Century history of Butler and Butler County, Pa., and representative citizens 20th, Part 62

Author: McKee, James A., 1865- ed. and comp
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1526

USA > Pennsylvania > Butler County > Butler > Century history of Butler and Butler County, Pa., and representative citizens 20th > Part 62

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HISTORY OF BUTLER COUNTY

externally and internally, the acoustics are good, and the total seating capacity of both rooms is about 1,200. The cost, in- eluding fixtures, was $26,153.28.

In 1904 the congregation erected a par- sonage on the lot east of the church on Jef- ferson Street at a cost of about $5,000, ex- clusive of the ground. The membership of the congregation has increased from 231 on October 1, 1884, to 752 on January 31, 1909. The church has a well organized Women's Missionary Society, Young Women's Society, Christian Union and Junior Society, and an attendance of about 300 in the Sabbath school, of which Hon. James M. Galbreath is superintendent, S. B. Pollock assistant superintendent, and Miss Emily M. Brittain, associate superin- tendent. The members of the session in 1909 were Samuel D. Purvis, John T. Kel- ley, W. B. Shrader, Thornley C. Johnson, James M. Galbreath, and M. L. Arm- strong. The trustees were William G. Douthett, president, Raymond S. Corne- lius, secretary, C. G. Christie, John G. Mc- Farlin, Al. Ruff, Aaron Bieghley. Miss Jean McKee is treasurer.

The Italian Mission, under the care of this church, was organized in the fall of 1906, with Rev. Michael Renzetti, as pas- tor. The services are held in a rented hall on Elm Street, which is also used for the purpose of holding night school during the week. At the present time there are forty members attending the mission. The Sab- bath school has an enrollment of seventy, and the night school an enrollment of thirty. Rev. Renzetti is the superinten- dent of the Sabbath school, Salvatora Schallaubbi is secretary, and Frank Tre- marke is treasurer. Miss Mary McKee is the organist.

First Evangelical Lutheran Church. - The first meeting of those favorable to the organization of an English Lutheran Church in Butler was held in the German church of the same denomination then lo-

cated on South Mckean Street, on the 16th of January, 1843. Jacob Mechling served as secretary of this meeting, and Rev. Gottlieb Bassler was chosen treasurer. A church constitution for the guidance of the organization was adopted at this meeting, and at a subsequent meeting the first church council was elected. The constitu- tion adopted by the society was signed by forty-five individuals, twenty-two males and twenty-three females.

Services appear to have been held in the German Church or in the court house until 1848, when the question of building a church was considered. An offer by Mich- ael Emerick of a lot on West North Street (now the site of Bethany Reformed Church), was accepted, and the latter do- nated the ground in fee simple to the con- gregation. The building was begun in 1849 and completed and dedicated in Septem- ber, 1850. This building served its pur- pose for twenty-seven years, when nego- tiations were entered into for the purchase of the Witherspoon Institute property on North Main Street, which occupied the site of the present church. The purchase of this property was made early in 1876, and the changes and improvements made at that time, including the original cost of the property, was about $7,700.00.

A charter was obtained for the associa- tion in 1852 during the pastorate of Rev. Bassler.

An event of historical importance to English Lutherans in Western Pennsylva- nia took place in Butler about a year after the organization of the church. The Pittsburg Synod was organized in 1844, and it was in Butler that the preliminary conference was held for the purpose of making arrangements for the organization of the Synod. A number of prominent ministers of the denomination were pres- ent.

After the Rev. Bassler the pastors suc- ceeded as follows: Rev. A. H. Waters.

