HISTORY RICH: DePauw Memorial to celebrate 125th anniversary Sunday

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Staff photo by Kevin McGloshen
Staff photo by Kevin McGloshen

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November 13, 2009

By CHRIS MORRIS The News and Tribune Fri Nov 13, 2009, 08:03 PM EST

When the dream to open a counseling center for teenagers in New Albany was born, the house at 1618 Beeler St. was empty. It was also in disrepair.

“The house was a wreck,” Susan Parr said.

With a small grant in one hand, and her dream in the other, Parr didn’t know where she was going to get the funds to rehabilitate the house. However, she didn’t need a plan, she had everything she needed inside the walls at DePauw Memorial Church which owns the property.

“People came over after work and remodeled the house,” said Parr, executive director of Brandon’s House. “It just came together.”

That same spirit is what has sustained DePauw Memorial — located at 925 Vincennes St. — the past 125 years. The church will celebrate its anniversary at 10:30 a.m. Sunday with a special service featuring Bishop Michael Coyner as guest speaker.

DePauw Rev. Sandy Cooper said the church has been planning its 125th celebration for more than a year. Following the service, church members will gather for a pitch-in dinner. “We have a lot to celebrate,” Cooper said. “We are an aging congregation but we are still alive and kicking. We have a lot of people, no matter their age, who are still serving Christ.”

Since 1993, Brandon’s House has provided more than $1.4 million in free counseling services to teens in Southern Indiana. Parr, who has been a member of the church for more than 40 years, said she pays $1 a year to rent the facility from DePauw Memorial.

The church also owns and operates a thrift store — at 903 Vincennes St. — which is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Proceeds go back into the church and distributed among the different ministries. And each Monday, the church serves lunch to more than 100 seniors from New Albany High School.

“We try to reach out to the community,” Cooper said. “This is a wonderful time in the life of the church. It’s a time to celebrate the people who have come before us, and we look forward to the future of serving Christ.”

The church has a rich history. It actually began in the dining room of Hannah Ruff’s Tavern in New Albany. The church moved to its current location on property donated by Washington C. DePauw, who was an Indiana philanthropist. The original church building was dedicated on Nov. 23, 1884, and was named after DePauw’s 13-year-old daughter Jennie who died of typhoid fever.

Jennie DePauw Memorial Church was later shortened to DePauw Memorial in 1968.

“We have had various church buildings on or near our site that were damaged by flood or fire. But we have always been a vigorous and resilient congregation,” Cooper said.

The vision of opening a counseling center 16 years ago is an example of that resiliency, Cooper said. The Brandon’s House property was purchased and planned to be torn down for a parking lot before Parr’s dream to open a counseling center was put in motion.

“It’s [Brandon’s House] unique to Indiana,” Parr said. “I could go into private practice and make more money, but this is something I wanted to do ... give these services to kids who need them.”