{"id":95,"featured":0,"modified":"2026-04-17 19:48:35","latitude":38.28623300000000284626366919837892055511474609375,"longitude":-85.8212199999999967303665471263229846954345703125,"title":"St. Mark’s United Church of Christ","subtitle":"","fullsize":"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/fullsize/757bd8a570c943589a6dfc1d719a0b85.jpg","address":"222 East Spring Street, New Albany, IN","all_locations":[],"zoom":15,"creator":["Carl Creason","Hannah O'Daniel","Katherine Gann","Daniel Michael","Leanna Smith"],"description":"St. Mark’s United Church of Christ reflects New Albany’s European immigrant heritage and the destruction caused by the devastating flood of 1937.  During the early nineteenth century, political upheaval in what is now Germany led to massive emigration.  By the mid-1830s, a sizeable German immigrant population lived in Floyd County, Indiana.  Isolated linguistically from English speakers, German Protestants decided to form their own church.  On October 23, 1837, Reverend Henry Evers organized Lutheran, Evangelical, and Reformed Christian German immigrants into an independent congregation.  The church met in a school on State Street in New Albany before moving to the Court House.  In 1842, the congregation purchased a lot on State Street and constructed a brick church by 1843.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nThe congregation continued to grow, leading the members to purchase the former structure of the St. Paul Episcopal Church on Spring Street in 1863.  By 1869, the congregation needed more space and purchased two lots on East Spring Street.  In 1870, the congregation moved into a new Gothic Revival building.  The church stood on the same lot as the current church structure.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nNatural disaster struck New Albany with the flood of January and February 1937.  Throughout the Ohio River Valley, communities experienced mass flooding as a result of heavy rainfall.  At one point, about twenty inches of water filled the German Evangelical Lutheran and Reformed Church building.  The pastor’s family had to be evacuated by boat.  The homes of about 100 members of the congregation also suffered damage.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nIn January 1957, the church demolished its existing building to make way for a larger structure.  The congregation erected a modern building designed by Howard Wagoner Architects of Philadelphia.  It also changed its name to St. Mark’s United Church of Christ.  Today, the church is an important reminder of the historical influence of Germans in New Albany.","sponsor":null,"accessinfo":"","lede":"","website":"","related_resources":["Sue Pearson Carpenter, comp., <em>Abstracts from Our Church Visitor, St. Mark’s Evangelical Church, New Albany, Ind., Jan. 1930-Dec. 1934</em> (Nashville, TN: Southern Library Binderly, 2007), 53. <br /><br />W. A. Gadient, “History of St. Mark’s Church (Condensed) Covering Talk at New Albany Historical Society October 1962,” St. Mark’s Church of Christ Collection, box 1, folder 14, New Albany-Floyd County Public Library.<br /><br />New Albany Bicentennial Commission, ed., <em>200 Years of Church Histories, New Albany and Floyd County, Indiana</em> (Kearney, NE: Morris Publishing, 2013), 76.<br /><br />“St. Mark’s Has Been Here Over 125 Years,” <em>New Albany Tribune</em>, Oct. 8, 1963, 20.<br /><br />St. Mark’s Church, <em>Our Church Visitor</em>, Oct. 1947, pp. 5, 10.<br /><br />Bettie M. Sharp, “A Church Keeps Pace in Renewal,” <em>Louisville Times</em>, Apr. 21, 1965, A6."],"factoids":[],"files":{"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/fullsize/757bd8a570c943589a6dfc1d719a0b85.jpg":{"id":1126,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"St. Mark&#039;s","description":"St. Mark's occupies a prominent location in downtown New Albany, directly opposite the former Carnegie Library (now the <a href=\"http://www.carnegiecenter.org/\" target=\"_blank\">Carnegie Center for Art and History</a>).<br /><br />Image Courtesy of Daniel Vivian.&nbsp; | Daniel Vivian | 2015 | Daniel Vivian ","thumbnail":"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/square_thumbnails/757bd8a570c943589a6dfc1d719a0b85.jpg"},"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/fullsize/a93b7521afa83d045da5e1532d8c3d37.jpg":{"id":1127,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Spring Street Entrance","description":"The facade of the church features a dramatic modernist entrance on Spring Street.