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/245

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COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES

Jam es Simons as leader. During (lie len ten season o f J907 M r. John Costello gave very acceptable lay services every Thursday eve­ ning. In 1909 (he general missionary still con­ tinued in charge. In December, 1909, Rev. Robert R. M or­ gan, rector of St. Stephen’s Memorial Church, Mount Carmel, took charge of the work and still iSe]itcm ber, 19 14 ) continues as minister in charge. In 1 9 1 1 - 1 2 the whole interior of the church w as remodeled and refurnished at considerable expense and a large two-story par­ ish house erected. 'File property is entirely free from debt and has a small endowment. There are now forty communicants, one hundred bap­ tized persons* and a Sunday School o f sixty. Services arc held every Sunday. Presbyicriuns T his church w as organized in Centralia Ju ly 3 1, 1867, with eighteen charter mcmlxrs. Three o f (hem still survive in 1914* two at­ tending the Centralia G m rch, Robert White and Sarah B lack; white the third, Mrs. Matilda Kicliards. is a member of the Ashland Church. 'Hie first elders of the church were l>anicl Buchanan and David Black. Fhe church building w as erected in 1869 at a cost o f $3,000. During the forty-seven years o f its history this church has had eleven pastors, as fo l­ low s: Rev. L. L. Hnughawout* i868-(i9: R®v. J . ]]. Flem ing, 18 7 1-7 2; Rev. R. Caldwell, t8 7 3-77; Rev. A . T . Stew art, 1883-87: Rev, J . W. Williams, 1890 -91; Rev. I. R . Mann, 18 9 1-9 4; Rev. F . S. Hort* i895-<^; Rev. E . E . Lasliley, 1898 -190 2; Rev. A. T. Schleich, 19040 5; Rev. W. A . G cm m cr, 19 0 6-10; the present pastor. Rev. G . A . Ixu k cl, took charge of the church in 1 9 11 and is also pastor of the .'shland Church. The present elders are Robert White. David W hitaker and L W . Ilow erter. William O. M ayer is clerk of the session. The board o f trustees a r c : Henry W hitaker, I. W . Howcrter. Thom as Smith, Francis Michael, Edward KccIcr, W alter Dunlcvey, Theo. W. Kiley* Willi,am O . M aye r; L e w is Reb is treasurer. William 0 . M ayer is superintendent of the Sunday school: W alter Howcrtcr, secretary; and F ^w an l Keeler, treasurer. T he church organist is M iss Adelaide Black. T he present membership of the church is forty-eight. The church w as rcdedicated in February, 19 12 , a fte r extensive repairs. Robert White, one of the ciders and a charter member, w as eightynine years o f age in August, 19 14, and still able to attend to his religious duties.

O ther Denominations T he Greek Catholics have an imposing frame church on the south side o f l^ocust mountain, overlooking Centralia, built in J 9 0 0. A nu­ merous c o n g n ^ tio n o f different nationalities attend there and arc scr*ed by priests supplied from surrounding mining towns. T he Polish and Lithuanian Catholics attend St. Ignatius' Church. ♦ '•M O S TA S. v” o a ARtSTES

The "R e d T avern,” built about iSoo by John Rhodenbcrgcr on the northern brow o f l,ocust mountain, to catch the tra<lc o f travel­ ers on the Reading road, the only route then lo the northern part of the county, was the first building on the site o f "M ontana,” or .riste5, as it is now called. R hodenbc^er’s place is mentioned in an article in an old magazine printed in 1802 in Philadelphia. T he w riter tells o f stopping over night at "l^ivcnbcrg’s*” on Locust mountain, and probably made a mistake in the spelling of the name. Among the later owners of the old "R e d T avern " w ere: Joseph Miller, William Hughes, Joseph Zimmerman, Isaac Betz, Jacob Zimmerman, Adam Clayl)crgcr, John Jones, Peter H ower, Samuel Leiby, William (Good­ man, Isaac Edw ards, Daniel E . Kclnes, Jonatlian Faust and George W. Billman. T he old building w as torn down in 1890 and a more modern hostclr}* erected on the site by U . F. Fetterman, the last owner, who ran it as a public house. It is now dosed. There are two other hotels in A ristcs, both o f which arc operated mcrciv as saloons. There arc three stores in the village, owned by D. Goodman. Jam es A. M iller and G. W. WclIcr* the latter ^ i n g also postmaster. The Order o f Independent Am ericans lias a frame hall here near the "R e d T avern.” The village w as laid out in 1865 by Samuel l^ id y, owner then of the "R e d T avern.” H e w as led to the step by the opening of the Reno colliery by M orris Robinson & Co.* which brought a large (>opuIation o f mine w'orkers to this spot. T his CO liery is now abandoned. T he United Brethren O iurch here was organizctl in 18 7 1 by R ev. J . G. Fritz, o f Mount Carmel, and meetings were held in the school­ house until the present church w as built, in 1 ^ 7 . T he present pastor is R ev. B . F . Good­ man. who ser*es the Catawissa circuit, con­ sisting of the churches at A risles, M idvalley and Freew ill, all in Columbia county. St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church w as