or the first floor, and there was a loft for meetings. Two large evergreen trees stood in front of the structure, one on each side of the gate, and one of these trees can still be seen near the bank building. The dedication sermon was delivered in 1860 by Reverend James Sweeney, of San Ramon.   Meanwhile, the church had acquired a gift of five acres of land including where its building stood and the land adjacent to it. This land was donated by a very generous woman who provided the land for several other worthy developments in the area. Maria Trinidad Peralta de Castro, the widow of Mariano Castro who had died in 1857 was aware of the fact that the Protestants had no regular burial place in the area, unlike the Catholics of her own faith who were buried in Santa Clara Catholic Cemetery. She, therefore, gave the five acres to the Cumberland Presbyterian Church for use as a burying ground for all religions". The deed for this grant was recorded on March 19 1861, and the name "Mountain View Cemetery" came into general usage thereafter. This cemetery site was where the Mountain View Pioneer and Historical Society placed its first plaque on March 3 1957  Fortunately for the church, Reverend E. J. Gillespie became the full time pastor in 1889. During the preceding three years he had preached on alternate Sundays in Mountain View, finally withdrawing completely from the Bethel church. Recognized as a fine person, he did much to ease the dissension and to strengthen the local church. The Sunday School, first mentioned in 1887, had an enrollment of eighty pupils by 1890.  The church became a corporation on December 17, 1890. According to a clause inserted in the church by laws, "The purpose for which said corporation is formed is that of holding and managing the property belonging to the Union Congregation of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church of Mountain View". The first board of directors was comprised of J. W. Boulware, president; Mrs. B. E. Burns, the wife of Judge Burns, secretary; and members Henry Rengstorff, Miss Jennie Boulware and W. A. Whitmire.  By 1900, the church showed that major gains had been made during the past five years. It's membership had reached eighty, and the Sunday School enrollment was recorded as one hundred, including teachers. The publications listed as used in the Sunday School included such ones as Gem (whose copies were the most used), Cumberland Presbyterian, Cumberland Presbyterian, Missionary Record, Home Department Quarterly, Our Lambs, Rays of Light, Bible Study and Junior Quarterly.  Church membership and attendance continued to gain slowly. The session minutes for June 28, 1911, noted that Mr. William Cooper, Mrs. Edna Cooper, and their son, William Alexander, were received by letter from the Westminster Church in Sacramento. They became leaders in the church, and at the present time, 1971, Mrs. Cooper continues her activities in the sixtieth year of her membership in the local Presbyterian Church.  A fire destroyed the church building on the Sunday morning of May 14, 1911. It occurred during the time that Sunday School was in progress, and was caused by the roof of the building becoming ignited from an over-heated stovepipe. As soon as the fire was discovered, Mrs. E. J. Lawler played a march on the organ and the children filed out in good order. The organ (which had been recently purchased), the pews, pulpit, and a few chairs were about all that could be saved.  While fire first engulfed the building, the church bell remained in the belfry until the very last, crashing finally to the ground. Although the frame on which it hung was broken, the bell was not damaged by either the fire or its fall, it was to be installed in the second church a short time after the new building was in use.  The small, country like building had served the congregation as a meeting house for over fifty years. While its destruction may be considered as having marked the close of the first phase of the church's development, religious services continued regularly. The large double parlors of the parsonage provided space for Sunday worship, although the congregation began to plan at once for another sanctuary.  The building committee was comprised of E. J. Lawler (chairman); F. L. Huff (secretary); Wilbur Camp (treasurer); and member William F. Bubb. While the fund raising campaign was in progress, the building plans were drawn and presented to the congregation on June 2, 1912. The plans, as approved, provided for a church auditorium that would seat two hundred persons, and an adjacent Sunday School area which could be opened and used for an overflow in attendance. A basement provided space for a kitchen and dining room.  The debt free $10,000 church opened its doors on January 19, 1913. The morning Dedication Service was conducted by Reverend Warren Landon, D.D., President of the Presbyterian Seminary at San Anselmo. The ministers of the other local churches dismissed their congregations to attend the service. Later, in the afternoon, Dr. Landon presented a lecture on The Passion Play at Oberammergau, and in the evening there was a program of music and scripture reading. Other events were scheduled for the first week when the attractive new church was opened.  