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1855-1861; Rev. J. H. Fritz, until 1869; no pastor for about ten months; Rev. L. H. Geshwind, 1870-1874; Rev. J. Q. Waters was next called and began his work here in July, 1875, to August, 1884; Rev. D. L. Roth, November, 1884, to October, 1888; Rev. G. E. Titzel, November, 1888, to No- vember, 1891; Rev. Enoch Smith, 1891, until his death, May 23, 1894; Rev. D. L. Roth second time, November 18, 1894, to 1898; Rev. S. M. Mountz, called 1898, with Rev. T. B. Roth, D. D., then president of Thiel College, Greenville, as associate pas- tor, until July, 1903; no pastor until March 6, 1904, when Rev. Robert D. Roeder, of Norristown, who had previously accepted a call, was regularly installed. He is the present pastor.

The large increase in membership from 1885 to 1895 created the necessity of larger and better quarters, and in 1897 the con- gregation began the erection of the pres- ent handsome stone church building which was completed and dedicated the following year at a cost of about $25,000, exclusive of the lot and the interior furnishings. This building occupies the site of the old Witherspoon Institute building at the cor- ner of Main and Clay Streets, which was one of the historical educational institu- tions of the town.

An event of importance to the congrega- tion took place on March 8, 1908, when a new pipe organ which had been donated by the children of Mr. and Mrs. Martin Reiber, was dedicated at the morning ser- vices, and in the evening a jubilee service was held at which the church mortgage was burned. These services were attended by Rev. T. B. Roth, D. D., Rev. Warren Roth, D. D., Rev. D. L. Roth, D. D., and Rev. H. K. Shanor.

The membership of the congregation in January, 1909, was 350, and the following composed the church council: William Kesselman, A. E. Reiber, John R. Hen- ninger, D. F. Reed, W. H. Hildebrand, .J.

F. Kittleberger, H. G. Graham, George Krug, Jr., and Louis G. Nicol. The society has a well organized Sunday school, with A. E. Reiber as superintendent, a Women's Missionary Society, Junior Mis- sionary Society, and the Luther League.

Grace Lutheran Church .- The Grace Lutheran congregation, a branch sanc- tioned by the General Synod, was organ- ized here in 1890 by Rev. H. B. Winton. The first meeting of the society was held June 16, 1890, and the formal organization took place in August of the same year, when thirty-five charter members were en- rolled. Rev. Winton supplied the new con- gregation until October, 1891, when Rev. J. E. Maurer was installed pastor. He was succeeded on February 1, 1893, by Rev. Eli Miller, who continued as pastor until August 6, 1901, when he resigned to accept a call to, St. Mark's Church, North- side, Pittsburg. Rev. J. C. Nicholas, the present pastor, was called November 1, 1901.

For the first few years after its organi- zation the society held services in a rented hall in the Reiber Building on South Main Street. A charter was secured May 13, 1893, and the same year a lot was pur- chased from H. J. Klinger on the corner of Mifflin and Church Streets. A brick edi- fice was erected which was completed in the early part of 1905 at a cost of $5,350.00. In 1904 a Sunday-school room was erected at the north side of the building, and a pipe organ installed, the services incident to the rededication of the church taking place on September 25th of that year. The total value of the church property in 1908 was about $20,000.00. The membership of the society is 400, and in addition it has a Woman's Missionary Society, Young Women's Missionary Circle, Christian En- deavor Society and Junior Society. E. A. Whitekettle is superintendent of the Sun- day-school, and J. H. Murtland president of the Christian Endeavor Society. The

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official board in 1908 was composed of El- ders J. H. Reiber, W. M. Bellis, L. HI. Craig and D. W. Johns. The deacons were Charles HI. Barnhart, W. II. Ensminger, J. B. Hutchison and W. J. Daugherty.

