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Charleston Methodist Church |
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A METHODIST SOCIETY was organized in Charleston,
Mercer County, in 1840, with eight or ten members. William Miller was
appointed leader. A hewed log house was erected about the
same time and served as a place of worship until 1850, when a more commodious
and convenient edifice took its place. The friendly little church at Charleston has been a
landmark between Sharon and Mercer for more than a hundred years.
Description of the church in old records belonging to some of the members
reads: The Methodist Church now standing in Charleston,
about three miles north of Lakawannock [Lackawannock] Township line, was
built in the summer of 1850 by William Glindwell on land deeded by
Henry Campbell. Some ten years previous, a hewed log house had been erected near
the present site, by the same Society, which consisted at that time of
only eight or ten. William Miller was the first class-leader. At the time
of the erection of the present building there were 75 members.
A grave yard was laid Included in the records
was interesting description of Charleston and its beginning. It reads: “Charleston was originally laid off in lots by
Henry Campbell in the winter of 1838, which sold for $25 each. Campbell
said that the first purchaser should have the honor of giving the name to
the village. Charles Beatty purchased the first lot and the village was
named Charleston. The village lies upon the direct road from Mercer to
Sharon, which was very extensively traveled previous to the advent of
railroads and steam engines ill the county.” Nothing was done to the old church in the way of
remodeling until 1902 when the Ladies’ Aid Society had its own room and
kitchen built and the auditorium remodeled and redecorated. About 1940 the
out side of the church was covered with asbestos siding. A new electric
organ was installed in 1953. In August 1955 the congregation started work on a
project that had been under consideration for two or three years to
provide social and recreation rooms. The work on this project was started
by excavating a section of ground 12x15 feet to accommodate a furnace and
coal room. This was accomplished by removing a section of the foundation
wall large enough to permit
working with pick and shovel. As the opening enlarged, tractors, donated
by church members and neighbors were used to dig and scrape out the
hard-pan material. The excavating was then extended to include the entire
area under the church building to the desired floor level. This
necessitated removing and resetting the entire hand-hewn stone foundation
a section at a time. Locust posts from the church yard were used for floor
supports and the ceiling was finished with “homosote” and wood strips.
A rustic appearance was maintained by encasing the old hand-hewn in
plywood. The duct work on the coal furnace was revamped and
an additional oil furnace was added to insure a constant heat supply. A
water system containing two sinks and a hot water heater was installed.
Cooking space for serving dinners was provided by an electric stove and a
bottled-gas stove. An electric warming unit was installed for serving. A
shuffle board painted on the floor and a ping pong table were provided for
recreation.
The former kitchen on the ground floor was converted
into rest rooms and a kindergarten room by tiling the floor and completely
re-finishing the walls. The Sunday School room was renovated and a lounge
was provided for conference and official meetings. A new Hammond organ was
purchased in 1958 to replace the old electric organ.
The material for this
project cost over $3,000. An auction sale was conducted which netted
nearly dollars. Contributions made up the balance. All of tile labor was donated by
church members and neighbors. During this remodeling program the church membership was more active than it had been for several years, which proves that people must work together with a common goal to maintain interest and cooperation.
It is worthy of note to mention that Mr. Edmond Stewart was a lay leader for more than thirty years. Mr. John Deiger has been a lay leader for the past five or six years [since 1954 or 1955].
Other projects under consideration for the future
are: (1) Refinish or replace the church pews; (2) Refinish the floors; (3)
Lawn grading and landscaping.
Mr. Steve Mudrack is the Sunday School
superintendent [in 1959]. The enrollment is 130 and the average attendance is about
75. The church enrollment is 145 and the average attendance is about 100. The trustees as of June 1, 1959, are:
Heath Miller, Paul Miller, Roy Martin, William Tohey, Orin Porsch,
Edmond Stewart, Howard McWhirter, Charles Zanhiser [Zahniser], and
John
Deiger
In the early history of Erie Conference, Charleston
was a part of the old Clarksville Circuit. Later the Circuit consisted of
Clarksville, New Virginia, Big Bend, and Charleston. In more recent years
the charge includes only Clarksville and Charleston.
from 150 Years of Methodism, The Story of the First Methodist Church, Sharon, PA, compiled by Roscoe C. Wilson, 1959.
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