USA > Pennsylvania > Fayette County > Uniontown > A history of Uniontown : the county seat of Fayette County, Pennsylvania > Part 65
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decided upon seven years before. In Deed Book D, page 295 is recorded an article of agreement made March 12, 1789, between Joseph Tomelston and William McCoy in which Tomelston al- lows McCoy to remove the logs already cut for the construc- tion of the Baptist meeting house by the first of April next. Tomelston and McCoy owned the land adjoining that on which the meeting house was to be built, and this article of agreement certainly fixes the date of the erection of the first Baptist meet- ing house in Uniontown.
In Deed Book F, page 47, is recorded a deed made by Henry Beeson, the founder of the town, to the members of the Regular Baptist church, called Great Bethel, for one acre of land on the east side of Morgantown street, and fronting 330 feet on said street. The deed bears date of May 26, 1804, and the price was five pounds Pennsylvania money, equal to $13.33. This is the lot on which the second of the log meeting houses was built, in 1789, and included the old Baptist burying ground adjoining the meeting house.
In 1787, Rev. David Loofbower was called as an assistant to Rev. Isaac Sutton, but in 1790, trouble arose ; some accusa- tions having been preferred against several members of the church, was the cause, and Rev. Sutton withdrew and continued services at his house, and the Great Bethel church and the Loofbower faction occupied the meeting house. Rev. Sutton resigned as pastor, March 21, 1790, but was recalled by one branch in September following, and services were thus con- ducted by the two parties until October 4, 1791, when a com- promise was effected by which both factions were permitted to use the meeting house, and the coolness soon died out.
The Loofbower faction had formed themselves into the Uniontown Baptist church, but on November 6, 1790, the Church of Christ, called Great Bethel, met the Church of Christ, called Uniontown, according to appointment. At this meeting the church of Uniontown was dissolved and the members received into fellowship with Great Bethel. ' Loofbower continued to preach until October 5, 1793, when he resigned and left for New Jersey. Isaac Sutton was granted a letter of dismission on September 21, 1793, but continued to preach part of his time until May 26, 1794, at which time Benjamin Stone was called as supply to preach once a month, and afterwards as pastor, and
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he continued until September 7, 1805, when he was granted a letter of dismission, but was recalled June 11, 1806, to preach once a month, and he continued as pastor until 1812.
Rev. William Brownfield succeeded Rev. Stone as pastor. Mr. Brownfield presented himself as a candidate for Christian baptism December 1, 1798, and was licensed to preach the gospel in January 1799, and was ordained December 6, 1800, and on February 6, 1802, he was called to preach the second and fourth Sabbaths of each month, though Mr. Stone was still pastor, and Mr. Brownfield assumed full charge, February 12, 1812, which position he held alone until April 6, 1833, when Rev. Milton Sutton was called to preach once a month.
Minutes of the Great Bethel Baptist church of December 9, 1826, state that Samuel Littell accused Rev. William Brown- field of " preaching false doctrines of which the church were the ignorant receivers," namely: " that it was the divinity of Christ that suffered ; that he suffered just so much as would atone for the sins of the elect alone, and that more would have been unjust, etc." Resolved, unanimously, that whereas Samuel Littell has wilfully misrepresented the doctrine taught by Rev. William Brownfield, our minister, and received and maintained by the church, that he be, and is hereby excluded from our com- munion and fellowship.
Rev. Brownfield mastered the Greek and Hebrew languages although he was never inside a college. He was a diligent student, a fine linguist and was well versed in polemics and church history. His father was known as Tory Tom Brown- field from the fact that his sympathies were with England dur- ing the struggle of the American colonists against the mother country. Rev. Brownfield was a carpenter by trade, and did considerable contract work as such in the erection of some of the dwelling houses about the town. He turned the large wooden columns that supported the galleries in the brick meet- ing house that is still standing and which was built in 1831- 33, on the site of the former log building. In turning these columns he had a man at each end of the log turning the same by hand while he held the turning tools.
Rev. Brownfield was ultra Calvanistic in his views which he sought on every occasion to enforce upon his hearers.