The Second Presbyterian Church, of Butler, is the daughter of the First Church, and had its inception at a meeting of the session and board of trustees of the First Presbyterian Church held on May 12, 1897, at which David L. Cleeland and Dr. John E. Byers were authorized to se- cure the services of a minister and provide a place for holding worship for six months with a view of determining the propriety of organizing a second Presbyterian church in Butler. This committee secured the use of the assembly rooms of the Y. M. C. A. building and the first services were held June 6th, 1897. The formal organization was effected on the 11th of October, 1897, by a committee of Butler Presbytery com- posed of Rev. J. B. Coulter, D. D., chair- man ;. Rev. W. E. Oller, D. D., Rev. I. D. Decker, D. D., and Elder Elliott Robb, of Prospect. One hundred and sixty-two per- sons were received by letter from the First Presbyterian Church, of Butler, forty from other churches and twenty-seven on examination. Rev. I. D. Decker presided at the meeting, and after the preliminaries had been arranged officially declared the church regularly organized as the Second Presbyterian Church of Butler.

The new congregation was supplied un- til October 27, 1897, when a call was ex- tended to Rev. Edwin R. Worrell, of Wa- verly, Kansas, which was accepted. Rev. Worrell continued as pastor until the be- ginning of 1907, when he resigned to ac- cept a position as field secretary in the temperance work. In the ten years of his pastorate here the congregation had al- most doubled its membership, erected a church building and was well equipped for excellent work. Rev. Geo. C. Miller, a graduate of the Western Theological Sem-

inary, at Allegheny, class of 1907, was elected in April, 1907, and installed by a committee of Butler Presbytery July 11th. Under his pastorate the congregation has experienced a steady growth and has an effective working organization.

The death of Dr. John E. Byers, one of the first elders, was recorded on February 8, 1904, on the minutes of the session. In 1908 the session was composed of Thos. B. White, Robt. A. White, Thomas Hayes, C. B. Conway, Dr. W. B. Clark, David L. Cleland, J. E. Brandon, D. D. Quigley and J. P. Whiteside. The deacons were J. C. McNees, H. H. Hull, and Geo. D. Kamerer. The trustees were P. H. Sechler, Ira Mc- Junkin, J. H. Starr, C. E. McIntyre, T. B. Young and D. H. Sutton. The superin- tendents of the Sabbath school since its organization have been David L. Cleeland, Levi M. Wise, Robert A. White and Ira McJunkin. The congregation had 561 members in 1908, a well organized Chris- tian Endeavor Society, a Women's Mis- sionary Society, Ladies' Aid Society, and Young Women's Missionary Society.

Soon after the organization of the con- gregation steps were taken towards secur- ing a suitable house for worship. A lot was purchased from the Graham heirs on the Southeast corner of the Diamond for which six thousand dollars was paid. T. B. Young, Ira McJunkin and Thomas Hayes were appointed a building commit- tee and in 1902 the contract for the present church was let to George Schenk, of But- ler. The church was completed and dedi- cated on October 7th, 1903 at a total cost of $34,000.00. The building and lot repre- sents an investment of $40,000.00. Subse- quently a pipe organ was installed at a cost of $2,500.00. The church is constructed of native sandstone, medieval in style of architecture, and modern in all of its ap- pointments .. With the exception of $2,500.00 subscribed by members of the First Church, the entire expense has been

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met by the Second Church, and in 1908 the indebtedness of the society had been re- duced to $8,000.00.

Rev. George C. Miller, pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church of Butler, was born April 1, 1878, near Punxsutaw ney, Jefferson County, Pennsylvania, and is the son of Eli F. Miller. He was edu- cated in the common schools of the county and at Indiana (Pa.) State Normal, and subsequently taught school for three years. Later he entered the Missouri Valley Col- lege at Marshall, Missouri, and graduated in the class of 1904. In the fall of 1904 he entered the Western Theological Seminary at Allegheny and was graduated in the class of 1907. While a student at the sem- inary he was ordained in Allegheny Pres- bytery of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, September 10, 1905, and did sup- ply work for New Salem Cumberland Pres- byterian Church. He was moderator of the Union Presbytery for one year during this time. While a student of the third year he supplied the Second Presbyterian Church of Butler, and in April, 1907, was elected pastor of that congregation to suc- ceed Rev. Edwin R. Worrell. This call was accepted, and he was installed by a committee of Butler Presbytery July 11, 1907. At the annual meeting of Butler Presbytery held in June, 1908, he was elected moderator, which position he now holds. Rev. Miller was married Septem- ber 12, 1904, to Miss Alice Newton, of Warrensburg, Missouri. They have one daughter, Catherine Virginia.

