Ballygowan period, and subsequent to the introduction of the Belfast & County Down Railway in 1850, that the village began to grow. Ballygowan railway station opened on 10 September 1858, but finally closed on 16 January 1950. After the railway closed in 1950 the village became an attractive "dormitory" town and the ensuing 50 years have seen rapid growth. On Monday, 15 September 2014, the remains of The Baron Bannside (better known as The Rev. Ian Paisley) were buried in the graveyard attached to Ballygowan Free Presbyterian Church. Lord Bannside was a former First Minister of Northern Ireland and a former
Armagh, Pennsylvania were Presbyterian. The Wheatfield Presbyterian Church, later known simply as the Armagh Presbyterian Church, was started in 1786. The Rev. George Hill, its first minister, was installed in 1792, and was shared with churches in Fairfield and Donegal. In 1820 the congregation built a log church and in 1835-6 replaced it with a white frame church. Another Presbyterian church was built in 1905 in Seward, about 3 miles south. The two congregations merged in 1963. The Armagh church building was destroyed in 2004 after being hit by a truck. The community became a borough on April 10, 1824, having previously