In 1832, serious contentions arose as to missions and be- nevolent societies in the church. The home and foreign mis-
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sionary societies were endeavoring to push these organizations to all parts of the state, but Rev. Brownfield opposed these movements as unscriptural and un-Baptistic, and objected to any one preaching in his pulpit who advocated the cause of missions, declaring that if the Lord wanted the heathen saved He would save them in His own good way. Finally the Rev. John Thomas preferred charges of perversion of testimony against Rev. Brownfield, but the church sustained Mr. Brown- field at a meeting held in April, 1835, which action caused some members to withdraw from the church. At this same meeting Rev. Milton Sutton was asked to continue another year as as- sistant pastor. At a meeting held October 3, 1835, Rev. Brown- field was asked to withdraw as pastor because he would not allow other preachers to fellowship. The motion was declared carried ; a protest was entered, and some more members with- drew from the church.
In January, 1836, Rev. Brownfield petitioned the legisla- ture, asking that body to pass an act vesting the title of the church property in the Regular, or Old School Baptist church, as the opponents to missions styled themselves, but Rev. Milton Sutton read a protest against the petition. The two pastors then contended for possession of the meeting house. The matter was referred to Redstone Association which body decided in favor of Brownfield as representing the Great Bethel Regular Baptist church. Thus fortified, they closed the doors against the other branch, but the opponents of Brownfield forced the doors and held services. Moses Nixon was appointed to notify the New School or mission party to cease making appointments in the house. Being unheeded, in February, 1837, Moses Nixon and Isaac Hutchinson fastened the doors and windows and posted warnings against trespassers, with threats of prosecution. The doors were again forced and Milton Sutton and others preached to the New School or mission party. The threatened suit fol- lowed and was tried at a special session of court in 1843, when a verdict was rendered in favor of the New School or mission party, as constituting the Great Bethel Baptist church.
At a meeting held April 30, 1836, Rev. Brownfield was dis- missed by a majority of the members present, but he was per- mitted the use of the house and continued to preach to the Old School or Anti-Mission Baptists at such times as did not con- flict with the appointments of the other party.
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The New school party appears to have absorbed the other party, as the records of the latter of October 31, 1846, closed with the following minutes: "Some members present. Read a portion of scripture. Prayer. Adjourned." This being ac- complished, missions, Sabbath schools and other church work were inaugurated and made speedy headway.
At a meeting of Redstone Association held at Redstone church on Redstone creek in Franklin township, near now Smock station, September 1, 2, and 3, 1826, the controversy con- cerning church doctrines between Thomas and Alexander Campbell, father and son, and other ministers, which had been raging for ten years, was renewed by William Brownfield. The Campbells withdrew from the Association and took quite a fol- lowing with them and organized a church independent of the Baptists.
Rev. Milton Sutton, on April 6, 1833, was again requested to preach once a month, and on May 2, 1835, was requested to continue his services along with Rev. Brownfield, and he con- tinued his services until 1853. William Wood was the first minister called by the New School or Mission party. He was called June 1, 1833, to preach once a month for six months. He was called again in 1839, and began April 1st of that year to preach once a month for one year.
Elder James Seymour was called by the New School, De- cember 24, 1836, to preach once a month.
Revs. Milton Sutton and James Seymour were each called on June 24, 1836, to preach once a month. On February 29, 1840, Rev. William Wood was called for another year, and on February 28, 1841, Rev. E. M. Miles was called for one year.
Rev. Isaac Wynn was called to the pastorate May 3, 1834. He had united by baptism in December, 1831, was licensed July 6, 1833, and ordained to the ministry in July, 1835, and preached the gospel at intervals for fifty years.
During all this time Rev. William Brownfield preached to the Old School party once a month. He owned and resided on a farm adjoining Uniontown on the south. His house stood on almost the exact spot now occupied by the residence of the late Porter Craig. Being quietly located, and a pleasant walk from town, it became the Gretna Green to which many lovers wended their way to be united in marriage. And from the many years Rev. Brownfield was in the ministry, it was conceded that he married
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more couples than all the other ministers in the community combined. He continued to preach until 1846. A monument that marks his grave in the old Baptist graveyard recites that Rev. William Brownfield died January 19, 1859, in the 86th year of his age, and that he was a sound and able divine, a fearless advocate of the truth, and after serving his master in the work of the ministry for sixty-five years, has passed to his reward. This same monument reveals that Sarah West, wife of Rev. Wil- liam Brownfield, died December 29, 1856, aged 83 years, 4 months and 4 days. They had no children.