St. Peter's Episcopal Church .- The his- tory of St. Peter's Protestant Episcopal Church of Butler dates back to some time in 1818, when the Rev. Jackson Kemper (afterwards Bishop) visited the locality as agent for the "Society for the Advance- ment of Christianity in Pennsylvania," and held Episcopal services in the parlor of the residence of Hon. John Gilmore. After the services a number of children were baptized. There is no record of any

regular visitations by Episcopal ministers until 1824, when the Protestant Episcopal Church of Butler was organized. The offi- ciating minister at this time was Rev. Rob- ert Ayres, and the membership consisted of but a few families. The first meeting held to take steps towards the erection of a church building was in the court house. The Right Rev. John H. Hopkins, then rector of Trinity Church, Pittsburg, and afterwards bishop of the Diocese of Ver- mont, presided at this meeting. Judge Bredin proposed and did donate the lot of ground on East Jefferson Street on which the building was afterwards erected, and which is the site of the present edifice. One thousand dollars was subscribed towards the church building fund at this meeting, and immediate steps were taken towards the erection of the building. Prior to its completion services were held by Rev. Ayres in the Court House.

The first pastor of the new church was Rev. M. P. Bonnell, who began his work in 1824 and continued until 1827. He was suc- ceeded by Rev. Wm. G. Hilton, who re- mained six years, and he was followed by Rev. Thomas Crumpton, who served about six months. Rev. B. B. Killikelly came in 1833, and was succeeded in 1837 by Rev. Wm. White, D. D., who continued as pastor of the congregation for forty years. Rev. White resigned in 1877, and was succeeded by Rev. Daniel I. Edwards, who took charge January 8, 1878. He resigned April 13, 1880, and in December of that year Rev. Edmond Burke took charge as rector and remained until August 8, 1882, when he was succeeded by Rev. S. H. S. Gallaudet. He was succeeded in 1884 by Rev. John London, and the latter in turn on the 15th of September, 1892, by Rev. Miles S. Hemenway. During the pastorate of Rev. Hemenway the new church build- ing was begun and the congregation made substantial progress. He resigned on September 12, 1898, and was succeeded by Rev. T. B. Barlow, who was called March

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26, 1899, and continued as pastor until June 4, 1904, when he resigned. During this pastorate the church edifice was com- pleted and the new pipe organ installed, the latter being the gift of Mr. Andrew Carnegie. The present pastor, Rev. Mark HI. Milne, was called October 27, 1904, and assumed the duties of his position shortly after.

The present church is an imposing struc- ture, costing about twenty-five thousand dollars, exclusive of the furnishing and the lot. It stands on the site of the old church on ground donated by Judge John Bredin. The present membership of the congrega- tion is 330 and the Sabbath school has an enrollment of 130.

St. Peter's Catholic Church .- The first Catholic church in Butler was erected by the English-speaking Catholics in 1822. It was the old St. Peter's, was built of stone. and stood upon the hill in the eastern part of the borough, where the old Catholic burial ground is now located. The build- ing committee were John Duffy, Norbert Foltz, and William Hagerty, the last men- tioned being also the contractor. Prior to the construction of the church, Rev. Charles Ferry came here in 1821, and or- ganized the congregation. The first bishop to visit the church was Francis Patrick Kenrick, of Philadelphia, in 1834, when it was dedicated. It was superseded by the present German church, which was erected in 1849, on Franklin Street. On the occa- sion of the laying of the corner-stone, Hon. James Buchanan, who was on a visit to Butler at the time as the guest of Hon. William Beatty, was among the strangers present. The church was dedicated Octo- ber 14, 1849, by Right Rev. Bishop O'Con- nor, of Pittsburg. The old stone chapel was taken down in 1853, and the English- speaking Catholics erected St. Paul's church in 1866.

