AREA HISTORY:  Mennonite Meeting House, Heidelberg Township, York County, PA

Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Kathy Francis

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History of York County, Pennsylvania.  John Gibson, Historical Editor.
Chicago: F. A. Battey Publishing Co., 1886.
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MENNONITE MEETING HOUSE – Page 694

On the York road, about three miles east of Hanover, stands the above-mentioned 
church, familiarly known as “Bair’s Meeting House.”  The land upon which it and 
the adjoining public school house are built, was granted to Michael Danner, in 
trust for the Mennonite Congregation, August 8, 1774, by John and Thomas Penn, 
sons of William Penn, who were then the proprietaries of Pennsylvania.  Michael 
Danner was a prominent man of his day, and, in 1749, was one of the commissioners 
appointed to lay off York County.  The religious services of the society of 
Mennonites for many years were held in the houses of members, but for the purpose 
of erecting a building, for a school and for religious worship, a tripartite 
indenture and agreement was made May 14, 1775, between the said Michael Danner, 
Sr., then of the town of Hanover on the first part, John Shenck, of Manheim and 
Jacob Keagy of Heidelberg, ministers, of the Mennonites, John Welty and James 
Miller, both on Manheim (now Heidelberg), elders of the Mennonite congregation of 
the second part, and Adam Eichelberger of the third part, concerning the 
disposition of the above mentioned land, which was named “Danner’s Repository,” 
and when granted adjoined lands of Michael Newman, Andrew Shenck and Adam 
Eichelberger, and contained twelve acres.  The grant to Michael Danner was “in 
trust to and for the only proper use of the Mennonites, their heirs and 
successors forever.”  The consideration was £6 in Pennsylvania currency paid to 
Michael Danner, who had held the land “in trust for the Mennonite Congregation in 
Manheim and the adjacent section of that religious society or denomination.”  It 
was agreed upon by the heads of the said congregation, “to hold equally and in 
common, and for the use of said congregation erect a schoolhouse and meeting-
house, and locate a place to bury the dead, and for the use of the German 
Lutherans and German Reformed Calvinists, who may join in erecting a schoolhouse 
thereon, and supporting a schoolmaster, and also for a place of burial for their 
dead.”  They then released unto Adam Eichelberger the right of being a trustee 
for the Lutheran and Reformed congregations and for a school building, but 
“reserving and retaining for themselves entire use and their successors forever; 
a house of worship to be erected on some part of said land when said Mennonite 
congregation may see fit to erect one.”  The house built that year lasted many 
years, until the present one, now used only for a meetinghouse, was built.  The 
congregation that worships in Bair’s Meeting House is connected with the Hanover 
Church, of the same denomination, and Hostetter’s Meeting House in Adams County – 
the three meetings form one organization of about 100 members.  Samuel Myers, 
Martin Whistler and Jacob Hostetter, Sr., are the present preachers; services are 
held in English and German.

Among the many tombs in the graveyard adjoining this meeting house, the following 
inscriptions were copied:

Mary M. Rudisill died December 17, 1881, aged ninety-eight years, six months and 
nine days.

Andrew Rudisill died November 1, 1880, aged ninety-two years, eleven months and 
one day.

Eve Rudisill, wife of Jacob Fishel, died January 11, 1877, aged eighty-five 
years.

Barbara E. Wildasin, wife of Andrew Rudisill, died July 28, 1859, aged one 
hundred and eleven years, nine months and twenty-two days.

Here lies the body of George Trone, born April 5, 1709, died July 1, 1778.