Rev. J. B. Tisdale served this church from 1836 to 1840, and Rev. E. M. Miles from February, 1841, until 1842, and on April 22nd of that year the first missionary society of the church was organized, and on the 13th of July, 1845, on motion of Isaac Wynn, the first Sabbath school was organized with William Bryson as its superintendent who was succeeded in the super- intendency by George A. Shallenberger, Orton F. Frisbee, Rev. I. D. King, Rev. B. P. Ferguson, Andrew B. Bryson, R. Porter Craig, Rev. C. E. Barto, Rev. W. W. Hickman, Col. John Col- lins, W. A. Mouck, H. C. Diffenderffer, N. P. Cooper, and D. M. Hertzog. The latter was elected to that office in April, 1880, and has held the position uninterruptedly to the present time.
Dr. William Penny served as pastor from 1846 to 1848, and was succeeded by Rev. S. H. Ruple for one year. Rev. Israel D. King was called January 24, 1855, and served until March 1, 1860. During his pastorate, with the assistance of Rev. Wil- liam Wood, revival services were held which resulted in many accessions to the church. This may have been the occasion when Dick Austin climbed over the balustrade and slid down the column that supported the gallery and walked to the altar where he consecrated himself to the Lord. He subsequently became a prominent minister in the Baptist church. Rev. King served this church a second time as pastor, from 1860 to 1863, during which time the church took on new life and many were added to her communion.
Great Bethel Baptist church was dismissed from the Red- stone Association in 1856, to join the Monongahela Association, and was united to the same in September of that year.
Rev. B. P. Ferguson was called as pastor, December, 1860, and served as such until September, 1863, when ill health com-
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pelled him to resign. He died September 12, 1863, and was buried in the old Baptist cemetery.
Rev. John Boyd was called as pastor March 21, 1864. In 1866, dissension arose between the pastor and several members of the congregation which progressed to a most disgraceful state on the part of both parties. The dissension continued to grow until it was necessary for one party to withdraw from the church building. The last meeting of the two factions was characterized by such rancor that an officer of the law was in- voked to keep the peace. The opponents of the pastor secured the church records and withdrew from the church property and held services for some time in the court house, and subse- quently in the old town hall over the market house.
At a meeting of the congregation held March 2, 1867, Rev. Boyd was dismissed as their pastor, thus discharging themselves from any further liability for his support. An article was pub- lished in a town paper derogatory to the reputation of Rev. Boyd which culminated in a suit for libel, March 5, 1867, which resulted in a verdict in favor of the plaintiff. Rev. Boyd still held possession of the property and preached to his adherents for several years, until his congregation diminished to insig- nificance and services were discontinued.
The Monongahela Association recognized the opponents of Rev. Boyd as the Great Bethel Regular Baptist church, and in December, 1882, suit was brought for the possession of the church property, which in February of the following year re- sulted in a verdict in favor of the plaintiff. At a meeting of the congregation held March 25, 1867, it was resolved to erect a new house of worship, and for this purpose Mr. Samuel Clement donated a lot on the corner of Fayette and Union streets. The corner-stone of this building was laid June 25, 1868, and the first service was held in the lower room, Sunday, March 4, 1869, and here continued for the following ten years, at which time the auditorium was completed. This was the fourth building erected by the Great Bethel Baptist church, and was dedicated to the worship of Almighty God August 17, 1879, by Rev. Israel D. King, a former pastor, then of Philadelphia. This meeting house was a comfortable but inexpensive two-story brick build- ing and cost $12,500.
Rev. C. E. Barto was the first pastor in the new church, having been called in January, 1868, and continued his services
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until in April, 1872. Rev. W. W. Hickman succeeded Rev. Barto as pastor, entering upon his duties as such in May, 1872, and remaining until April 1, 1878, from which time until June 6, 1879, the church was without a pastor. Rev. Hickman was in the ministry for more than fifty years. Rev. F. B. Labarrer of Baltimore, was called as pastor June 6, 1879, and served as such until November 30, 1884.
On March 17, 1881, an application was made to the court for a charter of incorporation under the name of The Great Bethel Regular Baptist church, which was granted.
Rev. J. O. Critchlow was called as pastor in the winter of 1885, when he conducted a great revival meeting, and his services were continued as pastor until May 1, 1888, when he resigned on account of failing health and retired to his farm in Butler county where he died in April of the following year.