<br />\r\nImage courtesy of Daniel Vivian  | Daniel Vivian | 2015 | Daniel Vivian ","thumbnail":"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/square_thumbnails/a93b7521afa83d045da5e1532d8c3d37.jpg"},"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/fullsize/5906c62fe8e1742a1fb9f7e7620e5556.jpg":{"id":1128,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"St. Mark&#039;s United Church of Christ","description":"The main sign for St. Mark&#039;s is proudly displayed for passing traffic on Spring Street.<br />\r\nImage courtesy of Daniel Vivian.  | Daniel Vivian | 2015 | Daniel Vivian ","thumbnail":"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/square_thumbnails/5906c62fe8e1742a1fb9f7e7620e5556.jpg"},"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/fullsize/48d1e9f84c92546b869a4a50f7a5f7ee.jpg":{"id":1129,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Pulpit","description":"The pulpit at St. Mark&#039;s, with choir seating in the background.<br />\r\nImage Courtesy of Daniel Vivian.  | Daniel Vivian | 2015 | Daniel  Vivian ","thumbnail":"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/square_thumbnails/48d1e9f84c92546b869a4a50f7a5f7ee.jpg"},"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/fullsize/d3ac37d21e6811384fc95560fea4e298.jpg":{"id":1130,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Sanctuary of St. Marks","description":"The interior and sanctuary of St. Marks. <br />\r\nImage courtesy of Daniel Vivian.  | Daniel Vivian  | 2015 | Daniel Vivian ","thumbnail":"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/square_thumbnails/d3ac37d21e6811384fc95560fea4e298.jpg"},"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/fullsize/9b2c5a41c2a314bfd96a086ef4f372f3.jpg":{"id":1131,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Sanctuary","description":"The open, vertical volume of the church sanctuary creates an inspiring space for worship.<br />\r\nImage courtesy of Daniel Vivian.  | Daniel Vivian | 2015 | Daniel Vivian ","thumbnail":"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/square_thumbnails/9b2c5a41c2a314bfd96a086ef4f372f3.jpg"},"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/fullsize/6e0b64267dba4d7fdfd3f3f120b7cd4b.jpg":{"id":1132,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Stained Glass","description":"The sanctuary features modernist-style stained glass windows celebrating Christian beliefs. <br />\r\nImage courtesy of Daniel Vivian.  | Daniel Vivian | 2015 | Daniel Vivian","thumbnail":"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/square_thumbnails/6e0b64267dba4d7fdfd3f3f120b7cd4b.jpg"},"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/fullsize/82c0b47608214c666f46133823f1805b.jpg":{"id":1133,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"New Cornerstone","description":"Demolished in 1957, the current church erected a modern building designed by Philadelphia architect, Howard Wagoner. The new cornerstone laid at this time represents the longevity of the St. Mark&#039;s congregation. <br />\r\nImage courtesy of Daniel Vivian. | Daniel Vivian  | 2015 | Daniel Vivian","thumbnail":"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/square_thumbnails/82c0b47608214c666f46133823f1805b.jpg"},"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/fullsize/08a34accb9b9b242c3d0e8ac3f3e08cf.jpg":{"id":1134,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Old Cornerstone","description":"When the church built its current building in 1958, members insisted on placing the cornerstone from the old Sunday school building in a prominent location near the entrance on Spring Street.<br />\r\nImage courtesy of Daniel Vivian.  | Daniel Vivian | 2015 | Daniel  Vivian ","thumbnail":"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/square_thumbnails/08a34accb9b9b242c3d0e8ac3f3e08cf.jpg"},"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/fullsize/c42765469a9b81f1a747b309a7454bdf.jpg":{"id":1135,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Ethnic Germans","description":"Scripture written in German is featured on a marble stone taken from the church building erected in 1899. St. Mark&#039;s held most of its services in German until World War I, when anti-German sentiment led the congregation to switch to English.<br />\r\nImage courtesy of Daniel Vivian  | Daniel Vivian | 2015 | Daniel Vivian ","thumbnail":"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/square_thumbnails/c42765469a9b81f1a747b309a7454bdf.jpg"},"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/fullsize/2f918f2714c955844dbd0a727c2395a4.jpg":{"id":1141,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"1895 Baptismal Font","description":"A beautiful marble baptismal font, given to the church by Mr. and Mrs. Edward Crumbo in 1895, now stands at the entrance to the fellowship hall.<br />\r\nImage Courtesy of Daniel  Vivian.  | Daniel Vivian | 2015 | Daniel  Vivian","thumbnail":"https://discoverindianahistory.org/files/square_thumbnails/2f918f2714c955844dbd0a727c2395a4.jpg"}}}