CHURCHES: The Protestant Denominations and Churches of Blair County, PA Material in this file was selected and transcribed from Chapter IX, "The Churches of Blair County," pp. 179-230, of the book, Blair County's First Hundred Years, 1846-1946. Altoona, PA: Blair County Historical Society, The Mirror Press, 1945. Courtesy of the Blair County Historical Society, 3419 Oak Lane, P.O. Box 1083, Altoona, PA 16603. http://www.blaircohistoricalsociety.homestead.com/home.html Transcribed and submitted to the Blair County USGenWeb Archives by Judy Banja jbanja@email.msn.com USGENWEB NOTICE: Printing this file within by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information are included. Any other use, including copying files to other sites requires permission from the submitters PRIOR to uploading to any other sites. We encourage links to the state and county table of contents. ____________________________________________________________ CHAPTER XI THE CHURCHES OF BLAIR COUNTY INDEX 1 THE BAPTIST CHURCH, pp. 179-181 2 CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN, pp. 181-185 3 THE BRETHREN CHURCH, p. 185 4 CHRISTIAN SCIENCE IN BLAIR COUNTY, pp. 191-192 5 THE CHURCH OF GOD IN BLAIR COUNTY, pp. 192-194 6 THE EVANGELICAL CHURCH IN BLAIR COUNTY, pp. 194-197 7 THE EVANGELICAL AND REFORMED CHURCH, pp. 197-199 8 THE LUTHERAN CHURCH IN BLAIR COUNTY, pp. 204-209 9 THE MENNONITE CHURCH IN BLAIR COUNTY, pp. 210-212 10 THE METHODIST CHURCH IN BLAIR COUNTY, pp. 212-217 11 THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN BLAIR COUNTY, pp. 217-223 12 THE PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH, pp. 223-226 13 THE UNITED BRETHREN IN CHRIST, pp. 227-230 THE BAPTIST CHURCH, pp. 179-181 Rev. Dr. Carey S. Thomas, D.D. THE history of the Baptist Church in Blair County dates back to 1815, when a Baptist itinerant missionary named Joseph Smith came through the Bald Fagle Valley preaching. About the same time Thomas Williams came from the western part of Pennsylvania and was the first Baptist minister to preach at Newry, Duncansville, Hollidaysburg, Frankstown and Williamsburg. Before 1824 Thomas E. Thomas was preaching throughout Logan's Valley (Bellwood), and Richard Proudfoot extended his missionary activities to the southern and eastern areas of what later became Blair County. Under the pastorate of Thomas E. Thomas, preaching stations were maintained at Sinking Valley, Logan's Valley and Tyrone as an outgrowth of the Baptist church at Birmingham, which had been organized in 1822 by Richard Proudfoot and nineteen members. In 1829 a Baptist church was organized in Williamsburg, with twenty members, and the first pastor was Thomas Williams. A brick house of worship was erected, but by 1862 the church had been so weakened by removals that it disbanded and later the building was sold. In 1833, with ten members formerly from the Williamsburg church, the Baptist church at Hollidaysburg was organized. They met in the public school building until 1834, when a brick church building was erected. Their present church was built in 1846, remodeled in 1873 and has undergone extensive improvements since. Its membership in 1944 was two hundred and seventy-nine. Such Baptist preachers as Dr. A. K. Bell, William Shadrach and H. F. King, who served other Baptist churches in the county were among the ministers serving this church. The Hollidaysburg church established a chapel at Reservoir Station in 1888 which still functions. The Logan's Valley Baptist Church at Bellwood was organized in 1837 with sixty-nine members, many of whom came from the Birmingham church. They held services in a school house near McCamant's Forge or Tipton, and later in a large school house which had been built to serve as both school and meeting house, near the cemetery in Bellwood. A frame church was built in 1841 near the Dysart home in Tipton. It was destroyed by fire in 1856 but was rebuilt the same year. The present brick structure in Bellwood was erected in 1856 and remodeled in 1896. The present membership is two hundred and seventy. The year 1842 marked the beginning of the Baptist Witness in Altoona. The First Church was located in Pleasant Valley and was known as the Regular Baptist Church of Pleasant Valley. A group of twenty-one members forming the church came from the Logan's Valley and Hollidaysburg Churches. They met in a small log school house in the Valley, at Collinsville. Subsequently the church moved to the Union School House, built in 1838 and located at Union Avenue and Sixteenth Street. It was used also by the Presbyterian, Lutheran, Methodist and United Brethren congregations in the early years of their histories. In 1853, one year before Altoona became a borough, the church moved into a small one-story brick building on Virginia Avenue (now Eleventh Avenue) near Clara Street (now Fifteenth Street). Its first imposing church structure was erected on that corner in 1871. It was remodeled after a fire in 1908, and was totally destroyed by fire in 1912. The present church building at 1201-07 Seventeenth Street, one of the most attractive church buildings in central Pennsylvania, was dedicated in 1916. The church has had twenty-two pastors in its one hundred and two years of existence, and its present membership is 1,459. Upon its former site, at Eleventh Avenue and Fifteenth Street, the Chamber of Commerce Building now stands. In 1844 a Baptist church was organized at Duncansville, with forty-seven members released from the Hollidaysburg church. A neat brick building was erected at the time of its organization. It had three pastors, Drs. A. K. Bell, A. J. Hay, and D. J. Yerkes. The church disbanded in 1855 due to removals, and the remaining members united with the Hollidaysburg church. The Tyrone Baptist Church was organized in 1871 with twenty-three members dismissed from the Logan's Valley, Hollidaysburg, Bald Eagle and Philipsburg churches. Its first building was begun at the time of its organization and dedicated in 1875, improved in 1887 and again remodeled and enlarged in 1898. The present membership is sixty-six. The Mt. Zion (Negro) Baptist Church, also known as the Second Baptist Church of Altoona, was organized with eight members in 1873. Its first building was erected in 1876, and the present structure, located at Fifth Avenue and Twenty-second Street was built in 1905. The membership totals two hundred and twenty. The Eighth Ward Mission Chapel, Altoona, established by the First Church in 1865 when Dr. A. K. Bell was pastor, was built at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Sixth Street. In 1889 it became the A. K. Bell Memorial Baptist Church, with fifty-four members dismissed from the First Baptist Church. In 1930 the church built its present structure at the corner of Bell Avenue and Seventh Street and in 1939 it became known as the Bell Avenue Baptist Congregation. Present membership is eighty-nine. In 1897 eighty-two members were dismissed from the First Church to form the Calvary Baptist Church at Altoona, which formerly had been the Sixth Ward Mission of the church. It was located at Fifth Avenue and Twenty-first Street. Dr. John Feltwell, a converted infidel, was its first pastor. In 1897 the chapel was enlarged and remodeled, and further improved in 1904. The present commodious building was erected in 1916 and enlarged in 1941. The present membership is six hundred and twenty-five. In 1908 the First Baptist Church of Altoona established the South Altoona Baptist Chapel and in 1925 erected its present chapel at Fortieth Street and Fourth Avenue. It remains a mission of the First Church. _________________________________ Rev. Dr. Carey S. Thomas, D.D. - Birthplace: London, England. Came to America with his parents in 1892 and resided at Vincennes, Ind. Studied theology at Drew Seminary, Madison, N.J. Was ordained at Millburn, N.J. In 1930 made an extensive tour of Syria, Palestine and Egypt with the Travel Institute of Bible Research - also toured Europe, England. Became pastor of Belmont Ave. Baptist Church, Philadelphia, in March 1918. Assumed pastorate of First Baptist Church, Altoona, November 2, 1926. CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN, pp. 181-185 Rev. I. B. Kensinger On the banks of the Eder River, at Schwarzenau, Germany, in the year 1708, eight people met to organize the religious group now known as the Church of the Brethren. Originally they were known as German Baptist Brethren, frequently called "Tunkers." Alexander Mack was chosen minister and leader of the group, and seven years later he and his congregation migrated to Germantown, Pennsylvania. It is generally believed that the Church of the Brethren was the first religious group to enter Blair County. Charles B. Clark, in his "Semi-Centennial History of Blair County," writes: "The first permanent white settlers of Blair County, coming into the southern end of Morrisons Cove about 1760 or earlier, were Tunkers, and that was probably the first religious denomination to obtain a foothold in Blair County territory. A Presbyterian minister by the name of Beatty preached a sermon one Sunday at Beaver Dams, now called McCann's Mills, in 1756; but it is likely that the Tunkers, who resided here as above stated, held religious services at a still earlier date, and that the congregation consisted of residents of the Cove." About the year 1765, Jacob Neff, a Tunker, built a mill at what is now Roaring Spring. The mill was burned by the Indians and rebuilt by Mr. Neff after the Revolution. Later it was owned by John Ullery, whose brother Samuel was the first Tunker minister in the Cove. He preached in the Yellow Creek congregation in the southeast end of the Cove. The Tunkers were primarily agriculturists, hence they took up much of the farm land of Morrisons Cove. Several thousand acres to the east of Roaring Spring, extending to Tussey Mountain, were purchased by the Brumbaughs. In 1812, at what is now Fredericksburg, they built a mill which is still standing and is operated by Henry Brumbaugh. The Tunkers in the vicinity of Brumbaugh's grants organized the Clover Creek congregation in 1790. There were twenty members. Services were held at the Isaac Metzgar farm, halfway between Fredericksburg and Martinsburg. It was there that the congregation entertained the Annual Meeting of the Brotherhood in 1823. A church house, the first in the Cove built exclusively for religious purposes, was completed in 1841. The lot was deeded to Trustees Abram Shelly, Henry Powell and Joel Graybill. George Brumbaugh, Sr., was bishop from its erection until his death in 1875. The house, completed in 1841, was used until 1881. In October of that year a new and larger house was dedicated and has remained in use until the present time. The congregation then had a membership of 350, holding worship services in four houses. The church house was remodeled in 1938. In the 1790's, John Brumbaugh sold 700 acres of his tract to his son-in-law, Daniel Camerer. Daniel's sons, John and James, built the first house in what is now Martinsburg. It was built in 1845, and although a dwelling, was used for religious purposes. A church house was built to serve Martinsburg in 1870. It remained in use until 1922 when a much larger building replaced it. In 1936 the Martinsburg congregation was made a separate organization. Another of the Clover Creek houses, that of Diehl Cross Roads, was built in 1855. It was remodeled in 1871. The present building was erected in 1906. The Roaring Spring congregation was a part of the Clover Creek congregation until 1898, when it became a separate organization. Its membership totaled 135. In 1910, a new house was built in Roaring Spring borough. The following year the congregation was divided into two separate congregations; Albright and Roaring Spring. Brethren living too far north of Fredericksburg to attend services there began meeting in the school houses of their community. Services continued in this fashion for about ten years until 1873, when a building was erected. It is known as the Fairview house. In 1890 an addition was built. The following year a separate congregation was formed here. In 1912, a meeting house was built and dedicated in Williamsburg Borough. The congregation remained part of Fairview, however, until 1917. Aided by both the Clover Creek and, the Fairview congregations, Brethren in Piney Creek Valley built a church house in 1893. The two congregations continued their assistance until 1917 when the Smithfield congregation was organized. The Claar church house was built in 1890. It became an organized congregation in 1916, taking the name of its founder, Frederick Claar. Members of the Woodbury congregation living near Curryville decided to build a church house, and the dedication of their building was held in December, 1906. The Claysburg church was started as a mission point in 1921. In 1925, Charles L. Cox took charge of the church there, and has remained in charge until the present time. It has grown to a membership of 265. The Frankstown congregation built its first church house in 1852 near Duncansville. It became known as the Duncansville congregation, and started several mission points which developed into separate congregations. One of these was the Carson Valley congregation, which was organized in 1904. Although Hollidaysburg is in the heart of the Frankstown territory, the group which organized the mission point was small. Services were started in 1908, and in 1914 the church house was completed and dedicated. The Leamersville church house was built in 1873, but the group remained a part of the Frankstown congregation until 1904. A new house was erected in 1910, and was remodeled