Rev. Howard F. King, D. D., of Hollidaysburg, was called as pastor September 1, 1888, and served most ably and accept- ably until his resignation, August 1, 1905. During Rev. King's pastorate the present fine stone church and parsonage were built. The farewell services of the meeting of the Sunday school were held in the old church May 5, 1891, and the last preaching service was held Sunday, May 12, 10:30 A. M., when a union meeting of the Sunday school and church was held, after which services were held in the opera house until the comple- tion of the new church building. The Hellen property was added to the original church lot, and the corner-stone of the new church was laid October 28, 1901, and the completed building was dedicated to the service of Almighty God October 11, 1903, by Rev. Dr. Kerr Boyce Tupper of Philadelphia; a fine stone par- sonage having been built at the same time and in connection with the church building all at the cost of $85,000. This was the fifth church edifice erected by the Great Bethel Baptist church.
On August 2, 1884, the old church property on Morgantown street was exposed at public sale and was sold to Elder John C. Johnson, attorney-in-fact for the Georges Creek German Baptist congregation, for $1,200, and the sale was confirmed by the court October 4, 1884; the property facing 76 feet 8 inches on Morgantown street.
Rev. Joseph S. Bromley, D. D., was called to succeed Dr. King as pastor and entered upon his duties as such Sunday,
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February 11, 1906, coming from Reading where he had served as pastor for sixteen years.
The Italian mission of the Great Bethel Baptist church was organized in October, 1906, in which Miss Florence Carr, a graduate of the Chicago Baptist Missionary Training school, was employed for one year as the first teacher. Rev. E. M. Schisa had charge of this mission as its first minister for two and a half years. The meetings were held for a while in the church and since in a room on North Beeson avenue where the mission is in successful operation.
Great Bethel Baptist church has licensed the following persons to go forth and preach the gospel of Christ :
Isaac Sutton, November 8, 1770; Joseph Barnett, March 19, 1773; Isaac Morris, May 21, 1775; John Wade Loveberry, September 20, 1783; John Hopwood, August 20, 1791; Mr. Shreve, November 19, 1792; William Brownfield, April 6, 1799; Milton Sutton, July 6, 1833 ; Isaac Wynn, July 6, 1833; Richard H. Austin, June 28, 1856; Joseph M. Collins, February 26, 1859; John Bart, January 19, 1868; John M. Moore, September 19, 1894; Charles Lucas Bromley, May 25, 1911.
METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
Redstone circuit, which included all the territory of Penn- sylvania west of the Allegheny mountains, was formed by the Baltimore conference May 28, 1784. It is altogether probable that several classes of Methodists had been formed in the vicinity of Uniontown prior to that date, as according to the usages of that church, exhorters formed and led classes before the advent of stated or even itinerant preachers. These classes were visited by Bishop Asbury as early as the summer of 1784, and again in July of 1785, in which year a log meeting house was erected on a lot purchased from Jacob Beeson, and in July of the following year Bishop Asbury states that he preached in the new meeting house. Rev. Thomas Daughaday, a son-in-law of Peter Hook, one of the trustees, was preacher in charge here in 1809, and died on the 12th of October 1810, and is buried in the old Metho- dist Episcopal graveyard. Uniontown was formed into a sta- tion, in connection with Brownsville, in 1820, with Rev. Den- nis H. Battie as preacher, and was made a separate station in 1824, with Rev. James G. Sansom as first stated preacher. The walls of this old log church resounded the voice of many earnest
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prayers and of many able divines, as Sansom, Sharp, Bascum, Fielding, Fleming, Elliott and others.
A new brick edifice was started under the pastorate of Rev. Charles Cooke, in 1832, and was finished under the pastorate of Rev. George S. Holmes in 1833, an oval tablet in the wall read thus " Methodist Episcopal church, erected A. D. 1833." This structure cost $3,500, and Daniel B. McCarty, George W. Rutter and Benjamin Hellen composed the building committee. Mrs. L. W. Stockton presented the bell for this church, which, upon the abandonment of this building, was removed to the belfry of the new church on Morgantown street, where it, still faithful to its duty, calls the worshipers together.
