Page:Historical and Biographical Annals of Columbia and Montour Counties, Pennsylvania, Containing a Concise History of the Two Counties and a Genealogical and Biographical Record of Representative Families.pdf/172

 COLUMBIA A N D M ONTOUR COUNTIES

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Ent, C a p t C. B. Brockw ay and others. Alto­ has been one of the show places of the town. gether the M useum w as an exhibition such T h e church and parish house, built o f gray as is rare ly seen even in the large cities. stone, are o f Gothic architecture, and with T he w ork of the ladies of the C ivic club the handsome tow er, covered with beautiful in preparing it w as an arduous task, requir­ ivy, m ake a picture that once seen is alw ays ing m any weeks, and they reaped a rich re­ remembered. T lie grounds surrounding the ward in the praises that w ere lo w e r e d upon larish house and church proper arc large and them fo r the splendid success of their e f ­ icautifully kept, and the rectory, on the same forts. an d in the receipt o f a substantial property, is one of the liandsomcst homes in amount o f money fo r the Centennial fund. this town o f many beautiful residences. A fte r all the expenses w ere paid there re­ Handsom e as is the church’s exterior, the mained about $ 1,4 0 0 in the treasury, and this interior is equally beautiful. It is most hand­ was subsequently donated by the committee somely finished, the soft coloring m aking an to the Bloom sbu rg Public L ibrary. exceptionally attractive effect. Im provem ents have been made from time to time, but the original building lines have never been RFJ.K:iUt<S changed. T h e church iroperty is one of the P rob ab ly nothing illustrates more strikingly most valuable in centra Pennsylvania. the p rid e which the citizens o f Bloom sburg S t. P au l’s parish is the oldest religious take in (heir town than the deep religious organization in Bloom sburg, dating from 1793. and a rtistic sentiment expressed in tlic many when R ev. Caleb H opkins w as appointed rec­ raagnilicent houses o f worship which have tor of the territory comprised within the been constructed fo r the different religious fo rk s of the Susquehanna. .At this dale a denominations here. T he F irst M ethodist crude log building w as erected in the town Church, the F irst Presbyterian Church, St. on the west side of the road “ leading from I’aul’s ' E p isco p al Church and S t. Colum ba’s the house o f Es<|uirc Elisha Barton to B e r­ Roman C ath olic Church have homes than w ick.” It w as through the efforts o f M r. which th ere a re few liner in (his section, and Barton that the building w as erected and the they a rc soon to be follow ed by others, se v ­ rector appointed. T h is church had no fire­ eral cuiigr<^ations having taken definite stq is place, but w as heated hy means o f a charcoal fire in a rude gratin g lieforc the chanccl, the 10 rebuild. T he congr<^ations o f S t. M atthew’s L u ­ rector's face frequently being obscured by theran C liu rch and the R eform ed Church, the smuke. both o f w hich have celebrated their centen­ R e v. Caleb H opkins officiated at this nials, h ave a grow in g building fund in hand, church at irregu lar intervals until 1806, when and the Baptist and Christian Churches, hav­ he w as made stated m inister, his field o f labor ing outgrow n their present homes, are pre­ including the churches o f Bloom sburg, Jc r paring to build as soon as the funds w arrant seytown and S u g a rlo a f. H e resided in that (he outlay. part o f Bloom sburg known a s H opkinsvijlc M any thousands o f dollars are already in­ until his retirem ent in 18 19 . R ev. M r. Sn ow ­ vested in Bloom sburg church properties and den succeeded M r. H opkins in 1820 and took the next five or ten years w ill m ark the e x ­ m easures to have the church incorporated. penditure o f many thousands more. It is no T h is event occurred in 1824, the w araens and exaggeration to state that the church projicr- vc5tr)‘mcn being Daniel Pnrsel. Baltis A ppel­ ties them selves represent an intrinsic value man, Littleton 'Townsend, Isaac Green, R o b ­ that is a s great, if not greater, p er capita ert G reen. Philip Appelm an. F.lias Ridlcm an, than an y other (own o f e<|ual size in the Peter M click and John Barton. R ev. W illiam United Slates. E ld rcd succeeded M r. Snow den in 1825 and w as the last to officiate in the old log church. S t. P a u l's E p isco p a l Church T ills structure w as replaced in 18 2 7 by a fram e building o f larger size, which contin­ -Among BloomsljUfg church properties the ued in use until the completion of the third one which first assumed its present handsome church, a brick edifice, the cornerstone o f proportions is S t. P au l’s Episcopal. F o r which w as laid in Ju ly . 1837. T h e next effort years the property occupying a comnvanding at church building w as inaugurated in 1868, position at the corner o f Main and Iron when legislative action w as secured for the streets, extending almost a h alf square on disinterment o f and rem oval of the dead Iron and more than that distance on M ain. from (hat part of the burial ground at the