in 1922. The Brethren in Altoona began services in 1870 or 1871. Services were held in a rented hall on Sixth Avenue for about two years. A Methodist chapel on Sixth Avenue was bought and dedicated in 1874. The Altoona group remained a part of the Duncansville congregation until 1882. A new house was started and dedicated, while still uncompleted, in 1884. The present building was dedicated in 1914. Rev. Walter S. Long completed forty years of service with this congregation in September, 1944. Members of the First Church of Altoona began a mission on Twenty-third Street in 1909. In 1911, a church house was erected on Sixth Avenue and Twenty-eighth Street. The house was dedicated in 1914. It was organized as a separate congregation in 1919. The Tyrone church house was built in 1895. The congregation had been organized the preceding year. It has grown from a mission point of nineteen members to a self-supporting congregation. Services of the present Bellwood congregation began in a storeroom in 1894. With the help of the Altoona congregation, a church house was built and dedicated in 1895. The Bellwood congregation was organized in 1897. Fourteen members living in Juniata built and dedicated a church house in 1905 with the help of Joseph W. Wilt. Two years later, the group, now numbering fifty-nine, organized the Juniata Park congregation. In 1914 Brother Wilt helped start services at Riggles Gap. In 1917 a church house was dedicated there and continued under the supervision of the Juniata Park congregation. The customs and practices of the Brethren have changed greatly through the years. The plain style of dress which set apart the older members of this faith is seldom seen in this section of the country today. The early churches ordained men from among their numbers, usually farmers, who preached without remuneration. Today the Churches of the Brethren have their salaried pastors. One of the unique features of the Brethren Church is its Lovefeast Service. This formerly began on Saturday morning and continued until Sunday evening, with the Communion Service on Saturday evening. Since this was a great social as well as religious event, people came from great distances to attend. Today the Lovefeast and Communion Service are held on Sunday evening only. Outstanding characteristics of the Brethren faith are: belief in simplicity of living, evangelistic zeal, peace, and abiding faith in Christ. There are at the present time twenty organized churches in Blair County, with a total membership of over 5,500 members. Although remaining one of the smaller denominations, the Church of the Brethren has organized congregations throughout the United States and Canada, and mission stations on every continent. Pennsylvania, however, remains the stronghold of this faith. _________________________________ Rev. I. B. Kensinger - Birthplace: Fredericksburg, Pa. Ordained to the ministry in 1913. Has been a teacher in the schools of Blair County, North Woodbury Township for the past thirty-five years. Pastor of the Fairview Church of the Brethren near Williamsburg since 1927. THE BRETHREN CHURCH, p. 185. The Brethren, originally known as the Progressive Brethren, derived from the Dunkard or Church of the Brethren denomination, the separation having been based principally on a cleavage of doctrinal observances relative to the orthodox plain garb, the open communion and membership in secret organization. Dr. W. L. Spanogle, late dentist of Roaring Spring, was the founder. The denomination has established churches throughout the United States. There are five congregations in Blair County, located respectively at Altoona, Juniata, Leamersville, Martinsburg and Vicksburg, north of McKee. Dr. Spanogle organized the first church January 13, 1883. It was situated at the Ore Hill-Woodbury crossroads in Taylor Township, therefore it was appropriately known as the Crossroads Church. The membership consisted of fifty-five communicants. Assisted by Elder S. B. Furry, Dr. Spanogle organized other congregations at Duncansville and Fredericksburg. Purchasing the former Union church building at Fredericksburg in 1886, the congregation began with a membership of forty persons. It was served successively by the following pastors: Rev. J. F. Koontz, Rev. E. H. Smith and Rev. J. R. Keller. S. B. Furry continued as Elder. In 1901, the church edifice was abandoned and a new place of worship built at Martinsburg, which was dedicated October 6, 1901. This building has been remodeled and modernized. The following pastors have served: Rev. H. E. Eppley, Rev. J. E. Ray, Rev. E. R. Deatrich, Rev. P. J. Jennings, Rev. J. I. Hall, Rev. J. C. Cook, Rev. R. I. Humberd, Rev. S. T. Houser and the current pastor, Rev. Robert E. Miller. The Vicksburg, or McKee church, was organized January 23, 1886, with thirty-six communicants. The house of worship was dedicated July 11, 1886. The Altoona church, situated at Maple Avenue and Thirtieth Street, was dedicated July 19, 1896. The church at Juniata, organized in 1937, is located at Seventh Avenue, between Second and Third Streets. The edifice at Leamersville was dedicated during the fall of 1944. CHRISTIAN SCIENCE IN BLAIR COUNTY, pp. 191-192 Ruth M. Fleck On September 26, 1900, a small group of loyal Christian Scientists in Blair County banded together to form First Church of Christ, Scientist, Altoona, Pennsylvania. The purpose of this earnest little group was to strengthen their own understanding of Christian Science and bring to the community the blessings that had come to them through the healing ministry of Christian Science as taught by Mary Baker Eddy, its discoverer and founder. This church was established as a branch of the mother church, the First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts, which, with its branches in many countries, constitutes the Church of Christ, Scientist. Mrs. Eddy founded the Christian Science Church as "a church designed to commemorate the word and works of our Master, which should reinstate primitive Christianity, and its lost element of healing" (Church Manual, Page 17). The first services of the Altoona church were held in the Hutchinson building, Seventh Avenue and Twelfth Street. Mr. Thomas P. Snyder served in the capacity of first reader. Later the church moved to the McClain building, Eleventh Avenue and Fourteenth Street, and continued there until the building was sold. The small group then moved to the old First Lutheran Church which was located at 1415 Eleventh Avenue. Insufficient light and heat in the old church building necessitated another change. The new location was in the Sheffer and Warner building on Eleventh Avenue. While in this building the first Christian Science Reading Room in Blair County was opened. Each Christian Science church maintains a free reading room which is open to the public. Here the Bible and the textbook of Christian Science, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, and all other authorized Christian Science literature may be borrowed, read or purchased. The room provided by First Church offered these opportunities to the public and the room was soon found inadequate to serve the growing interest in Christian Science, and it was moved to a ground-floor location in the Orpheum Theatre (now called the Penn Theatre). Later, the room was located in the Central Trust building and also in the Altoona Trust building, in the shopping and business district of Altoona. The first Christian Science Sunday school in Blair County was organized in 1908 while the church was located at 1017 Chestnut Avenue. Mrs. LaRue Henshey was the first superintendent. In 1911 a Christian Science Society was formed and held services in the P. O. S. A. building on Eighth Avenue near Twelfth Street. In November, 1914, these two groups of students, members of First Church and those of the Christian Science Society, united and formed a new organization. The first reader was chosen from the church and the second reader from the society. In April, 1915, a state charter for the Christian Science organization was obtained. This document afforded privileges and protection according to the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. After this step had been, taken, a church home was purchased at 1418 Eighth Avenue at a cost of six thousand dollars. The building was renovated to supply a church auditorium, a Sunday School room and a reading room. This location, however, was found to be rapidly depreciating and when an opportunity came to dispose of the property this was done. The church was moved to a more central location at 1421 Twelfth Avenue which is its present address. The reading room is also located at this address. Among those who served as first reader in the Altoona church during the pioneer days were: Thomas P. Snyder, Matthew T. Bayle, Mrs. LaRue Henshey, George A. Hayes, Mrs. Amanda Bell and Albert H. Pixley. Those who were listed as public practitioners of Christian Science in the early days were: Thomas P. Snyder, John T. Bell, Mrs. Margaret Horton, Willard F. Horton and Mrs. Amanda Bell. The Christian Scientists, in Altoona look forward to occupying their own church edifice at no distant date. On October 21, 1932, a large lot in the most desirable residential section of the city was purchased. Upon this site, when economic conditions permit, a permanent home will be erected for First Church of Christ, Altoona. _________________________________ Ruth Metz Fleck - a native of Altoona, Pa. Graduate of Altoona High School. Attended Highland Hall, Hollidaysburg and the Grier School, Birmingham. Has been associated with the Christian Science movement for the past twenty years. THE CHURCH OF GOD IN BLAIR COUNTY, pp. 192-194 Rev. Wesley N. Wright It would be difficult to imagine a more inspiring and courageous demonstration of human endeavor than man's persistent effort to realize consciously the presence of God. Across the unnumbered centuries the human chain is drawn: now in the spectrum of freedom born of toleration and sacred rights, now in the shadows of tyranny where conscience is forbidden to speak and liberty is unknown. Not unlike the strong river current, which may be diverted by obstacles in its course, even so impediments to freedom of worship may cause an individual to pioneer for liberty, conscience and God. In the year 1825, John Winebrenner, an ordained minister of the Gospel, and at that time pastor of Salem Reformed Church in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, found himself in circumstances typical of those above mentioned. He was born in Frederick County, Maryland, and cultured in the German Reformed Christian faith. He was an evangelistic preacher, believing in the spiritual birth of believers in Jesus Christ. Opposition to his preaching developed in the church, reaching a climax when he found the church door locked to him one Sabbath morning as he arrived to conduct worship services. Accompanied by a group of church members loyal to him, Rev. Winebrenner went to River Front Park, two blocks distant, and held services under the trees. His followers rapidly increased in numbers, and congregations were formed in several of the adjacent counties. Realizing the movement had grown to such proportions that an organic state should exist, Rev. Winebrenner, after prayerful consideration, decided to adopt the name "Church of God," since it was by this name that groups of Christian believers were known in the early period of the church, as New Testament history records. It was during the period from 1840 to 1850 that the Church of God was extended to Bedford, Blair, Fulton and Huntingdon Counties, where thriving congregations soon developed into permanent churches. In Blair County, the Church of God spread over much of the territory until it had congregations in Roaring Spring, Martinsburg, Woodbury, Henrietta, Snively's, Lakemont, Hollidaysburg, First Church, Altoona and Fourth Street Church, Altoona. All of these churches have won for themselves a place in the hearts of the people by loyal, humble service to God and man. Several groups might be mentioned in evidence of the church's endeavor to spread the Gospel among all peoples. A number of congregations of the Negro race, served by their own ministers, are indicative of the church's interest in that people. Another group, composed of emigrants from European countries and their children born in America, have yielded rich fruit for the Kingdom of God through missionary efforts among them. Nor was the American Indian ignored by the pioneering preachers, as their labors led them into contact with the aborigines of America. In mission work abroad, the Church of God has shown commendable interest for more than fifty years. The Province of Bengal, India has been the center of foreign missionary efforts. Schools have been established by teaching missionaries, and a hospital founded by a medical missionary, both endowed and financed by the churches in this country. A chain of churches was also established in the mid-European country of Czechoslovakia, not long before the outbreak of World War II. Being in the midst of a turmoil of conflicting human elements for so long, we can only hope they have not been suppressed, or worse havoc made of them. The Church of God early recognized the need of a higher institution of learning and looked forward to the establishment of such an institution. This hope was realized about 1881 when Findlay College was founded at Findlay, Ohio. Through vicissitudes, common to such projects, the college continues to minister to all seeking its culture and opportunities for service to all mankind. _________________________________ Rev. Wesley