An undated photo view, probably from a old post card, of the United Methodist Church, Tremont, Schuylkill Co., Pennsylvania. This was the original Methodist Church building in Tremont. When the congregation was founded in October, 1846, the first meetings were held in the barroom of a log tavern.
A brief history of the founding of the church and its growth up to about 1904 when a new church building was erected, was published in the Pine Grove Press Herald on October 7, 1971, as part of the 125th Anniversary of the congregation. The photo above also appeared in the same newspaper.
From the History of the Methodist Conference in Philadelphia:
The Conference Session of 1846 was presided over by that marvelously apostolic man, Bishop Elijah Hedding. The appointments were read. Pine Grove Mission was a new charge in the minutes. It was a thriving town in the western part of Schuylkill County. To Pine Grove Mission was sent Thomas A. Fernley.
Upon arriving in Pine Grove, he discovered that churches were abundant, and there was no need for a Methodist Episcopal Church in his judgment. A single Methodist family was found who gave him a home and a room. About six miles north of Pine Grove there had been coal mines opened, and a town founded called Tremont, having about twenty miners’ dwellings, a storehouse, and a tavern. No church or schoolhouse was withing six or seven miles. To Tremont a visit of recognizance was made. The barroom of the log tavern was offered for Sabbath morning services and was accepted. It was by far the biggest room in the town. The preacher hauled slabs from a sawmill nearby, out of which seats were improvised.
On the Sabbath morning he returned from Pine Grove to Tremont and preached in that barroom from Romans 1:16, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel.” The bottles had been covered up with a white table cloth and on the bar he found an old Bible and a very old Presbyterian hymn book. About 40 people listened to the Gospel as he preached, the Holy Ghost was present to apply the Word, and a Methodist class was formed of five persons, three women and two men. This was the origin of Methodism in Tremont. Mr. Hipple, the aged tavern keeper kindly permitted the use of his barroom several successive Sabbath mornings.
When the weather moderated, out door services were held in a grove between Tremont and Donaldson. Seats and a pulpit in Camp Meeting style were improvised. This meeting in the woods every Sabbath drew great numbers from the surrounding country. Sabbath after Sabbath the Gospel was preached, a Sunday School was formed and a large interest created. A lot of ground elevated in the midst of the prospective town (the present church site), was presented to the M. E. Church by Mr. Christian E. Spangler of Philadelphia, a member of the Dutch Reformed Church. It was about 100 feet front and 300 feet deep, sufficient for a church and graveyard. Preparations having been made, the contract was awarded for a stone church with a basement story and cupola. The cornerstone was laid on the 20th of October, 1846. During this time, the pastor was constantly engaged in hauling stone and timber, begging for money and attending to pastoral duties.
He made his noonday meals generally on crackers and cheese on the side of a hill and frequently found his lodging in a hay loft. In less than three months the unfinished and un-plastered basement was taken possession of for public worship.
After serving the community well for 50 years, the original church gave way to the present structure. On August 3, 1903, destruction of the old church was started with resources totaling $440 when the decision was made to erect a new edifice of worship. The foundations of the new church were placed on the site of the old. When construction advanced to this stage, the work was suspended until spring, during which time worship services were held in Union Hall on Main Street. The erection of the present church was begun April 6, 1903 and completed for dedication September 23, 1904 at a total cost of $131,701.01.
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From Newspapers.com.
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