As early as January 15, 1829, Mrs. Sarah Collins deeded to the Right Rev. Henry Conwell, D. D., bishop of Philadel-

phia, in trust for the members of the old St. Peter's Catholic Church, one acre and seven perches, together with right of way from this land to the Butler and Kittan- ning turnpike. This deed was granted for a valuable consideration and for the en- couragement of the congregation in Butler to the trustee named and his successors in trust for St. Peter's Catholic Church. It was a part of a tract called "Newry. " pat- ented by the State, April 22, 1807, to Ste- phen Lowrey and bequeathed by him, No- vember 29, 1821, to his daughter, Mrs. Sarah Collins. The only reservation in the deed of 1829, was that which preserved to her and to her heirs the right of bury- ing, in the Collins tomb, deceased relatives by blood or marriage.

Rev. Charles Ferry was pastor of St. Peter's from 1821 to 1825; Rev. P. P. O'Neil from 1826 to 1834. He was suc- ceeded by Rev. P. Rafferty, who served until 1837, then Revs. Gallagher and Jo- seph Cody up to 1840. Rev. John Mitchell followed and was pastor until 1846. After him came Rev. Joseph Creedon, who served as pastor until 1848. For several years after this the Benedictine Fathers had charge of the church and furnished pastors from time to time. They were suc- ceeded by the Carmelite Fathers, who re- mained in control until the fall of 1880.

Rev. Jacob Rummelfanger became pas- tor of St. Peter's Church in the fall of 1880, and served the congregation until his death, in 1906. He was succeeded by Rev. Leonard Stenger, the present pastor. Rev. William Frome was appointed assistant in 1907. In 1889 the church was enlarged at a cost of about $3,000.00, and in 1900 the building was again repaired and remod- eled at an expense of about $10,000.00. The congregation now embraces about 1,500 souls, and has a flourishing Sunday-school and a parochial school, which at the pres- ent time employs eight teachers. The re- cent growth of the congregation and the parochial school necessitates additional

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buildings, and a new school building is contemplated in the near future.

St. Paul's Catholic Church .- The orig- inal members of this church were among the first Catholic settlers of the county, and before the present church was built worshiped in St. Peter's, which they in no small degree helped to erect. A strong tide of German Catholic immigration to this place set in, and in a few years after, the original members of St. Peter's found themselves largely outnumbered by the German element. It was not long before a German priest was placed in charge of the church, and ultimately it came about that nearly all the sermons and instructions were given in the German language.

Urged by this condition of things, the English-speaking members determined to build a church for themselves. The initia- tive in this work was taken by Peter Duffy. He not only contributed largely to the erec- tion of the church, but gave the building of it his personal supervision. The other members likewise contributed according to their means. The church was dedicated in February, 1867, by Bishop Domenec of Pittsburg, assisted by a large number of diocesan clergy. The membership of St. Paul's, although at first small, has been gradually increasing. In the pastorate of Rev. William Nolan, 1876-1891, St. Paul's Catholic Parochial school was established, and the new cemetery incorporated.

Father Nolan was succeeded immedi- ately after his death in 1891 by Rev. Dan- iel Walsh, who continued in that relation until his death in December, 1903. Rev. L. A. Carroll, who was assistant under Father Walsh, had charge for a short time, when Rev. P. K. Collins became the pastor. The assistant pastor in 1908 was Rev. M. A. Leen. The old church, which was a neat and attractive structure, occu- pied a convenient position on Mckean Street opposite the High School building. At a meeting of the congregation held on the first of January, 1909, it was decided