N. Wright - was born near Newport, Perry County, Pennsylvania. His birthplace and early home was an old log house which had been erected during pioneer days. He entered the Christian ministry at Lancaster City in November, 1914, and has served appointments at Duncannon, Marysville, Fourth Street, Altoona; Columbia; Nagle Street, Harrisburg; and at present is pastor of the First Church in Hollidaysburg. THE EVANGELICAL CHURCH IN BLAIR COUNTY, pp. 194-197 Rev. Harry C. Kleffel The founder of the Evangelical Church was Jacob Albright, whose parents had immigrated to America September 19, 1732, and settled near Pottstown, Pennsylvania. He was born May 1, 1759. Early in life he felt the call to preach the Gospel, and upon his advice and instruction a number of persons, wishing to be delivered from their sinful state, united in the year 1800 to pray with and for each other. They agreed to spend each Sunday in prayer and in the exercise of Godliness, also to meet each Wednesday evening for prayer, endeavoring to avoid everything evil and sinful, and to do all manner of good as God gave them strength and ability. The number of persons disposed to attend these meetings increased daily. Such was the origin of the Evangelical Association. Jacob Albright by the grace of God was the instrument of their solemn union and holy zeal. They were first called "The Albrights." In the year 1816, they adopted the name "Evangelical Association", which is, therefore, an ecclesiastical union of such persons as desire to possess not merely the form of Godliness,, but the substance and power thereof. In 1816 the first church was built at New Berlin, Pennsylvania. Here also was erected the first publishing house, and later Central Pennsylvania College, of which Albright College, Reading, is the successor. The publishing house was later moved to Cleveland, Ohio and is now located at Harrisburg. After almost a century of denominational life and activity differences arose, and in 1892 a considerable number of ministers and members organized into a denomination under the name of United Evangelical Church. The two denominations, the Evangelical Association and the United Evangelical Church, continued their activities side by side, and both churches grew in numbers. However, a growing conviction that the two churches should be reunited began to find articulate expression. Local communities held union meetings, fraternal delegates were appointed to annual conferences, and to General Conferences, laying the foundations for the union. In 1910 commissions were appointed by both churches to prepare a "Basis of Union" which was presented and approved by the General Conferences of both churches. The union was consummated October 14,1922. The name "Evangelical Church" was chosen. In this union all boards, institutions, colleges, seminaries, and missionary enterprises were merged. In many places congregations united. At the present time the United Brethren in Christ Church and the Evangelical Church have appointed commissions, and the book of "Discipline" for the "Evangelical United Brethren Church" is prepared, awaiting action of the general bodies of both denominations. This is another forward step to bring the two denominations with a common background into one communion. The first Evangelical Church permanently established in Blair County was the Emanuel Evangelical Church, which was founded in Altoona in 1884 with twenty-one charter members. The origin of this congregation was in Germany. Ten of the twenty-one charter members had been converted at a revival meeting in Aldingen, Wurttemberg, Germany, held by Rev. John C. Link, a mission in Europe having been established in 1851 through the efforts of Sebastian Kurz, a layman who was moved to take the Gospel of the Evangelical Church from America back to his fatherland. One of the original members of this congregation survives - Mr. J. J. Hauser, an official member of the church and a highly respected Christian citizen. The congregation of the Emanuel Evangelical Church first worshipped in a schoolhouse between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, and the first church was built in 1887 at Fifth Avenue and Fifth Street. A parsonage was secured at 410 Fifth Street. The present church building was erected in 1906. The Rev. S. Clay Shaffer has been pastor since 1939. The First Evangelical Church, Altoona, was started as a mission by the Central Pennsylvania Conference with thirteen charter members. In 1897 Rev. W. N. Sanner was appointed and conducted worship services in a hall on Seventh Avenue and Twelfth Street. In 1898 Rev. J. A. Hollenbaugh was assigned to this mission. A plot of ground with a school building at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Eleventh Street was purchased and the schoolhouse used for church purposes until 1929, when it was razed to make way for the present church building, erected in 1930. A parsonage was built adjoining the church. Rev. H. C. Kleffel has been pastor since 1931. The Grace Evangelical Church, Juniata, was established as a mission by the Central Pennsylvania Conference in 1906. The first service was held in a schoolhouse with twelve persons present. The first unit of the church was dedicated in 1907, and the present sanctuary was dedicated in 1925. The Rev. W. L. Baughman has been pastor since 1939. The parsonage adjoining the church was built during the pastorate of Rev. W. E. Peffley. Grace Evangelical Church at Bellwood, Pennsylvania was made a mission at the Central Pennsylvania Conference of 1896. The first missionary was Rev. J. W. Zuber. Rev. W. N. Sanner was appointed in 1897 and organized a class with twelve charter members. The church and parsonage were built in 1900. The pastor since 1933 has been Rev. H. C. Kleffel. Pine Croft Evangelical Church was taken up as an appointment in 1897 by Rev. W. N. Sanner, and in the same year a congregation was organized and a church erected. Rev. W. L. Baughman has been pastor since 1939. A Mission at Hollidaysburg was established by the Western Pennsylvania Conference (now the Central Pennsylvania Conference) in 1850, with the Rev. L. May as pastor. In 1851 Rev. L. May was returned; and in 1852 Rev. P. Heiss was appointed. The mission was allocated to the Pittsburgh Conference and was served for more than twenty years, but the writer was unable to secure further data. The Evangelical Churches in Blair County are well located in their respective communities. Their membership is not large, but through the years they have had highly respected members whose influence is radiated in various walks of life. Their churches are prepared to take care of the work of Christian education with departmental work for the various group ages and Sunday school for adults, thus exerting a moral influence and at the same time making a spiritual contribution to the community. >From the beginning of the congregations, none has been without a minister, due to the itinerant system in assigning pastors. The present membership of the combined congregations of the Evangelical Church in Blair County is seven hundred and twenty-five persons. _________________________________ Rev. Harry Christian Kleffel - born in Manheim Township, York County, Pa. Reared on a farm, educated in common schools and at Glenville Academy. Licensed to preach by the Central Pennsylvania Conference in 1911, advanced to deaconate in 1913 and ordained elder in 1916. Served the following appointments: Milton Circuit, Sugar Valley, Ringtown, Millheim, and Altoona First for fifteen years. Has also been pastor of Bellwood Grace Evangelical Church since 1933. Has been treasurer of the General Historical Society of the Evangelical Church since 1929. THE EVANGELICAL AND REFORMED CHURCH, pp. 197-199 Rev. Ralph I. Harrity, D.D. The Evangelical and Reformed Church is a union of the Reformed Church in the United States (formerly the German Reformed Church) and the Evangelical Synod of North America, which merged in 1934. The Evangelical Synod was formed in America by immigrants from Prussia, where the Lutheran and Reformed churches had been united in what was called the Evangelical Church. This immigration took place around the year 1850, and centered around St. Louis. The Reformed Church in the United States, or the German Reformed Church as it was then known, was founded in America about the year 1724. Since there are no congregations of the former Evangelical Synod in Blair County, this history will be concerned solely with the Reformed Church. Jesse Sell, in his "History of Blair County," says that the oldest cemetery in Williamsburg is the German Reformed Cemetery. From other sources it is believed that a German Reformed congregation existed in Williamsburg as early as 1798. This congregation lasted until about 1844, when it disbanded. Later, on November 19, 1905, a new congregation called "Trinity" was founded in that town. In 1804 a German Reformed congregation was founded in what is now known as Martinsburg, then called "Winsbrenner" in the Synodical minutes. The father of the Reformed Church in Blair County was the Rev. John Dietrich Aurandt, the seventh son of John Aurandt. He was not originally trained for the Gospel ministry, having been a farmer, miller and soldier in the Revolutionary War before becoming a minister. He was born at March Creek in 1760, moved to Yellow Creek in 1804, and died there in 1831. He is buried at Water Street. In 1798 Mr. Aurandt began to attend the "Big Meetings" which were the forerunner of the founding of the United Brethren Church, and at these meetings he was occasionally called upon for prayer. In an emergency he preached a funeral sermon, and did so well that the Brethren gave him a modified preaching license. He associated himself with the Rev. George Pfuermer who was ministering to Reformed congregations in Buffalo and Penn's Valley. In 1801 Aurandt was called to become pastor of these congregations. In that year he applied to the German Reformed Synod meeting at York for ordination, but was refused. He renewed his application in 1806 and was licensed. In 1809 he received full ordination. In the meantime, however, he had been organizing Reformed congregations. In 1803 he made a missionary journey, preaching at Spruce Creek, Clover Creek, Williamsburg, Martinsburg, Bedford, Yellow Creek and at points near Pittsburgh. In 1804 he settled in Yellow Creek, Huntingdon County, and finding Reformed families in Winsbrenner (Martinsburg), organized a congregation there. He also organized a congregation at Clover Creek, now known as Salem Church, Beavertown. In the Synodical minutes he is listed as preaching in Martinsburg, Clover Creek and Williamsburg until 1831, the year of his death. Congregations of the Evangelical and Reformed Church exist today in Martinsburg, Beavertown, Millerstown (Mt. Pleasant), East Sharpsburg, Roaring Spring, Hollidaysburg, Williamsburg, Claysburg and Altoona. Martinsburg: St. John's congregation, founded in 1804 by the Rev. John Dietrich Aurandt, first worshipped in a log building about two miles southwest of the present town. Later a church building was erected in the town and used jointly by the Reformeds and the Presbyterians. In 1858 the cornerstone of the present building was laid. Beavertown: Salem congregation, first a preaching point for the Rev. Mr. Aurandt, was listed in the Synodical minutes as Clover Creek. The exact date of origin is unknown. The first building, erected in 1810, was a Union church. In 1832, another building was erected for the Reformed congregation. In 1853 it was rebuilt, and enlarged. In 1884 the present edifice was erected. Mt. Pleasant: (near Millerstown) Was organized in 1873. The members originally belonged to the Zion German Reformed Church, known as the Hickory Bottom Church, in Bedford County. In 1853 they organized a community Sunday school in Millerstown, from which evolved the present Mt. Pleasant Reformed Church. Sharpsburg: St. John's Church was founded in 1850 by the Rev. Dewalt Fouse. Roaring Spring: Christ Church was founded October 20, 1901 by the Rev. John Heffner. The membership was composed of Reformed families who had belonged to St. John's Church in East Sharpsburg and had moved to Roaring Spring. Hollidaysburg: St. John's Church was founded on April 24, 1908, through the efforts of the Rev. Bergey, at that time pastor of Trinity Church, Altoona. The first pastor was the Rev. Charles A. Huyette. Williamsburg: Trinity Church was founded November 19, 1905. This was the Second Reformed congregation in Williamsburg, the first having disbanded in 1842. Claysburg: Grace Church was founded in 1846 by the Rev. F. A. Rupley, Sr., D.D. Before this, Reformed members worshipped in a Union church. The early records are lost. Altoona: Christ Church was founded in 1863 by the Rev. Cyrus S. Cort. The first building was erected at the corner of Twelfth Avenue and Fifteenth Street (then known as Emma and Clara Streets), and the second building was erected at the same corner in 1902-03. Trinity Church was organized December 21, 1888, by members of Christ Church living on the east side of the city. A Sunday school was first assembled in July 1888 and the organization of the congregation soon followed. The building erected at the corner of Seventh Avenue and Eighth Street in the year 1890 is still in use. Grace Church was organized on September 23, 1897, also from members of Christ Church living in the Sixth Ward of this city. Again a Sunday school preceded the congregation, being organized January 10, 1897. A chapel was first built on a lot at the corner of Twenty-third Street and Eighth Avenue, in 1898, and the church building was erected in 