Until 1920, the church membership was drawn mainly from the farm and business sectors of the area. Between 1920 and 1926, Mountain View showed considerable growth and progress. New businesses appeared downtown, streets were paved, and a new high school was built in l925 on Castro Street, near the church. Church membership increased reflecting this growth. New names on the church roster in 1921 included: Mr. & Mrs. John W. Waits, Mr. & Mrs. E. B. Erichsen, Mrs. Charles Bubb, and Reverend Guy Frazer, Mrs. Frazer, and Louella Frazer who transferred to the church after the South Methodist Church disbanded. Among the others received were: in 1922, Mr. & Mrs. J. M. Pihl and sons (from Phoenix, Arizona); in 1923, Mr. & Mrs. W. H. Laughlin, in 1924, Mr. Charles H. Moore, Mrs. Luther McPheeters, Perry McPheeters, and Mr. & Mrs. H. C. Remington; and in 1925, Mr. & Mrs. Everett Lawson, Mr. & Mrs. Wendell Grubb, Mr. & Mrs. Malcom Aitken and Mr. & Mrs. O. C. Gentry and Mildred Gentry.  Between 1921 and 1925, the matter of officially changing the name of the church to First Presbyterian was discussed. The name of Cumberland had continued to be used by the local church after it united with the mother church in 1906. On August 2, 1925, the congregation authorized the board of trustees to proceed in having the legal name changed from Union congregation of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church to First Presbyterian Church of Mountain View.  The old cemetery became an issue that confronted the church because of the heavy taxes for paving and improvements on streets bordering the burial grounds. A special meeting of the congregation was held on February 20, 1927, to decide what should be done with the property. A final decision of the matter was deferred until the regular congregation meeting on April 8, when it was agreed that the church trustees should contact the town board about taking over the land. By 1930, the delinquent taxes constituted a great burden, coming at the time of the economic depression. The disposal of the old cemetery to the City of Mountain View took place in that year, when the city officials agreed to accept it in lieu of tax payment, and a deed to the land was given by the church to the city on September 19. At that time it was understood that the land would be used for a park, but it was to be many years before Pioneer Park became a reality.  The depression reached its peak in the nation during the winter of 1932 33. With unemployment widespread, churches were confronted with serious budget problems. There were plans for federation considered by some churches of different denominations. The local church was approached by the neighboring Methodist Church with a suggestion that the two might possibly federate their work. Committees of the two churches met and discussed the matter, but no union of this nature resulted.  In November, 1940, the Presbyterian United War Emergency Fund was set up to provide a single means for transmitting contributions to aid overseas work in war torn Europe. The slogan of its drive for donations was "War destroys, Christians must rebuild". The individual offerings were small for the first year, and thereafter the session voted a stipulated amount as the church's contribution to the fund.  As the European war escalated, the church permitted classes in Red Cross Home Nursing to be given in rooms in the rear of the church. Later, A Red Cross First Aid class also was conducted on the church premises.  It was necessary to take action after the city building inspector, M. C. Christiansen, condemned the church building in November, 1948 as unsafe for the congregation. Especially hazardous was the bell tower, which hung dangerously over the sidewalk. When the church closed, the pews were moved into the Social Hall where services were held until the new church was opened. This and other dismantelement was done by the men of the church. They saved and stored old lumber, which was used about a year and a half later when the members of Men's Fellowship, under the leadership of Joseph Beeson, built an annex to the Social Hall to accommodate the Sunday School.  The church officers were faced with the problem of how to raise the necessary funds for the new building. A loan from the Board of National Missions would provide $25,000 for construction, and the remainder would have to come from local sources. Reverend George G. Downey, a representative of the National Board of Church Extension, explained the specifics of a fund raising campaign to the Building Fund Committee. This campaign committee was composed of B. G. Stanwood, chairman; Mrs. Fred Norman, secretary, Mrs. Vernon Bridges, Reynolds Camp, Gertrude Lewis, Fred Norman, Mrs. Van Johnson, Alice Pearson and Arthur Walton. The campaign started on March 1, 1949, with a goal of $35,000, which with the loan would enable the church to begin construction. By the end of May, 1949, $46,000 had been secured in cash and pledges.  Meanwhile, the matter of the church site had to be settled. On March 20, 1949, a congregation meeting was held to decide if the sanctuary would be built on the old site and face Castro Street, or if it should occupy the other end of the lot and face the proposed extension of Bryant Street. The latter plan was favored at first, as it would remove the church from traffic noise and parade sounds. As it became unlikely, however, that Bryant Street would be extended, it was decided to build on the old site.  The First Presbyterian church of Mountain View occupied the new and attractive third sanctuary during the one hundredth year of its history. It observed its Centennial Year on July 19, 1951, with a program at the eleven o'clock morning service.  