Our History
It all happened with a "birth" of a college. Central College of Ohio was organized by the Presbytery of Marion in March 1842. Squire Timothy Lee gave 100 acres of land, an endowment, and provided for the initial facilities, which included four buildings. The school continued to serve until 1893, when it was forced to close, due to lack of financial support."
To fill the spiritual needs of students and faculty, the Central College Presbyterian Church was organized by the Marion Presbytery on April 22, 1843 with 19 charter members. They met in the college buildings until the original church building was constructed and dedicated on Christmas Day, 1870. It has been in use since that time, and has been designated as the Ellsworth Chapel.
Construction projects to support God's many ministries at Central College Church included Ballard Hall and classrooms in 1956; a new sanctuary seating 550 in 1966; educational classrooms to support a Preschool in 1979; more classrooms and a gymnasium (Kirk Hall) in 1990; and a 2003 addition houses the Central College Christian School during the week and offers library, computer lab and meeting space for Sunday School classes and other church groups. This addition also included a bright new Nursery, Choir Rooms and ground level Food Pantry.
We're proud of the past that has brought us here today...a heritage that continues to propel us to an even brighter tomorrow.
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth
-John 1:14
Commemorating Central College History
Central College Academy history is remembered: Some of you may have noticed a large carved stone sitting in the front yard of our church. It has been sitting in our yard for many years and a lot of folks have asked where it came from. A plaque now commemorates the vast history of a college, including the cornerstone, and how it is intertwined with our own history.
The plaque reads as follows: CENTRAL COLLEGE OF OHIO - The "Erected 1842" cornerstone was originally part of Main Hall. The three-story brick structure, once located northwest of the present sanctuary, was built to serve the Central College of Ohio - a Presbyterian college of higher learning incorporated on March 23, 1842. The College, however, did not prosper and in April, 1850, college courses were discontinued and the school was reorganized as the Central College Academy. The Academy closed in 1894 and the land and buildings were put up for sale. In 1895, the Ohio School for the Deaf Alumni Association purchased the acreage and buildings and founded the Ohio Home for the Aged and Infirm Deaf.
Due to heavy deterioration, Main Hall was demolished in 1967. Central College Presbyterian Church—an offshoot of the Blendon Presbyterian Church—was incorporated on April 22nd, 1843. For the first twenty-seven years, the congregation met within the walls of Main Hall until a sanctuary was constructed in 1870--now referred to as the Ellsworth Chapel."
-Campus Historian Nathan Baker