1903-04 next to the chapel and on the corner. Salem Church was organized July 10, 1910, by the Rev. Bergey, pastor of Trinity Church. It is located on East Grant Avenue, near Kettle Street. St. Paul's Church, Juniata, was organized January 7, 1906, and the present building was erected on the corner of Sixth Avenue and Fourth Street, Juniata, in the year 1907. _________________________________ Rev. Ralph J. Harrity, D.D. - Birthplace: Larimer, Pa. A graduate of Ursinus College in 1915, Central Theological Seminary in 1918. Was ordained in the Grace Reformed Church in Sioux City, Iowa. Served with the U. S. Army in World War I and was discharged in February, 1919. Has been pastor of the Grace Evangelical and Reformed Church in Altoona since 1929. Chaplain of the "Y" Men's Club. Was conferred degree of Doctor of Divinity by Ursinus College in June, 1944. THE LUTHERAN CHURCH IN BLAIR COUNTY, pp. 204-209 Rev. H. C. Michael, D.D. In the last quarter of the Eighteenth Century, probably about 1786, an influx of German Lutherans occurred in the territory around Water Street. They began immediately to hold divine services in their homes, and from these meager beginnings the first Lutheran congregations of Blair County were organized. Some early settlers had come by way of the Forbes Road to Fort Louden, to Fort Littleton and thence to Frankstown. Another, larger group had followed the Susquehanna and Juniata Rivers, pushing westward and organizing congregations as the population grew. Harrisburg was organized in 1787, Lewistown in 1796, Mifflintown in 1801, Huntingdon, Bellwood and Williamsburg in 1804 and Altoona in 1805. In many instances the initiative was assumed by laymen, devout believers who longed for the Word of God and were willing to travel long distances to attend worship services. Three stages of development are discernible in the early period. First, occasional would-be shepherds conducted these services with questionable results. Second, pastors of repute appeared once or twice a year to administer communion, baptize children and perform other ministerial acts. Rev. Frederick Haas from Huntingdon, Pastor Walter of Middleburg, and Pastor Ilgen of Centre County were among the first to come in this capacity. Third, with the establishment of Gettysburg Seminary in 1826, Wittenberg Seminary in 1845 and Missionary Institute (now Susquehanna University) in 1858, the graduates of these institutions assumed spiritual leadership. Among the first of these was Rev. Charles Guenther, pastor of Newry in 1836, Rev. William Weaver of the Newry pastorate in 1844 and Rev. Joseph Fichtner, pastor of Martinsburg in 1852. These three were from the Gettysburg Seminary. The territory covered by these men was remarkable, considering the difficulties, hardships and dangers involved. In 1816 Rev. Haas' charge included all of Huntingdon and Blair Counties. There are records of his work in Sinking Valley in the house of George Fleck; at Salem (Antis) in the house of George Dorner; at Allegheny Furnace (Altoona); and at Newry, Frankstown, Williamsburg and Clover Creek in log school houses. The first Lutheran pastor to live in Blair County was Rev. Schmick, in 1816. All the churches of Blair County were formed into the Williamsburg charge, embracing Williamsburg, Clover Creek, Frankstown, Newry, Allegheny Furnace and Sinking Valley. Rev. Jacob Martin, a prominent figure in the Lutheran Church, took charge about November 7, 1828. His first report to Synod was: Six congregations, twenty-three baptisms and ninety communicants, averaging fifteen communicants to each congregation. He received an annual salary of $300.00 and a residence. In 1824 Rev. George Reichert of Indiana, Pennsylvania, began to serve the Allegheny Furnace and Frankstown congregations. How many members this faithful servant of God added to the church will only be known in the world to come, as no records can be found. However, we do know that those small groups of worshippers gathered together in remote places, and served at so great sacrifice, have since developed into some of our prominent, and prosperous congregations. >From the records available it is generally believed that the congregation at Newry is the oldest in Blair County. In our statistical report the original date is 1801. The present substantial two-story brick structure of this congregation was dedicated December 16, 1874. The Newry congregation has given of her membership to establish six other congregations. The Rev. L. J. Karschner is the present pastor. Claysburg and East Freedom are served by the Newry pastor. Claysburg was formerly known as Sarah Furnace. The Lutheran and Reformed congregations worshipped in a Union church built in 1846. In 1881 the Lutheran congregation built its own edifice across the road from the Union church. Changed conditions of travel and transportation brought about the organization of the East Freedom congregation in 1882. Worshippers formerly traveled eight or ten miles on horseback to attend service at Newry. With changed conditions, those who journeyed three to five miles felt the necessity of building a church nearer home. A meeting was called, a congregation was organized with twenty-six charter members, all transferred from the Newry Church. Another loss sustained by Newry was the organization of a congregation at Duncansville in 1846. Today Duncansville owns an attractive brick edifice on Chestnut Street. The pastor is the Rev. G. B. Harman. Zion, Hollidaysburg and Geeseytown were originally one congregation, beginning about 1803. Separate records were never kept but it is known that Rev. Haas, on his way to Newry, stopped and preached at Frankstown. A plot of ground about a half mile east of town was deeded to the Frankstown congregation in 1813 and a two-story log church was built on this lot. Some claim that it was the only log church in the county at that time. It was in this Hollidaysburg Zion Church that the Allegheny Synod was formally organized in 1842. The growth of Zion was both rapid and stable. The Rev. E. H. Bauer is the present pastor. The Frankstown congregation was reorganized in 1884 under the name of the Geeseytown Evangelical Lutheran Church. The present pastor is Rev. G. R. Heim, D.D. Five Lutheran congregations in Blair County began their existence officially in 1804, namely: Zion, in Williamsburg; St. John's, Clover Creek; Yellow Springs; Salem, near Bellwood; and St. John's, Sinking Valley. In 1798 a lot was deeded to the Lutheran and Reformed people of Williamsburg. A log building was later erected to be used for church and school purposes. In this building all the denominations of the town worshipped and formulated their organizations. In 1823 the Lutherans began the erection of a stone church which was completed and dedicated in 1828. Another lot was secured in the southwest section, and a brick church was erected there and dedicated in 1836, to be rebuilt in 1881. The St. Paul's, Clappertown; Yellow Springs, and St. John's, Clover Creek congregations are part of the Williamsburg charge. The pastor is the Rev. L.V. Lesher, who is now serving in the armed forces. The supply pastor is the Rev. Charles Wisler. Yellow Springs and Williamsburg congregations were identical for a quarter of a century, but became separate organizations in 1843. St. John's dates back to the year 1804 while St. Paul's traces its origin to the year 1859. Salem Lutheran Church near Bellwood was formerly called the Logan Valley congregation. It was one of the pioneer churches, starting when the country was sparsely settled and when it was extremely difficult to arrange services. Prior to 1803 a Mr. Horner, a parochial school teacher, taught school, instructed children in the catechism and read sermons in the Antis schoolhouse. Later, Rev. Haas preached in the schoolhouse. This congregation is now a part of the Bellwood charge. Grace Lutheran in Bellwood has had a substantial, steady growth. Although it began its existence as late as 1876 it is now a flourishing congregation. The pastor is the Rev. Russell Knoebel, who is now serving in the armed forces. The supply pastor is the Rev: R.B. McGiffin. The First Lutheran Church of Tyrone was organized in 1872. This congregation worshipped in four different public buildings until it gained sufficient membership to build its present stone church building on the corner of Logan Avenue and Thirteenth Street, Tyrone. The pastor is the Rev. H.G. Hohman. St. John's or Sinking Valley congregation is located seven miles southeast of Tyrone. Tradition has it that Rev. Haas preached here regularly, coming from Huntingdon. It is supposed that either Rev. Ilgen of Aaronsburg or Rev. Walter of Middleburg came at least once a year to administer the Lord's Supper and baptize the children. A two-story log church was built in 1819, a brick church in 1840 and the present brick structure in 1892. It is now served as part of the Sinking Valley charge. In Altoona the First Lutheran Church was organized in 1805, St. James in 1861, Christ Second in 1871, the Fourth and St. Paul's in 1882, Trinity, Juniata, in 1886; Bethany in 1893, Grace in 1896, Mt. Olivet in 1897, St. John's, Juniata, in 1906 and Temple in 1908. Allegheny Furnace (now Altoona) was visited by Rev. Haas in 1804. A log church was built in 1815. With the coming of the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1849 the population increased rapidly and the Lutherans, after occupying various locations within the city limits, built a two-story brick edifice on Eleventh Avenue in September, 1854. In 1897 a stone church was built on the corner of Twelfth Avenue and Fourteenth Street. First Church, as it was called, has been served by able pastors and has always enjoyed great numerical strength. Today it stands forth as the largest Protestant church in Blair County. The present pastor is the Rev. Luke H. Rhoads. At a congregational meeting in First Church, the possibility of organizing another group was discussed and favorable sentiment created. Consequently, Christ Second Church was organized August 13, 1871, in Bell's Hall on the corner of Seventh Avenue and Twelfth Street. Mr. D. K. Ramey, who was one of the chief organizers, was elected a member of the new church council and superintendent of the Sunday school. The site of the present church on Seventh Avenue was purchased, and in 1876 the present brick building was completed. Christ Second Church has been blessed with able pastors under whose leadership the congregation has steadily increased. The Rev. C. H. Hershey is the present pastor. Eleven years later Fourth Lutheran and St. Paul's were organized at opposite ends of the city. Logantown grew when the lower railroad shops were built. A Sunday school was started and the Logantown chapel was dedicated in 1874. Rev. J. J. Kerr was successful in organizing the church in January, 1882. The Rev. R. W. Lind is the present pastor. St. Paul's was formally organized by Rev. Kerr in 1882 and was served by him in connection with Fourth Church. This edifice was erected and occupied in 1883. The Rev. J. L. Barnes is now pastor. The territory of the Eighth and Tenth Wards of the city was canvassed in 1891 by two members of the First Church and a Sunday school came into existence. The school grew rapidly and the Bethany congregation was organized and remained in the I.O.O.F. building on Sixth Avenue until the new church was completed on the corner of Third Avenue and Second Street. The Rev. George Bowers is the present pastor. About two miles east of Altoona the Mt. Olivet Church was established in 1897. Rev. H. M. Hileman, while pastor of the Bethany Church, organized and for some time served these people. It is now a part of the Sinking Valley charge. Grace Lutheran was organized January 3, 1896, with a charter membership of 125. Rev. S. D. Daugherty became the first pastor. The site of the church at the corner of Twelfth Avenue and Eleventh Street was purchased in 1897 and the new church dedicated early in 1901. The present pastor, Rev. B. A. Peters, is now serving in the armed forces. The Rev. E. A. Repass, D.D., is the supply pastor. Temple Eighth Church, in the Sixth Ward, was fostered by members of the First and Second Churches. A Sunday school soon flourished at the corner of Seventh Avenue and Twenty-fourth Street. The Rev. C. M. Aurand, D.D., of Martinsburg, came upon the scene and after canvassing the situation succeeded in organizing the congregation in 1908. During the ministry of the Rev. F. R. Greninger an attractive church edifice was erected on the corner of Sixth Avenue and Twenty-second Street. The pastor is the Rev. Paul O. Hamsher. St. James Lutheran Church, now a member of the Pittsburgh Synod, was organized in 1861. For a brief period it had been a member of the Allegheny Synod. The congregation had its roots in the First Church, has been served by able pastors, and has rendered definite service in the development of Lutheranism in the county. The church is located at Eighth Avenue and Fourteenth Street, and is under the pastorate of the Rev. Jacob Flegler, D.D. Trinity, Juniata, was established by Rev. J. J. Kerr in 1887 while he was pastor of Fourth Church. This congregation has been shepherded by outstanding and capable men and, as a result, has enjoyed a steady growth. The Rev. Ralph Birk is now the pastor. St. John's was developed by the Rev. H. E. Wieand when he was pastor of Trinity. Mr. D. K. Ramey assisted in this work. It was organized January 21,1906, is now a part of the Sinking Valley charge and Rev. Ellwood Stahl is the pastor. Lutheranism in Martinsburg has had a long and interesting history but, unfortunately, many of the early records were