Resurrection Window by Tiffany Studios

by Sue King, ©2023

Many people who visit the Reid Center may assume that the windows have looked the same since 1906 when the Reid Memorial Presbyterian Church was dedicated, but that's not the case.  Originally, there was only one Memorial Window -- the one facing south depicting Christ and the four Apostles.  As seen below Christ's feet, this window - and the entire church - is dedicated to Daniel G. Reid's parents, Daniel and Ann Reid.  

In mid-1908 Reid decided he wanted another memorial window facing north to balance the one facing south.  It was going to cost quite a bit more than if he had opted to have two memorial windows from the start, but money was no object for Daniel Reid.   A letter dated August 3, 1908 from the Tiffany Company stated that "after communicating with Mr. Frederick Wilson who designed all the figure windows in your Church, I find that he is very anxious to do something entirely original for this particular memorial."   It was decided to remove only the five panels in the center of the large north window.  It was not recorded what had been there, but it likely had a design much like the window that faces east in the auditorium. 

Wilson's first offering was to replace the five windows with five Old Testament "Worthies" as they called them.  These were St. John the Baptist in the center with Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel flanking him.  Edwin Stanton George, Manager of Tiffany's Ecclesiastical Department explained that John the Baptist was the connecting link between the Old and New Testaments. 

Reid rejected this idea

The next offering was referred to in the correspondence as "Three Marys at the Tomb" and "Two Angels of the Resurrection"  This was created by Frederick Wilson specifically for Reid's project, and shows a very unique perspective.  In this scene, the viewers are inside the tomb looking out.  The colors and detail of this window are exquisite, perhaps even more so than the other windows in the building.  

This is a Memorial Window, and the two men honored are William S. Reid and Andrew F. Scott, both long-time elders in the congregation.  William Reid was Daniel Reid's oldest brother, and Andrew Scott was president of the Second National Bank, and very likely the man who hired young Dan Reid as a messenger boy in 1873.  

Appropriately, this window was dedicated on Easter morning, April 4, 1909.