The official Church Dedication took place on Sunday, August 5 1951 at three thirty in the afternoon. Reverend Alvin Carr was present and offered the blessing; Reverend W. C. Spaan gave the Scripture reading; and Reverend Arthur Brown said a prayer o thanksgiving. Paul Gibson and Fred Norman presented the church keys to the Reverend Brown, Moderator of the San Jose Presbytery. These were later turned over to Reynolds Camp and Joseph Beeson, trustees of the church.  On May 12, 1952, the Reverend Wooding held his first service in the local church, during which Holy Communion was observed. The new pastor was a native of Illinois, who had lived in Washington, D. C., where he completed high school. He was a graduate of the College of Wooster in Ohio and of Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, New Jersey. After graduation, he served with the Board of National Missions at churches in Cedar Ciq and Delta, Utah. Following that service, he accepted a call to the First Presbyterian church of Normal, Illinois, where his father, Reverend Henry B. Wooding, had been the pastor from 1920 to 1926. He remained there for nine years, except for the time when he was on leave of absence as a army chaplain during the second World War. After the war, in 1948, he and his father were the first father and son combination elected as commissioners to a General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church. While at Normal, he headed a program to rebuild the sanctuary there. His wife's parents, Dr. and Mrs. Frederick Dilley, were missionaries for the Presbyterian Church in China, where Dr. Dilley was head of a hospital mission of the Presbyterian Church.  Mr. Wooding came to Mountain View at the time that the Santa Clara Valley was beginning to experience a rapid growth in population. The impact of new industries on the former agricultural area was to transform the appearance and activities of the communities, and to accelerate the demand for new facilities that would meet the needs of an expanding society. The Mountain View Register Leader, on May 1, 1952, reported that 208 permits for new homes had just been approved by the City Planning Commission. Annexation of adjacent land was taking place, new schools were mushrooming, and a new City Hall and Library were being considered. The budget requested by the Mountain View Recreation Commission was for $23,000, a record amount at that time.  Community growth, together with an attractive new church and a young, active minister combined to give rise to greater church membership and participation. This was apparent in 1952, even during the summer months when a quiet period for church activities usually occurred. This trend continued in the fall, with many new names being added to the church roster. Among those received in November, 1952, were Mr. & Mrs. William Irvine, Dr. & Mrs. Victor Burkman and Mr. & Mrs. John Cox. New communicants in early 1953 included Mr. & Mrs. Paul Gibson, and Mr. & Mrs. Allen Schaumburg.  The Bubb name has appeared so frequently in this history that one might well conclude that there was a Bubb member (or members) in the active service of the church from the time of its beginnings. When the first trustees were chosen in 1872, Benjamin T. Bubb was one of the five men chosen to serve. He had come to California from Missouri in 1849 when he was twelve years old, being one of seven children who came with their parents, William and Mary Ann Bubb. On December 18, 1868, Benjamin Bubb acquired 120 acres of land between Miramonte and Grant Road by means of certificate, later adding 48 acres to it by land purchases. It was on his land that the wild cherry tree grew (just to the south of the present city water tower on Grant Road), which oldtimers used as a marker in surveying their quarter sections of land. Theodore F. Grant, reputedly, once threatened to shoot young William F. Bubb if he destroyed that cherry tree when an apricot orchard was being planted in 1907. Needless to say, both Will Bubb and the tree survived, and its site was marked with a plaque in 1957 by the Mountain View Pioneer and Historical Society. The Benjamin Bubb school on Hans Avenue is named for this early settler.  Benjamin Bubb's sons, William F. Charles, John and daughter Gertrude (Mrs. Huff) became members of the church, as did his daughters in law, Ella and Ethel, and his grandchildren. Their contributions to the church have been great over a long period of time, and it seems especially fitting that the First Presbyterian church today should occupy part of this family's former property.  Two years elapsed after the new church site was purchased before the arrangements were completed so that construction could begin. The Executive Committee was comprised of Arthur Walton, chairman; Dorothy Norman, secretary; Reynolds Camp, Warren DeWeese, John Elliott, William Irvine, Fred Kline, William Leslie, Bruce McMillan, Reinhart Monson, Charles Moore, Allan Newnan and Fred Norman. Paul Gibson, who had served as a trustee and was then an elder, was chosen as chairman of the Plans and Construction Committee. He again rendered faithful and expert service as an overseer during the months of planning and construction work. The architect, who was chosen to draw the plans and specification for the buildings, was Mr. Alfred W. Johnson, ALA, of San Mateo.  