lost. A congregation was reported in 1832. First known as the Zion Church, the congregation subsequently took the name of St. Matthew's. The present edifice was dedicated in 1895, and the pastor is the Rev. Paul J. Keller. St. Luke's, Roaring Spring, was originally a part of the Martinsburg charge, but withdrew in 1889 to become self-sustaining, The first pastor, the Rev. Joseph Fichtner, came directly from Gettysburg Seminary. The present church building was dedicated March 25, 1888. The pastor is the Rev. Oscar Feeman. We of the Lutheran household of faith have a heritage in Blair County of twenty-seven congregations, 15,000 baptized members. The names of those who preached and their records of spiritual service have, in many instances, been lost; the original members and church officials who bore the burden and heat of the primitive days may not be known here and now; but we appreciate the fact that our present-day privileges have been secured through the sacrifice and suffering of those who were constrained to do the pioneer work. Godly men blazed the trails through the wilderness in more ways than one, upholding the Word of God and the Cross of Christ under conditions that should classify them as genuine heroes of the Faith. Our contact with them is fittingly expressed in our confessional basis: "Receiving and holding the Word of God as contained in the Canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the only infallible rule of faith and practice and the Augsburg confession as a correct exhibition of the doctrines of the Divine Word and the faith of our Church founded upon that Word." _________________________________ Rev. H. C. Michael, D.D. - Birthplace: Tamaqua, Pa. A graduate of the Sunbury High School, Susquehanna University and Susquehanna Seminary. Was ordained by the Susquehanna Synod in 1899. Served three pastorates: Wilmerding, 1899 to 1906; Northumberland, 1906 to 1916; Moxham, Johnstown, 1916 to 1942. Was president of the Allegheny Synod for two years. His wife is the daughter of Dr. C. M. Aurand, who was instrumental in organizing Temple Lutheran Church, Altoona. Dr. Michael is now retired and resides with his wife at Gettysburg, Pa. He notes that the facts in this article were gleaned from the "History of the Allegheny Synod" by Rev. W. H. B. Carney, D.D., Ph.D. THE MENNONITE CHURCH IN BLAIR COUNTY, pp. 210-212 Rev. Clayton, A., Graybill The Mennonite churches in the vicinity of Martinsburg, Pennsylvania, are officially known as "The Morrisons Cove District," and are a unit of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Mennonite Conference. During the last half of the Eighteenth Century a number of families of Mennonite faith settled in the Cove. Some settled in Bedford County near Woodbury, while others located in Blair County in the vicinity of Martinsburg and Roaring Spring. The first of these arrived about 1760. Among the first families are found such familiar Cove names as Bassler, Kauffman, Rhodes and Stoner, to mention only those most prominently associated with the work of the church. These pioneers came principally from the eastern part of Pennsylvania. The first church leader was Frederick Rhodes, who was ordained a deacon, then a minister. In the year 1800 he was elevated to the office of Bishop. In the period from 1835 to 1850 we find the name of Henry Kauffman recorded as minister. Jacob Snyder, a prominent Mennonite Bishop of Huntingdon County, had four sons who became ministers, and three of them - Jacob, Herman and Abram Snyder - settled in the Cove. These three, together with Henry Kauffman, labored faithfully in the service of their church. Jacob and Herman became Bishops. Abram was a faithful minister, his work extending into this present century. In the year 1853 J. N. Durr was born near Masontown, Pennsylvania. This date marked the beginning of a most notable career. At the age of nineteen he was ordained to the ministry and the following year he became a Bishop. After serving the church in Fayette County for a number of years, he moved to Martinsburg in 1898 where he acted as Bishop. Eight years later, due to impaired health, he asked for the ordination of a younger man to succeed him as Bishop. It was largely due to the efforts of Bishop Durr that the Southwestern Pennsylvania Conference was organized in 1876. Prior to that date, these congregations were a part of the Lancaster County Conference. Bishop Durr was also one of the pioneers in the movement to organize the Mennonite General Conference of the United States and Canada, and he was the Moderator of the preliminary meeting at Elida, Ohio, in 1897, which led to the formation of a permanent organization. His death in 1934 ended an eventful, useful career of over sixty years as Bishop, establishing a record in the Mennonite Church. In response to the request for young men for church work, Abram Metzler of Lancaster County came to Martinsburg with his family in 1897. There he was ordained to the ministry. In recognition of his executive ability and in compliance with the request of Bishop Durr, he was elevated to the office of Bishop in 1906. Being a very zealous man, blessed with good judgment, and always putting church work first, he found a large field of service both within and outside the district. Much of his time was given to evangelistic work, instruction at Bible conferences and teaching in Bible schools. For many years he was treasurer of the Publication Board, also moderator of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Conference District, holding both of these offices at the time of his death in April, 1924. Two of his sons, Isaac and Abram, followed him in church work. During this period Andrew Kauffman served faithfully as deacon. H. B. Ramer, now of Duchess, Alberta, Canada, also served as deacon, and in his present location is serving as minister. Succeeding him, Isaac K. Metzler, a son of Bishop Abram Metzler, served as deacon and was later ordained minister. In response to a call from the Rockton, Pennsylvania, church he moved there with his family, and in recognition of his services there was ordained Bishop. Later he returned to the Cove for a few years of service, He is now located in the western part of the Conference District. The vacancy in the office of deacon created by the ordination of Isaac K. Metzler to the office of minister was filled by Albert R. Kauffman, a son of the former deacon. On October 5, 1914, C. A. Graybill was ordained to the ministry at Schellsburg, Pennsylvania. In April, 1918, he and his family moved to Martinsburg, but he continued as pastor of the Schellsburg congregation until 1924 when he was released to serve the Cove district. November 16, 1924, marked the ordination of two young men to the ministry, D. Irvin Stonerook and Abram J. Metzler, the latter a son of Bishop Abram Metzler. Abram J. Metzler served as pastor of the church at Masontown, Pennsylvania, and was later chosen as their Bishop. At present he is located at Scottsdale. He is general manager of the Mennonite Publishing House. In 1933 Bishop Durr, due to declining health and advanced age, asked to be relieved of direct responsibility of his office. This led to the ordination of D. Irvin Stonerook to the office of Bishop. He is also Moderator of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Conference. Serving the Cove district at this time (1945) are: Bishop, D. I. Stonerook; Minister, C. A. Graybill; Deacon, A. R. Kauffman. Stonerook and Kauffman trace their ancestry to Rhodes, former Bishop, and Kauffman, former minister. Thus we see the continuing influence of the pioneer settlers, even to this day. In the early days the Mennonites held their services in private homes. Following the service it was customary for all present to remain for dinner. The services were rotated from home to home. For a number of years public worship was conducted in a Union church near Woodbury, Pennsylvania. In fact, this was their only place of worship until 1854, when the Martinsburg Church was built one mile east of the airport, on the present site of the Mennonite Cemetery. This building served as their church for over one-half century. It was replaced by the present brick structure just outside Martinsburg borough limits, which was built in 1915. In 1900 the Pleasant Grove Church was built one and one-half miles west of Curryville. These two houses of worship serve the district at the present time. Rev. J. M. Nissley is pastor of the Altoona congregation, whose house of worship is located at Fourth Avenue and Fifth Street. His predecessors have been E. F. Hartzler, of Marshallville, Ohio; J. L. Stouffer, now president of the Eastern Mennonite School at Harrisonburg, Virginia; and Jacob Martin, of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. The congregations at Roaring Spring, Smith Corner and the Loop are affiliated with the General Conference of Mennonites, which is a separate branch of the mother church. _________________________________ Rev. C. A. Graybill - Born at MCAllisterville, Pa., of a line of ministers extending through four generations. His greatgrandfather, John G. Graybill, was the first Mennonite minister in Juniata County. Has seven children; one son, Paul, missing in action in Europe. Rev. Graybill resides in Martinsburg. THE METHODIST CHURCH IN BLAIR COUNTY, pp. 212-217 Rev. George F. Boggs, Ph.D. This is not intended in any sense to be a perfect or complete history; we have simply tried to record as many facts as possible in the space allotted us. Organized Methodism in America dates from the "Christmas Conference" held in the Lovely Lane meeting house in Baltimore in December, 1784. There Francis Asbury was elected and ordained Bishop. >From this starting point, itinerant preachers went out to carry the message of "full and free salvation" to the colonists from Georgia to Massachusetts. Generally they preached the "old-time religion" which was "Repentance, Conversion, Regeneration." These preacher-evangelists kept pace with the increasing population. They pushed up the Susquehanna and Juniata Valleys, and into all the surrounding territory. We find them at Concord in 1792, whence came Robert and Charles Maclay, the Linns, and the Widneys. About the same time these traveling evangelists arrived in Huntingdon, Birmingham, Williamsburg, and later at Asbury Church, Duncansville, Martinsburg and elsewhere in Blair County. Frankstown was one of the first places visited. Today there are thirty-eight organized Methodist congregations in the county. They employ twenty-six regular pastors. On their rolls are listed the names of 15,120 members. The church property is valued at $1,250,000. One of the first Methodist congregations to be organized in Blair County was the Asbury Church. It is located four miles north of Altoona on the "back road" to Bellwood. The earliest records show that the Rev. Thompson Mitchell came up from Birmingham and preached at Asbury about the year 1834. The church celebrated its centennial in the year 1940 when Bishop Adna W. Leonard preached. The Rev. L. D. Wible was pastor during the centennial year. Rev. E. Z. Utts is the present pastor of this congregation, which now numbers sixty-two. The Rev. George Guyer was the first Methodist preacher to conduct religious services in Altoona. Here he proclaimed the Gospel in a schoolhouse in 1850. This territory was a part of the Birmingham Circuit. In 1853 the First Methodist Church was organized with John Ryland as pastor. There were eighteen members. A Sunday school was organized in April, 1853, with George R. Everson as superintendent. The first church building was dedicated August 13, 1854. The present edifice was dedicated April 21, 1907. Among those who were active in the early history of this church were Thomas Burchnell, Thomas Elway, Jonathan Lias, Andrew Green, Robert Green, George W. Kessler, Robert A. McDowell, John Trout and John Shoemaker. The Sunday school numbers eight hundred and fifty-five, and there are 1,512 members of this church. The Eighth Avenue Methodist Church came into existence February 28,1868, when John Shoemaker, J. W. Weber, Henry Bell, Andrew Kipple, Joseph Nixon, Solomon Boyer, George Rosenberger and William Jacobs were elected trustees. Rev. J. S. McMurray, pastor of the First Church, was acting pastor with Rev. W. M. Frysinger as assistant. In 1918, during the ministry of Dr. Boggs, the church celebrated its fiftieth anniversary. The present magnificent church building was erected during the pastorate of the Rev. T. S. Wilcox. It was dedicated May 18, 1902. Bishops Charles H. Fowler and Cyrus D. Foss, with other ministers, preached during the week of dedication. Bishop Foss conducted the dedicatory services. At the corner of Sixth Avenue and Twenty-third Street stands the Simpson Methodist Church. It was organized March 3, 1872. Mrs. Chatams has the credit for starting a Sunday school which grew until a church was eventually organized and developed into a large and flourishing congregation, with a present membership of nine hundred and twenty-three. The first chapel was dedicated October 19, 1872; the present building in February, 1905. Bishop Charles C. McCabe preached and sang at the dedication. The present pastor is Rev. C. F. Catherman. The Fifth Avenue Methodist Church was organized in November, 1883. The first Board of Trustees was composed of C. H. Brown, J. T. Brown, George Reigle, Levi Hainley, William Carnes, Samuel Nicewonger, J. B. Bowles, T. D. Hughes and J. N. Tillard. Rev. George Leidy, who was then pastor of the Eighth Avenue Church, helped greatly with the beginning of this church. It was first called the Third Avenue and Second Street