to erect a new church, and a building com- mittee was appointed. At the same meet- ing it was announced that the congrega- tion had purchased the Charles Duffy property immediately north of the parish house for $40,000.00, and that this pur- chase would give the congregation the ad- ditional ground required on which to erect a new building. One of the considerations of the purchase was a donation of $5,000 made by Mr. Duffy for the building fund for the church, and another was a credit of $9,500 allowed to the church, which was a bequest made by the late Peter Duffy, the father of Charles Duffy, about forty-five years ago, and which will be held in trust. The old church and parish house were torn down in the spring of 1909, and the erec- tion of the new building commenced. The new church when completed will cost ap- proximately $100,000.00. The purchase of the Duffy property and the erection of the magnificent edifice at this time was made possible by the legacy left to the church by the late Mrs. Nancy Evans. This leg- acy consisted of real estate in Butler and money in bank amounting to about $40,- 000.

St. Paul's parish is one of the wealthiest in the Pittsburg Diocese; a reasonable value of its property in Butler would not fall short of $250,000.00. As it now stands, the church has no indebtedness; it had cash on hand amounting to $65,000.00, and. outstanding subscriptions amounting to . $10,000.00. Nearly two years will be re- quired to complete the new church, and in that time it is hoped to gather in a suffi- cient amount of money to have the church consecrated free of all incumbrances ex- cept the Duffy mortgage.

In 1906 the congregation erected Parish Hall on the school lot on Monroe Street at a cost of about $9,000.00, which will be used for holding services until the new church building is completed. The mem- bership of the congregation is now about 1,500, and it has several societies and a

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prosperous Sunday-school working in har- mony with the church.

Methodist Episcopal Church. -- As nearly as can be ascertained the first soci- ety or class of the Methodist church in Butler was organized about 1825. In 1826, Rev. John Chandler was appointed as preacher in charge, at which time Rev. William Swarzie appears to have been pre- siding elder of the district. In 1827, Caleb Brown, the class leader of the preceding year, by the vote and recommendation of the society, was licensed as an exhorter, and in the fall of the same year was placed in charge of Meadville circuit as a supply, in place of Rev. J. Leach, whose health had failed.

From 1828 to 1830 the records are miss- ing. But from the organization it was one of the regular appointments of the Butler circuit up to August 9, 1851, when, by a vote of the quarterly conference, it was set off as a station, having sixty-two members. It remained a station for only one year, when it was again united with Butler cir- cuit.

The first church building was a plain, but substantial, brick edifice of one story, erected, as nearly as can be ascertained, about 1827, in the southwest part of the town, on lot Number 67, purchased from John Negley, Sr. April 24, 1841, the mem- bership was reported at seventy-nine. The society had its misfortunes as well as its drawbacks. During the prevalence of a terrible storm April 19, 1856, a consider- able portion of the walls of the church was blown down, and about $1,000 was required to repair the damage.

In December, 1860, the Methodist Epis- copal church of Butler was incorporated, with George C. Roessing, Joshua J. Sed- wick and others. From that time there has been a gradual increase in member- ship.

In 1865 Butler circuit was composed of four appointments, viz .: Butler, Browns- dale, Petersville and the Temple, which

imposed much hard work on the pastor in charge. To reduce the labor, Butler ap- pointment was set off as a circuit in the spring of 1867, with Rev. J. D. Legget as preacher in charge. On the fifth of No- vember, 1868, the church decided to erect a new house of worship, as the congrega- tion had become too large for the old build- ing. The present location, on the corner of Mckean and North streets, was pur- chased April 1, 1873, for $3,500, and the old church property was sold for $2,500. The present brick church building was com- pleted in the spring of 1874, at a cost of $16,000, the furnishings costing $2,000. Rev. E. J. Knox, the present pastor, as- sumed charge in October, 1908.

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Century history of Butler and Butler County, Pa., and representative citizens 20th, Part 62

Author: McKee, James A., 1865- ed. and comp Publication date: 1909 Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1526

Author: McKee, James A., 1865- ed. and comp
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1526