It was decided to build three units of a proposed seven unit church facility. These were fellowship hall, the chapel and the classroom and administrative units. In late February, 1958, the architect's plans were put out for bids, and these were opened on May 15. The Pacific Coast Builders of San Francisco received the contract for construction for $356,980.  On Sunday, June 15, 1958, the ground breaking ceremony was held with Mrs. Ella Bubb participating in the service. Her membership in the church was the longest of any member at that time, dating back to 1894 when she had joined as Ella Cooper. Other members of the Bubb family who were present at the ceremony were John Bubb, Mrs. Gertrude Bubb Huff, and Mrs. Ethel Bubb. In addition to Mrs. Ella Bubb, others who were honored on the occasion as the oldest living members of the congregation were: Miss Alice Pearson, Mrs. Edna Cooper, Miss Inez Center, Miss Hattie Frank, Mr. Frank M. Toft, Mr. Otto Pearson, Miss Gertrude Lewis, Mr & Mrs. Walter Erichsen and Mrs. Helen Graham.  The services were conducted by Reverend Harry Wooding, minister; Reverend Theodore James, assistant pastor and Reverend Everett C. Thomson assisted. Music was provided by the Chancel Choir with Mrs. Sydonia Irvine as the orgainist/director.  The dedication of the new buildings was held on Easter Sunday, April 6, 1959. In all, they comprised 23,000 square feet of space. The Fellowship Hall had seating room for 500 persons at tables, or 700 in chairs. This was where church services were held until the sanctuary was completed in 1963. The small chapel was built to accommodate 100 persons. An off street parking area provided space for 170 cars. To date, the total cost of the project was $356,000, plus extras, or an investment of $450,000.  The ground breaking ceremony for the sanctuary was held during the eleven o'clock service on Sunday, February 25, 1962. It opened with the processional, "Onward, Christian Soldiers", followed by prayer by Reverend Harry Wooding. Mr. Frederick Norman, clerk of the session, presided over the ground breaking rites, with representatives of the various church groups and Mayor C. Mortimer Moore of Mountain View taking part. Music was provided by the Chancel Choir, with Mrs. Ruth Cox as soloist; a scripture selection was read; and the benediction was given after a closing hymn and prayer. The service was followed by an enjoyable coffee hour at Fellowship Hall.  As the new edifice rose on the corner of Miramonte and Cuesta Drive, it assumed the same traditional contemporary form of architecture as Fellowship Hall. The nave and choir area combined will accommodate 575 persons. Two impressive features included in the church are the chancel screen made of oak and aluminum, and above the communion table which is centrally located, the fifteen foot cross of oak and aluminum (one of five such crosses on the church site). The roof is steep and covered with concrete tile. On the north side of the building, high above the main entrance, is the stained glass window which was removed from the third church.  The dedication of the new sanctuary was held on Sunday, March 3, 1963, at four-thirty o'clock in the afternoon. As the church doors opened, the choirs sang, "The Church's One Foundation". The Litany of Dedication was read in unison by the congregation, and greetings were extended by Reverend Robert Hampel, Moderator of the San Jose Presbytery. The sermon was given by Dr. David Esler of the San Francisco Theological Seminary, who spoke on the subject of "The Challenge of Churchmanship". A recessional hymn and the benediction closed the service.  The historic church bell was placed as a memorial to the Dale family on the south side of the church. It had no belfry in the third church and had hung from a memorial monument near the side of the church. Mrs. Eleanor Dale provided the present mounting for the bell, which stands as a reminder of the early days of the church.  Members of the church have donated their time and labor in painting the exterior of the buildings at three different times, and recently included the interior. Many other services, including the gardening care and maintenance work, are contributed by members. Only a very few of the many who have thus served the church are named, as follows: Dr. & Mrs. Victor Burkman, for the donation of indoor plants for the chapel, and for the supervision of floral arrangements in the sanctuary, Mr. & Mrs. Calvin Boice, for fine workmanship in fashioning needed items for the church, such as the container chest for the Communion service, and for work in the church office; Mr. & Mrs. Robert Krollpfeiffer, for indoor plants, and for work donated on the electrical system of the church; Mr. & Mrs. Richard Peterson, for the care to the electrical system of the church; Mr. & Mrs. Richard Peterson, for the care to the candelabra and candles in the sanctuary and chapel; Mr. Carroll Ridge, for the planting and care of the colorful flower beds; and Mr. John Walker, for the maintenance of machinery equipment.  As the First Presbyterian Church of Mountain View moves into a new decade, confronted by problems which beset all churches in the present age, there is encouragement to be drawn from its history as a church which has had a firm foundation. This foundation of good leadership, service and strength will go far toward meeting the challenges of the future.   Mildred G. Winters (1971)