Church. On April 27, 1886, the present site at Fifth Avenue and Fourth Street was purchased. Financial aid and other assistance was generously given by members of the Eighth Avenue congregation. The first building was dedicated October 24, 1886. Rev. George Leidy became pastor in 1901. A new church building was soon started which was dedicated December 7, 1902, with nine members. The congregation now numbers eight hundred and ten. The Grace Methodist Church was formed by uniting the Chestnut Avenue and the Walnut Avenue Churches. The present church was dedicated in 1915. Rev. I. R. Duvall is the present pastor, and the membership totals seven hundred and forty-four. The Fairview Methodist Church was dedicated December 9, 1890. Among the most active of the charter members of this church were James Cox, Mr. and Mrs. A. H. Kopp, George W. Kopp, G. A. Houck, E. Grannas and S. C. Martz. Miss Mae Wharton, daughter of the Rev. R. H. Wharton was, for many years, one of the most efficient workers in this congregation. The membership is seven hundred and sixteen. The Rev. L. W. Dow is pastor of the Methodist Church at Lakemont. The membership numbers three hundred and seventy-six. In 1907 a Methodist chapel was built in Llyswen, with Rev. H. H. Sherman the first pastor, followed by Rev. R. B. Foster. The present brick building was dedicated February 2, 1920. Rev. G. A. Williams was pastor at that time. The membership now numbers four hundred and eight, with the Rev. Frank W. Montgomery as pastor. In the section of Altoona known as Juniata there are two Methodist churches. One is known as First Church. The present pastor is Rev. H. W. Glassco, and there are 1,175 members. The other is known as Wesley Memorial Church, whose present pastor is the Rev. E. Z. Utts. The church has a membership of five hundred and fifty-three. Bellwood has a fine stone church and parsonage. The membership is seven hundred and eighty-nine, and the Rev. H. T. Covert is the present pastor. Some sixty years ago a Methodist church was erected in that lovely suburban section of Altoona known as Juniata Gap. After being used as a place of worship for approximately forty years the building was sold and converted into a dwelling house. A new site was then secured and the present stone edifice was erected and dedicated in 1921. Rev. George F. Boggs is serving here as supply pastor. Tyrone has two Methodist churches: the First Church, almost as old as the town itself, has a membership of nine hundred and two. The present pastor is Rev. H. P. Beam. The Columbia Avenue Church, whose pastor is the Rev. W. W. Willard, has a membership of eight hundred and eighty-nine. Duncansville has the beautiful and commodious Hacks Memorial Methodist Church and the parsonage is now occupied by the Rev. L. Vance Green. These buildings were erected by scions of the famous Hicks family, long prominent in the history of Blair and other western counties of Pennsylvania. The membership numbers four hundred and sixty. The Hollidaysburg congregation is among the oldest Methodist churches in the county. The present building is a two-story brick structure with a handsome auditorium. In 1911, during the ministry of Dr. Boggs, the church was refurnished and greatly improved. The church has a membership of eight hundred and thirty-two. Roaring Spring has a flourishing Methodist congregation with seven hundred and twenty-two members, of which Rev. N. G. McCloskey is pastor. An outstanding worker in this church has been Rev. J. A. J. Williams, a local preacher, who for many years held numerous and very successful revival meetings in many places and won hundreds of converts for Christ and His Church. The church at Martinsburg and other Methodist churches in the southern section of Blair County are all closely connected in their history. Fifty years ago this writer was told by "Aunt Peggy" Dodson that she and other members of the family walked from near Martinsburg to East Freedom to attend class and church meetings. The Rev. John W. Leckie, a fine preacher, was pastor here just after the Civil War. The Rev. Joshua K. Lloyd also served as pastor here about 1894-97. Rev. N. J. Simmons is the present pastor at Martinsburg. The Methodist Church at Williamsburg was part of the Huntingdon Circuit in 1792. One of the first names found in connection with this church is that of Jacob Ake. On the seventeenth day of August, 1812, he conveyed to the Methodist Church a piece of land, presumably for church purposes. The congregation was formally organized in 1816 and worshipped in a Union church building until 1831, when a new structure was built. The present edifice was erected in 1854. Bishop Waugh preached the dedicatory sermon. Job Lambeth was pastor. At the present time there are three hundred and fifty-four members at Williamsburg; twenty-four at Cove Forge; forty-four at Oreminia; thirteen at Mt. Etna; and thirty-nine at Royer. A Sunday school was organized at Royer in 1825, with A. W. Berryhill as superintendent. It met at 10 a. m. and closed at 2 p. m. Forty-six persons were enrolled, and the subjects taught were spelling and reading. The superintendent read "several chapters of Scripture and explained them." They met in this schoolhouse for thirty-six years, until, in 1872, a Methodist church was built. Mrs. McAllister was assistant superintendent for forty years, superintendent for ten years, and taught the boys' class for more than fifty years. She was succeeded by her daughter, Miss Mary McAllister. About the middle of the Nineteenth Century, Methodism was planted in southern Blair County. For some years a congregation held forth in East Freedom. About 1875 the members transferred to McKee where a new church building was erected. Some of the early ministers were: Rev. Owen Hicks, Rev. H. N. Minnigh, and Rev. Bruce Hughes. In April, 1894, Rev. George F. Boggs became pastor. The charge was composed of five appointments: McKee, Claysburg, Reservoir, Frankstown and Canoe Creek. During the first year of this pastorate a great and successful revival was conducted. Rev. Thomas R. Gibson is the energetic pastor of the Frankstown and Canoe Creek congregations. Intermittent services have been held at Frankstown for a century and a half. They have a very comfortable church, built in 1923, in which seventy members are enrolled. The district parsonage, a large brick building at 801 Lexington Avenue, was purchased as a dwelling for the Superintendent of the Altoona District some twenty years ago. This was occupied by him until 1942 when it was sold and the beautiful and well-appointed home at 2908 Union Avenue was purchased. This home was first occupied by Rev. W. Emory Hartman, who was succeeded by the Rev. Harry F. Babcock. Perhaps the most outstanding eleemosynary institution in Blair County is the Methodist Home for the Aged in Tyrone. It was opened for the reception of guests January 1, 1920. The first Board of Directors was composed of M. B. Rich, President; Dr. J. B. Nason, Vice-President; Rev. J. B. Stein, Secretary; and Rev. A. S. Fasick, Rev. S. B. Evans, Rev. G. F. Boggs, Warren Van Dyke, N. N. Miller, W. J. Sheaffer, J. F. Glass, W. L. Woodcock, Rev. O. S. Metzler, Rev. J. H. Price, S. W. McClaren, Rev. C. W. Karns. The Home has accommodations for one hundred and twenty-five guests. The approximate value of the property is $400,000. The Rev. Edgar R. Beckman is the present superintendent. _________________________________ Rev. George F. Boggs, Ph.D. - Born on a farm in Path Valley, Franklin County, Pa. His paternal ancestor, Andrew Boggs, came to this country from the north of Ireland in 1730 and settled at Donegal in Lancaster County. Rev. Boggs taught in the Pennsylvania schools for several years, his first term being in a country school in Franklin County, Fannett Township. In March, 1894, he was admitted to membership in the Central Pennsylvania Conference of Methodist Churches. He received his Ph.D. degree in 1914. Served thirteen charges during his active ministry, and in 1940 retired and now resides in Altoona. Has preached in various churches in Altoona and acts as supply pastor of the Mardorf Church. THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN BLAIR COUNTY, pp. 217-223 W. Ray Metz Greatly to be regretted is the deficiency of early and connected written records, both of this region and more especially of its churches. However, this lack can now be supplied in part at least from other sources. These sources include the names of many of the inhabitants of this region; their family records, often containing important personal and social reminiscences; and oral statements from our oldest living residents. From these sources of information, welded with some well-authenticated dates and facts, we can gather of our history much that is certain and reliable, and a good deal that is highly probable. Of one thing in this connection we are certain: namely, that Presbyterianism was the primitive religion of the Juniata Valley, and of this particular part of it. Of the first civilized men who took possession of this region that now forms Blair County, the great majority were Presbyterians. One hundred and ninety years ago, in 1756, Colonel Armstrong of Cumberland County, Pa., at the head of three hundred men, marched from Carlisle through Blair County to destroy the Indian town of Kittanning, west of the Allegheny Mountains. The Rev. Charles Beatty, a Presbyterian minister, accompanied Colonel Armstrong as Chaplain of his regiment. The troops' rendezvous, both in going and returning from this expedition, was at the "Beaver Dams," the flat just below where Fort Fetter was built a few years later. While encamped here, Rev. Beatty held divine services for the soldiers - the first religious services ever held in Blair County. The devotional exercises of the early settlers in Blair County consisted of private and family worship together with that of the social prayer meeting, as is the case in all new settlements where the forms of religion are observed at all. The first sermon preached to the inhabitants of Blair County was delivered by Dr. John King, who for forty-three years was pastor of the Presbyterian church of "Upper West Conococheaque," Mercersburg. In the year 1770 Mr. King was sent out by the Presbytery of Carlisle, as a supply, to visit and preach in the new destitute settlements of the upper Juniata. In this missionary tour he preached at the house of William Holliday, who lived several miles west of Frankstown. In 1768 William Holliday and his cousin Adam came from the same congregation which Dr. King served so long. They are supposed to have taken possession of large tracts of land where Hollidaysburg now stands. These men were of Scotch-Irish descent and with such material was Morrisons Cove, Scotch Valley, Canoe Valley, Sinking Valley and Logan's Valley originally peopled. They were Irish, Scotch-Irish and a few Germans - all staunch Presbyterians. There were Stewarts, Ferguses, Spears, Dunns, Campbells, Martins, McKillips, Deans, Rollers, Clarks, Kinkeads, Isetts, Bells, Hunters and others. There is no difficulty in determining the origin of these people, their religious beliefs, church preferences, and church connections; these were the men who, with their families, first established the Word of God in this region - men who endured great hardships, met appalling dangers, and baptized the soil with Presbyterian blood. It has already been stated that Dr. King preached the first sermon to the white settlers of Blair County. The Doctor afterwards made a second trip through this region, on the same errand. After him came the Reverend Dougal, also a member of the Presbytery of Carlisle, who lived and preached in Upper Path Valley in Franklin County, where his remains now repose. He preached as a supply several times and administered the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper. This brings us to the time of the Revolutionary War. We have no account of public religious worship in this region during that conflict, when everything both in Church and State was unsettled and uncertain. But after the close of the war, and especially from the year 1784, destitute settlements enjoyed more frequent supplies of preaching. Scattered groups and communities of Presbyterians were then gathered together and organized into churches. In 1784 the church of Harts Log, the mother of churches, was organized. This church stood on the east slope of Tussey Mountain in Harts Log Valley, Huntingdon County, just across the Huntingdon - Blair County line and was the first Presbyterian church in the Upper Juniata Valley, and from it the churches of Frankstown (Hollidaysburg) in 1788, Sinking Valley in 1790, Williamsburg in 1816, Logan's Valley (Bellwood) in 1837 and Tyrone in 1856 ultimately grew. When the Presbytery of Huntingdon was organized one hundred and forty-nine years ago there were on the territory now covered by the Presbytery just seven groups of churches and as many pastors. There was one other minister, the Rev. John Hoge, who convened the Presbytery and preached the first sermon. However, he was never a pastor, and his name does not appear upon the minutes of the Presbytery after the first meeting, except in the relation of a supply to some vacant churches. The several groups of churches are as follows: Lower Tuscarora and Cedar Spring, Pastor Hugh Magill, formed 1766; West Penn's Valley, Warriors Mark and Half Moon, Pastor James Martin, formed 1775; East and West Kishacoquillas, Pastor James Johnson, formed 1783; Upper and Centre, Pastor Matthew Stevens, formed 1783; Harts Log and Huntingdon, Pastor John Johnston, formed 1786; Frankstown, Pastor David Bard; formed 