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/290

 COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES 166 and (lie Sunday school has- 128 attend­ ants. Ik fo r c 1890 the ser%1ces here were held every four weeks, the German and English languages being used alternately. F o r a time after the separation the Reform ed congregation worshipped in the old church, calling it S t. M atthew's, but in 1887 erected the present building, a frame, sim ilar in de­ sign to (he brick Lutheran church directly up]>osite. .Among the first jM stors o f this con­ gregation were Revs. Dieuenbach, Shcllhamcr, and Hoffman. Following were Revs. A. J. T obias, A. R. Hottcnstinc, I ’hilip Steery, G. B. Dccbant, Lutin Fcttcrolf, Charles II. M atchler, J. A lvin Rebcr, A lfred J. Herman, Fred erick A. Cook, and the present pastor. R e v. R. Ira G ass, who took cltargc Ju n e 12, 1 9 10 . The present congregation numbers but thirty-eight, and there is no Sunday school. During the winter o f 1859-60 a division of the Lutheran Church in the western part of the State on doctrinal lines caused a like <lissension in Mifflinville, and a number o f mem­ b e rs separated, form ing an English Church under t le control of the General Synod, the m ain body being, as now, under the charge of the General Council. The seccfling members built a brick church on the public s*(uare and w e re served successively by Revs. E . A . Sharrelts. Henry R. Fleck.' David Truckcnmiller, W illiam E . Krebs. M. V. Shadow .and J . E . F. lla ssin g c r. .After having been disused fo r a num ber o f years the church building in 19 14 w as converted into an amusement hall by the young (>eo|>le of the town, who have repaired and refitted it, with a stage and folding scats. Methodist serccs here were first held in the home o f Samuel Brow n, and when the num ber o f attendants grew (00 large, in the barn o f Henry Bowman. In 18 19 Samuel B ro w n built a small fram e house near his private burying ground, for a chapcl. It was sm all in size, and had a gallery around three sides, which could be reached only by a lad­ d er. for the young people. The pulpit re­ sembled a bird’s nest and w as affixed to the wall some distance above the floor. It was a light fit for the portly form of Rev. M arm a­ duke Pearce, who had to ascend to his perch by a small ladder. During the years follow­ ing 18 3 1 a fram e church w as built in Mifflin­ ville on the present site and used by the con­ gregation. and in 1861 the present large brick church was erected. Since then it has been improved until its value now is over $4,000. T he old “ Brown” church w as torn down in 1^ 2 . T he early pastors o f this church were those

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of the Danville district, and later it was served by those having the different charges and cir­ cuits o f which mention is made in the clupter on religion. Since 1905 the pastors liave been Revs. j. W. W orley, H. J. Sym ons and the present pastor, Rev. J. W. M cA lam cy. The present membership of the church is 200, of which sixty-fou r have been added since Kev. Mr. M cA larncy's coming by a revival in 19 13. The Sunday school has a membership o f 235. ^ The trustees of the Methodist Church are F. K. Sm oyer, R. W. Sm ith, George B. Keller, S. J. Keller, J. W. Creasy, .A. F. Pedder. The stewards arc B. E. Ervin. F. K. Sm oyer, R. W. Sm ith, George B. Keller, S. J. K cllcr, S. E. Ruckle, Rash Wintcrstccn, Jc rd W intcr­ stccn, Jam es H ^ la n. The president of the la d ie s ’ A id Society is M iss Hattie Hutchens, and Robert M iller is,president of the Epworth 1-caguc. T h e superintendent of the Sunday school is B. E. Ervin. Zion Evangelkal church w as at one time located in the southwestern part of the town­ ship, near the Yohe mill, but is now gone. The Ilctlcrvillc Lutheran church, about a mile south o f Mifflinville, is now out o f use, but .at one time had a thriving congregation. M rs. J. Bringenbcrgcr keeps the store here. T IIK ORPII.SNACE

One mile south o f Mifflinville on a command­ ing hill is located the orphanage of the Patri­ otic O rder Sons o f America and Patriotic O rder o f Americans. The building is o f con­ crete block construction, with wide porches, is three stories high, and w as dedicated in M ay, 1909. T he orphanage is sup|>ortcd by the camps of the State, Columbia county being one of the strongest in membership o f any division o f Pennsylvania. The order includes men and women in its ranks, and most of the camps in this county liave homes o f Ihcir own. Camp No. 684 o f Mifflinville having a fine two-story brick hall in the heart of the town. T he chief occupation of the Mifflinville town committee is (lie care of the old cemetery in the center of the town plat, with its roofedover Slone wall and ancient tomhstoncs. The inhabitc<l part of the town is locatcil on two long streets, while the Ixalaiicc of the plat is devoted lo truck gardens. The storekeepers of the town are J . R . Berninger, J . W. Creasy, E . R . Eisenhower. P . E . Ilouscnick, W . H . Kelchncr. I L G . Miller, George S. Miller. The only hotel is kept by C. M. Crcaty, and the barber shop hv A. r*. H arvey. The village blacksmith is f. II. Bastencheck.