The third church edifice was erected by this congregation on Morgantown street in 1877-78, at a cost of $10,000, including the lot. This church was dedicated to the worship of Almighty God by Bishop Matthew Simpson on June 2, 1878. Since which an addition has been added. This congregation broke ground for the fourth church edifice to be erected on South Beeson avenue, in the fall of 1913.
A house and lot, to be used as a parsonage, was purchased by this congregation, on Fayette street in 1857, which was used as such until 1878, when a new and modern parsonage was erected.
This church has sent forth the following young men to labor in the Master's vineyard and to proclaim the glad tidings of salvation, viz. :
David Hess, L. R. Beacum, G. T. Reynolds, Henry Wilson and C. M. Coburn.
In 1909 the Woman's Home Missionary society of this congregation organized a school known as the McCrum Sla- vonic Training school, for the training of young women for the missionary work among the Slavonic people. This school first met on South Beeson avenue in property donated for that pur- pose, and consisted of but four pupils, with Miss Elizabeth S. Davis as principal.
The Home Missionary Board of the Methodist Episcopal church purchased the old Nutt mansion, at the head of Nutt avenue in 1912, at a cost of $25,000, toward which the Board voted $5,000, and in March following the school was moved into this property. This is one of the only three such schools in the United States.
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FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
Redstone presbytery was constituted at a meeting of the synod of New York and Philadelphia, held on the 16th day of May, 1781, at the request of the Reverends Joseph Smith, John McMillan, James Power and Thaddeus Dodd. The first meet- ing of this presbytery was held at Pigeon creek, in Washington county, September 19th, of that year.
No record can be found of the organization of the church at Uniontown, but this section was embraced within the bounds of Dunlap's Creek church which encompassed the whole Red- stone settlement. Application for supplies for the Uniontown church was made at a meeting of presbytery at Georges creek, October 15, 1799, at which time the Revs. James Power and Samuel Porter were appointed to preach on alternate Sabbaths. Rev. Dr. James Dunlap, ex-president of Jefferson college, preached to this congregation in the court house for two years; he was engaged also in teaching a school in the Madison col- lege building. He lived in a log house on the lot now occupied by the residence of Mr. James R. Barnes, east of the court house. He died at the home of his son, Rev. William Dunlap, near Philadelphia, in 1818, at the age of 75 years.
Preaching was held at irregular intervals until 1817, at which time Rev. William Wylie came from Round Hill and Rehoboth churches, and, after preaching two years, as stated supply, he was called as regular pastor at the then unprece- dented salary of $1,000 per year, and he was installed in May, 1819. In 1823, his salary was reduced to $300 per year for one- half his time, from which time he preached occasionally at Wheeling. Rev. Wylie built a fine residence while pastor here on the lot now occupied by the Titlow hotel. He was a good preacher and was highly respected as a citizen. His wife, who was a sister to Rev. Joseph Smith, organized the first Sabbath school in the town, in which she was ably assisted by Miss Betsy Hadden, a sister to Thomas Hadden, Esq. Rev. Wylie was dismissed to the presbytery at Washington, Pa., in October, 1823, and was again called as pastor here in 1827, which call he declined. He died in Wheeling May 9, 1858, at the age of 82 years.
The church was since served by supplies for five years, principally by the services of Dr. Ashbel G. Fairchild. In De- cember, 1827, John Holmes Agnew, a licentiate of the presby-
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tery of Carlisle, accepted a call and was installed as pastor Jan- uary 24, 1828, at a salary of $400 per year. He resigned this charge, April 2, 1831, and became a professor of languages in Washington, and subsequently in Michigan University and died at his home on the Hudson about 1870. He was not considered orthodox according to the Westminster confession of faith, as he taught that salvation depended somewhat on the will of the individual. In the disruption of 1838, he went into the New School branch.
Rev. Joel Stoneroad is one of the best remembered of the early pastors of this church. He took charge as pastor the fol- lowing Sabbath after Mr. Agnew's resignation, and was installed December 14, 1831, at a salary of $500 per year and served with dignity and signal ability for ten and a half years.
In 1833, some eight communicants withdrew from this church and joined elsewhere, and in 1834, the session passed the following resolutions, appropriate to an agitation then in progress: " Unanimously Resolved, That this session believes that genuine revivals of religion are not the result of human de- vices, but of the plain, practical and zealous preaching of gospel truth, of which truth we believe our standards contain an ad- mirable summary.
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