1788; Cedar Creek, and Spring Creek, Pastor David Wiley, formed 1794. Of this group of primitive churches and ministers there were only two organized churches - Frankstown and Sinking Valley, and one minister - the Rev. David Bard of Frankstown, in all that territory which later became Blair County. >From this small beginning the Presbyterian church in Blair County has grown to thirteen churches, with thirteen ministers and 5,479 members in 1944, as follows: Hollidaysburg: In 1784 a building of temporary character for use in summer was erected at the spring north of Frankstown. For a number of years the colonists worshipped here under the ministrations of Mr. MacDougal, of Path Valley, John Johnston of Huntingdon, Matthew Stevens, and others. In 1788 a church was organized and a building erected for permanent worship, within the bounds of the present cemetery. Rev. David Bard was the first pastor, and the church was known as the Presbyterian Church of "Frankstown" though it was changed to Hollidaysburg in 1845. Afterwards, as Hollidaysburg became the head of canal navigation and grew rapidly in population, a large brick church was built on the site of the present church, and was used by a constantly growing congregation until 1869, when the present edifice was completed, though it was not dedicated until 1887. Today Hollidaysburg has four hundred and thirty-nine members. Sinking Valley: This appears as a congregation on the records of the Huntingdon Presbytery at the first meeting after organization of the Presbytery, April, 1795, from which we may infer that it was probably recognized as a congregation or church by the Presbytery of Carlisle, before Huntingdon Presbytery was organized. Doubtless there was Presbyterian preaching in Sinking Valley prior to 1790, when the Rev. David Bard was engaged as stated supply, for a congregation had been collected by that time. Following Rev. Bard were Rev. James Martin (1789-1795); Rev. John Johnston (1795-1798); Rev. Samuel Bryson (1798-1805). Today Sinking Valley has one hundred and two members. Williamsburg: This church was organized by the Rev. James Galbraith on the first day of May, 1816. Previous to that time the community had been supplied occasionally with preaching by Rev. David Bard, but at the time of organization the larger part of the Presbyterians of the community were in communion with the church of Harts Log. The church has had fourteen regular ministers and two stated supplies during its long history. Today it has two hundred and ten members. Martinsburg: This church was organized as "Martinsburg" Church, April 8, 1835. After the death of Dr. William J. Gibson, a pastor, and the erection of a new church, the name was changed to "Gibson Memorial" in 1887. The pastors and supplies in later years were those named as serving Duncansville for the most part, as the two churches were connected in the same charge. Today Martinsburg has forty-four members. Bellwood (Logan's Valley): At an early date occasional services under the auspices of the Presbyterian Church were held in Logan's Valley. A few members of that communion had found their way into this secluded region, and for their convenience the pastors of the churches in adjacent valleys preached at intervals. The inhabitants of the eastern part of the valley were dependent upon the ministrations of the pastor of the church at Sinking Valley, while those of the Presbyterian communion in the western part (in the vicinity of the present city of Altoona) were under the care of the church in Hollidaysburg. As early as 1835 the Rev. Samuel Hill, at that time pastor of the church at Sinking Valley, preached one-sixth of his time within the limits of this valley, bringing the ordinances within reach of families attached to his congregation on the west side of Brush Mountain. The central point of this Presbyterian population was in the vicinity of McCamant's Forge, and here in 1837 a church was organized with twenty-three members. In 1845 a church building was erected near the present village of Tipton on a piece of ground donated by Graham McCamant, Esq. Today Bellwood has one hundred and eighty-one members. Duncansville: Organized as "East Freedom" Church in 1846, the name was changed to Duncansville, June 10, 1873. It is now served, and has been for many years, in connection with Martinsburg, now called "Gibson Memorial" Church. Today Duncansville has sixty members. Altoona First: The First Presbyterian Church, mother of all churches of that denomination now in the city of Altoona, was organized in 1852. The elders then chosen were John McCartney, Jonathan Hamilton, John Hutchison, G. D. Thomas, M.D., and James L. Gwin. The first building was erected on Twelfth Avenue and Thirteenth Street. It was burned Sabbath morning, March 4, 1855, just as the people were assembling for worship. Two lots were then purchased on what is now 1220-1222 Eleventh Avenue (originally Virginia Street) and a building erected. The congregation continued to worship here for forty-one years until in 1896 the present church edifice was erected on the corner of Fourteenth Avenue and Twelfth Street. The first pastor of the Altoona First Presbyterian Church was Rev. A. B. Clark, who served from November, 1854, until April 11, 1863. Today this church has 1,131 members. Tyrone: The first Presbyterian services were held in Tyrone by Rev. Daniel L. Hughes, pastor of Spruce Creek First and Sinking Valley Churches, at long but regular intervals, in the school building on Spring Street, later known as the Caldwell building. Then came the petition asking the Presbytery to organize a Presbyterian church here. This was granted. The members of the committee met at Tyrone and held the first divine service for the new congregation in the United Brethren Church in 1857. Rev. John Elliot, Presbyterian missionary, preached and superintended the new church building. This church, pessimistically called "John Elliot's Folly" when organized, now has the largest membership of any Presbyterian church in Blair County - 1,453 members. Altoona Second: The rapid growth of the city was such that it became evident that a new building was needed. After careful deliberation a petition was presented to the Session of the First Church, praying them to unite with the petitioners in requesting the Presbytery of Huntingdon to organize a Second Presbyterian Church in Altoona. The trustees decided in the first meeting, which was held in Bell's Hall, July 6, 1869, that the new church should be located on the east side of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Bell's Hall was located at the corner of Seventh Avenue and Twelfth Street and was rented and fitted up as a temporary place for the Sabbath school and church services. The first public service was held in Bell's Hall on Sunday, July 11, 1869, and conducted by the Rev. C. S. Kitchell. Subsequently regular services were held both Sunday and Wednesday evenings. Today Altoona Second has four hundred and nineteen members. Altoona Third: The germ from which the Third Church of Altoona has grown was a small Sabbath school of four officers, nine teachers and fifty-four scholars, which was organized May 6, 1888, in the chapel of the German Baptist Church on Fifth Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. The organization was effected by some of the local members of the First and Second Churches. On December 9th of the same year the first meeting was held in the new church building which had been erected on Fifth Avenue and Second Street under the direction of Presbytery's committee. The church was organized January 14, 1887. Today Altoona Third has four hundred and two members. Altoona, Broad Avenue: At a meeting of the Presbytery of Huntingdon a committee was appointed to take charge of the mission work of the City of Altoona, This committee purchased a lot fronting on Broad Avenue between Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth Streets for the nominal sum of one hundred dollars. In the spring of 1892 a sub-committee collected funds and arranged for the organization of a church. The first sermon was preached in the chapel by the Rev. J. R. Sampson, in 1892. From this time services were regularly held in conjunction with the Juniata congregation in the extreme opposite end of the city until October 23, when the Juniata Church called for a full-time pastor. Today, Broad Avenue Church has eight hundred and fifty-seven members. Juniata: The Juniata Presbyterian Church was organized by a committee appointed on July 22, 1892. Holding services in a hall belonging to Mr. J. M. Hutchison, one of their members, the people were supplied with preaching by members of Presbytery until Emil Lewy, the first pastor, assumed his pastorate January 8, 1893. Today Juniata has two hundred and sixty-three members. Altoona, Ward Avenue: The youngest Presbyterian Church in Blair County was born in 1906. As Altoona continued to grow, the need for another Presbyterian church was apparent and a number of Presbyterians living in the Llyswen section made an application to the Presbytery for a new church in that section of the city. Their prayer was granted and in 1906 a new church was organized. Today this youngest Presbyterian church in Blair County has two hundred and thirteen members. THE PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH, pp. 223-226 Norman F. Lane The Protestant Episcopal Church came to Pennsylvania in the year 1784 when the Rev. William White was consecrated first bishop for Pennsylvania and the second bishop in the colonies. Since by Apostolic Rite it is necessary to have at least three bishops present to consecrate another bishop, the Rev. William White was obliged to go to England to be consecrated. He was consecrated by Archbishop Moore of Canterbury, Archbishop Markham of York, Bishop Moss of Bath and Wells and Bishop Hinchcliffe of Peterborough. Bishop White was bishop of Pennsylvania until his death on July 17, 1836. The only record that seems to be available as to the first priest who administered in central Pennsylvania and particularly Blair County concerns the Rev. William N. Burton, who lived in Hollidaysburg and was in residence as of June 18, 1841. St. Luke's Church, Altoona, was duly incorporated as a parish in 1858 and in this year the first permanent church building, of stone construction and seating two hundred and thirty people, was erected on the site of the present structure. In this same year a rectory and memorial school house were constructed and these buildings are in use at the present time. St. Luke's is located in the heart of the industrial and business life of the city of Altoona, and has for a period of almost ninety years served the spiritual requirements of the community, its influence being extended throughout Blair County. Prior to the erection of the first church structure, from 1856 to 1858, services were held at various locations in the city of Altoona. In 1881 the present church was built, of Gothic design and seating six hundred people. In 1915 a parish house was built, containing a large auditorium, gymnasium, bowling alleys and a considerable number of commodious rooms equipped for church and social meetings. During recent years the facilities of the parish house were made available to the youth of the community. St. Luke's parish was the first in the city to foster recreation for the underprivileged. In the year 1941 the mayor and city council and the county court gave praise to the rector and the parish for their work in preventing juvenile delinquency. In a period of twenty-six months by actual count 33,545 young people of the city used the parish house and its facilities for recreation and supervised play. Of outstanding prominence in the long history of the parish has been the large choir, now numbering forty men and boys. The fame of this vested choir goes far beyond the confines of the county. The traditional liturgical music is sung and the sacred music of the masters, together with canticles and oratorios. Mr. Frederick W. Lane has been the Master of Choristers for some years. The Christian influence of this old established parish has continued through almost five generations. Through its long history fourteen rectors have served the parish. The present rector, Rev. Canon John R. Leatherbury, B. A., has served since August, 1940. Under his leadership the charitable work of the parish has been widely extended. In the year 1877 the Rev. Thomas O. Tongue was appointed itinerant missionary along the main line of the Pennsylvania Railroad west of Harrisburg. He was in charge until 1879, when a mission station was opened at Hollidaysburg and this is the first seed of the present Church of the Holy Trinity in Hollidaysburg. There is no record of the intervening years, but on June 5, 1907, five young men were invited to the home of Mrs. Annie B. Duncan on Sunset Hill to discuss re-opening the mission in Hollidaysburg. Later that month a congregational meeting was held in Highland Hall, a girls' school, and music was furnished by the choir from St. Luke's Church, Altoona. The Rev. Herbert J. Glover, then rector of St. Luke's, was responsible for spiritual oversight of the Church of the Holy Trinity. In December, 1907, the site of the present church was purchased, at the corner of Allegheny and Jones Streets. The cornerstone was laid October 17, 1909, and the first service held May 8, 1910. Beautiful in its simplicity, the Church of the Holy Trinity is an adaptation of the stately perpendicular Gothic, of native stone with cut stone trimmings and belfry. The windows are of Cathedral glass of varying shades of amber. The interior is finished in dark mission and the pews are of quartered oak. The Rev. Neil I. Gray is the present vicar. Sometime in the year 1885 the Henry Sholly family, Mr. Harry Wilhem, Miss Ella Ripple and Mrs. Mary McOmber, of Tyrone, consulted together and succeeded in securing a missionary, the Rev. Mr. Kelly, to come to Tyrone once in two months to hold Episcopal services. These services were held in the Odd Fellows' Hall. The fist Episcopal Service of Holy Confirmation was held in the Lutheran church in the year 1886-1887 and the Rt. Rev. Nelson Somerville Rulison was the bishop. On January 3, 1900, Bishop Talbot consecrated Trinity Church, the present building. In the year 1906 the mission had grown and was accepted by the Diocesan Convention as an independent parish. In 1920 George C. Wilson gave the major amount necessary to build a parish house, which was named the Wilson Memorial Parish House in memory of Henrietta Clement Wilson, a charter member of Trinity parish. Now this parish has a membership of two hundred and six. The Rev. Walter E. Edwards is the present rector. The only church in the Diocese of Harrisburg to bear the name of the great Apostle Peter stands at the corner of Fourth Street and Ninth Avenue in Juniata. Set in the churchyard surrounded with hedge, this simple edifice with its ivy mantle is a bit of rural England set down in a modern American industrial community. The English setting is particularly fitting, not only because the Episcopal Church is a daughter of the Church of England, but chiefly because the membership at St. Peter's is made up largely of people who were either born in England or are only one generation removed from "the old country." St. Peter's had a very simple beginning. In 1904, Mrs. Wrigley, a devoted churchwoman from Clearfield, started a Sunday school in her home at 522 Ninth Avenue. Services were later held in the fire hall at Sixth Street and Seventh Avenue. Later the clergy at St. Luke's Church, Altoona were contacted and under the sponsorship of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew services were held every Sunday. Mr. William Lowden, who owned most of the land on which Juniata now stands, was vitally interested in the religious development of the growing community. He offered to give a lot to any congregation wishing to build a church. By 1911 the people of St. Peter's felt that they needed a suitable place to worship. Mr. Lowden was approached and he donated the lot at Fourth Street and Ninth Avenue. The present church building was formerly at Philipsburg where it was razed to make room for the new St. Paul's Church there. It was erected in Juniata in 1914 and was consecrated by the Rt. Rev. Bishop Henry Darlington on April 14,1920. The present vicar is the Rev. Ralph T. Wolfgang. St. Barnabas Mission, Altoona, was established June 10, 1910. The Rev. E. H. Oxley was the first priest. The Rev. George R. Bishop, the rector of St. Luke's Church, gave his valuable assistance and the use of the property at St. Luke's for the establishment of this second work among the Negro people in the Diocese of Harrisburg. In the year 1911 a building and property at 1416 Eighteenth Street was purchased by the congregation. Under the leadership of the Rev., W. M. Parchment the storeroom on the property was renovated and made suitable for church services. The congregation worshipped there until 1936 when the building was razed. The cornerstone for the new church was laid Sept. 6, 1936. This mission has a seating capacity of one hundred and twenty-five persons. The Rev. Tollie L. Caution was pastor when the present building was erected. The opening service was held January 3, 1937. On April 19, 1937 the Rt. Rev. Hunter Wyatt Brown, D.D., Bishop of Harrisburg, consecrated the new church. The windows are the gift of St. James Church in Baltimore, Maryland. Under the leadership of the vicar, Rev.. Julian F. Dozier, the work of this church continues to thrive. _________________________________ Norman F. Lane - Birthplace: Smethwick, Birmingham, England. A graduate of Juniata High School, class of 1919. Has been associated with the First National Bank of Altoona for the past twenty years, at present in the capacity of cashier and trust officer. THE UNITED BRETHREN IN CHRIST, pp. 227-230 Rev. Warren H. Hayes, D.D. The State of Pennsylvania is the mother-state of the so-called Otterbein Movement which later developed into the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. The desire of many for a more vital Christian experience caused many representatives of different denominations to meet together for prayer and to hear the preaching of the Word of God. This fellowship was the beginning of the United Brethren in Christ Church - one of the earliest denominations to be founded in America. Typical of their early meetings was the one held in the Isaac Long barn in Lancaster County in 1767. H. G. Spayth, a denomination historian, writes: "Here for the first time on a like occasion an assembly of Christians met together from far and near - Lutherans, German Reformed, Mennonites, Dunkards, and others coming together as of one accord. Boehm, small of stature, and Otterbein, large of stature, were present. Boehm preached the sermon, at the close of which Otterbein rose and embraced him, saying: `We are brethren.'" At this time there was no thought of forming a new denomination. Those who shared in these meetings were expected to help quicken the churches of their own denominations. The preachers in the fellowship held an informal conference in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1789. A similar conference was held in York, Pennsylvania in 1791, with the first annual conference being held in 1800. The first general conference was held in Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania in 1815. Among those who journeyed into Blair County and held special meetings in those early days was Christian Newcomer, who came here from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania in 1797. The beginning of the organized work of the denomination in Altoona was the holding of an old-fashioned camp meeting on the farm of Samuel McGlathery, now the corner of Twentieth Avenue and Twentieth Street. The formal organization of the First United Brethren in Christ Church was not effected until 1850, when Rev. William Bieghel was assigned as pastor of the church by the Allegheny Conference. During the first six years the congregation occupied several different locations. In 1856 there was a sweeping revival held by the United Brethren. Several converts of that meeting became ministers of the church. In 1856, under the pastorate of Rev. D. Speck, the congregation bought the lot where the church now stands at the corner of Eighth Avenue and Twelfth Street, which at that time was quite outside the village limits. A church building was erected which served the congregation until 1898. In that year Rev. W. W. Williamson, D.D., led the group to erect the present building. Rev. Warren H. Hayes is the present pastor. Many lay leaders of this church have had important duties in furthering the work of the Conference and the denomination. One of the most outstanding of these was Mr. Henry Schum, son of Jacob and Catherine Schum. At an early age he learned the trade of blacksmith and followed it until his retirement in 1900. He came to Altoona from Reading in the year 1859. He was converted in 1866 and shortly thereafter united with the First United Brethren in Christ Church. In 1869 he was elected treasurer and held this office until 1910 when he was named treasurer-emeritus. Other laymen who have been outstanding in their Christian service include H. C. Heeter, A. C. Davis, Thomas A. Filer and J. L. Tobin. Mr. Filer, more familiarly known as "Tom" and widely known for his Gospel singing, completed twenty-five years as soloist of the First Church on December 13, 1944, and received special greetings and the autographs of over one hundred ministers of the Allegheny Conference on this occasion. Mrs. Bula K. Pope has been director of choirs from 1922 to the present time. >From the First United Brethren Church have sprung other churches until today there are nine in Altoona with a total membership of 3,309. In March, 1887, the First Church decided to establish a mission and appointed Rev. T. P. Orner, John Geesey, and Henry Schum to secure a site. They purchased a lot on Fifth Avenue and a two story brick building was erected, which was dedicated by Bishop J. Weaver. The first pastor was the Rev. H. A. Buffington who is still living at Pillow, Pennsylvania. One of the great ministerial leaders was the Rev. Samuel S. Hough, serving from 1895-1905 when he was elected general secretary of foreign missions for the denomination. He is the author of a number of fine books. During the pastorate of Rev. George F. Strayer, D.D., the Second Church was relocated and a fine edifice erected at the corner of Second Avenue and Second Street. The present efficient pastor is the Rev. Max M. Houser, who succeeded the Rev. Frederick W. Davis, D.D. (deceased, 1945). The Third United Brethren Church is the offspring of the Second Avenue United Brethren in Christ Church and was started under the leadership of the late Dr. S. S. Hough. A canvass of the community was made in 1895 by Miss Wave Mason and Miss Ettie Speer and a Sunday school was organized with C. E. Houpt as the first superintendent. Its sessions were held in the schoolhouse and the school was called "The Ray of Hope." In 1905 the cornerstone was laid for the present church, which was dedicated August 19, 1907. In 1916 during the pastorate of Rev. J. H. Bridigum the present parsonage was erected. Other improvements have been made under the leadership of Rev. John J. Thompson, the present pastor. In 1927 as a special missionary project of Allegheny Conference the Garden Heights United Brethren Church was started. Many charter members from the First Church joined this new congregation. The first service was held December 18, 1927 and the chapel was dedicated January 29, 1928. The parsonage is located at 201 Mosser Street. Rev. J. S. Showers was the first pastor of this congregation. The present pastor is the Rev. Harry L. McFarland, who succeeded the Rev. Max Houser in mid-1945. The Altoona Otterbein Church traces its origin to a meeting held in the home of J. G. Reffner of Juniata at the instigation of C. W. Olewine of the Second Avenue United Brethren Church, and thereby a Sunday school was organized February 20, 1910. The church occupied several different locations until the present site was purchased in 1925. The new church was dedicated November 6, 1927. Dr. M. S. Bittner, the present pastor, has served this congregation from 1928 - one of the longest pastorates in the Allegheny Conference. Dr. Bittner and his flock hold weekly services over the radio. A survey of the community was made in the Pleasant Valley district in the summer of 1924 by the Church Extension Society of the Conference, and as a result the Pleasant Valley United Brethren in Christ Church was erected under the pastorate of Rev. A. J. Orlidge. The parsonage at 1225 Pleasant Valley Boulevard was purchased during the pastorate of the Rev. K. T. Barnette. The present church membership totals two hundred and seven under the leadership of the Rev. James A. Woomer. Another mission was opened near Wopsononock Avenue in the Wehnwood section, known as the Wehnwood United Brethren in Christ Church. A chapel was erected by the Church Extension Society of the Conference, and members from other United Brethren churches who lived in this district were organized into a class. The minister at present serving this church is Rev. J. T. Farnsworth. On recommendation of the United Brethren Ministerial Association of Altoona, a survey was made in the area of Broad Avenue Extension and a church was organized. It was named "Schum Memorial" in honor of Henry Schum of the Altoona First Church, and was dedicated in June, 1926. A fine parsonage was built during the pastorate of Rev. C. H. Rhodes. Improvements to the church and parsonage have been made under the leadership of the present pastor, Rev. Lester C. Schmittle. The present Greenwood United Brethren Church building was erected during the pastorate of Rev. E. F. House. The parsonage is located on the adjacent lot. The present membership is three hundred and thirty-six under the leadership of Rev. C. W. Winey. The denomination had a church in Hollidaysburg for a number of years, and there are rural churches on the East Freedom charge reaching many people in Blair County. The influence of the United Brethren churches in the city and in the county has been very great during the past century. Even before the organization of the First Christian Endeavor Society by Dr. Francis E. Clark a young people's organization was formed in the First United Brethren Church in 1878 by the Rev. Martin Spangler. It was called "The Young People's Christian Association" - its object, the training of youth in prayer and Christian service. The first president was Henry Bottenberg and the first vice-president Miss Kate Schum. The local congregations were pioneers in the use of music in the Sunday school and church. _________________________________ Rev. Warren H. Hayes, D.D. - Graduate of Otterbein College, received M. A. degree at Princeton; pursued postgraduate work at the University of Chicago and the University of Pittsburgh. Has been in the ministry since 1916, served as a missionary in Tokyo, Japan for eight years following his ordination. Served pastorates at Braddock and Wilkinsburg; in September, 1940, became pastor of the First United Brethren Church in Altoona.