The Clifton Heights Methodist Church at 111 S. Springfield Rd. The picture is from about 1912. Notice the dirt road.
Note: In this day and age everything changes, Sadly, many old Delco churches are closing from poor attendance etc. Clifton Heights Methodist will soon celebrate their 150 year anniversary. Congrats!!
October 20, 1921
FIFTY YEARS OF CHURCH HISTORY
Clifton Heights
Methodists Having a Golden Jubilee”
The
special services which are being conducted at the Clifton Methodist Church are
being well attended and the sermons preached are of an inspiring type.
Rev.
B. F. Miller, pastor of the church, is incapacitated by a slight attack of
rheumatism, but is busily engaged in welcoming the large numbers of persons
that attend the services each night. The
occasion of these special services is the celebrating of the fiftieth
anniversary of the founding of the church and this week is termed “Golden
Jubilee Week”. The sermon of Monday
night was preached by Rev. T. Norton Tyler of Bristol. He took as his theme “What Thou Lackest” and
applied it in a manner that made it appropriate for the opening sermon of the
week. Tuesday night the sermon was
preached by Rev. Lewis A. Bausman of Darby.
Mr. Bausman was formerly pastor of the Clifton Church and it was quite a
treat for the members to be able to have him occupy the pulpit again. The singing feature of the evening services
was supplied by a girls’ chorus of twenty-five voices from Mr. Bausman’s church
in Darby.
Last
night Mrs. Eaton of the Weman’s Home Missionary Society spoke and the program
for the entire week has been so arranged that there will be a forceful speaker
occupying the pulpit each evening.
Following is a history of the founding of the present house of worship.
CHURCH
HISTORY – The territory now forming the Clifton Heights parish was for many
years included in the circuit composed of Mt. Zion Church, Darby; Kedron
Church; Morton and Mt. Pleasant Church, near Garrettford. Some of the pastors who served the circuit in
those early days were Joseph
Gregg, Wm. Dalrymple, Abel Howard, W. W. McMichael and
John Shields. In March 1869, the Conference
which met in Union Church on Fourth Street, Philadelphia, sent Wm. H. Fries to
this charge.
The
parsonage was located in Morton. On
April 5th he unpacked his goods, and on April 9th the
parsonage was burned to the ground. On
April 16th he moved to the Shillingford house on Springfield Avenue,
north of Baltimore Avenue in Clifton Heights.
The first sermon preached by a
Methodist minister in Clifton was delivered by Rev. Fries in a room above a
blacksmith shop on Springfield Avenue above Baltimore Avenue on May 15,
1870. The text was John 3:15. The first Sunday school was organized April
13, 1876 and was held for some time in the upper room of the blacksmith
shop. In November 1876, Rev. Fries
secured the following subscriptions toward the purchase of a lot on which to
erect a church:
Joseph McCormick, $50.00; Dr.
Green, $50.00; M. Dean, $30.00; Edw. Elvely, $30.00; J. Shillingford, $10.00;
J. H. Wise, $10.00; Lou Gilmore, $10.00W. H. Fries, $10.00; J. B. Jones,
$10.00; George Long, $10.00; Charles Smith, $10.00; Thomas A. Palmer, $5.00;
John Donnell, $5.00. On January 4, 1870,
the trustees purchased the stone for the corner on which the church and
parsonage now stand from David Kelly, upon which they paid the sum of $60. This sum, we are told, was the entire price
of the lot. Mr. Kelly requiring only
this small price because it was purchased for church purposes. On this lot the present building was begun in
the early summer of 1871, and the cornerstone laid on the 15th of
August of that year. The first story was
completed and dedicated to the worship of God in the latter part of October
1872. The church was built under the
pastorate of Rev. Mahlon H. Slaty. He
met with much opposition because of the size and character of the building and the
heavy debt. Many people called it
“Slaty’s Folly,” but time has proved the fact that he built wisely. After fifty years they have a splendid
building, commodious and substantial, accommodating a flourishing church and
Sunday school. In 1874 Mr. Slaty revised
the church records. Clifton church then
had a membership of sixty-six. Those of
the number who are members of the church today are: Joseph Congleton, Hannah Langry, John Lord,
Isaac Lord, Ruth Ann Lord and Rebecca Lord.
Fifty years ago this was the
largest church building in Delaware County.
In 1833 Rev. Nathaniel Turner, while pastor of the church, built the
parsonage at a cost of $2,800. That was
a big advance step, and was occupied by the pastors without much change for a period
of 18 years, or until the present year, when, as we know, improvements have
been made to the parsonage and church, including furnishing, costing more than
$4,000. It was well built in the first
place, which made the exte3nsive improvements possible.
The
pastors of the church during the fifty years from 1871-1921 numbered
eighteen: Mahlon H. Sisty, John Y.
Ashton, Jacob P. Miller, William T. Magee, Matthias Barnbill, Nathaniel Turner,
George A. Wolf, William B. Chalfant, David T. Sigythg, H. C. Bondwin, Jacob M.
Hinson, Nathaniel Turner, John F. Hartipan, Samuel W. Purvis, Thomas A. Armour,
J. W. Perkinpine, L. Frank Bausman, and B. F. Miller, the present pastor.
The Methodist Church of Clifton Heights
will become, owing to the faithful work and devotion of the fathers and
continued activity of their successors, one of the strongest suburban
charges. They are in fine condition today,
and see ahead a period of greater prosperity than they have ever experienced.
The building of the parsonage in
1882 was made possible by the faithful work of Rev. Matthias Barnhill.
DCHPN Monthly E-Newsletter |
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Medieval Days Oct 09, 11:00 AM – Oct 10, 4:00 PM
Colonial PA Plantation, 3900 N Sandy Flash Dr, Newtown Square, PA 19073
Come see what life was really like during the Middle Ages in Europe. From the Romans to the age of Columbus, various encampments will portray aspects of Medieval Life. See how five hundred years of European culture thrived and changed. Reenactors need to pre-register. $6/10
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*Dark History: Murder, Madness, & Misadventure in Penn's Woods Oct 09, 6:30 PM
Nitre Hall upper driveway stage, 1682 Karakung Dr, Havertown, PA 19083
Jennifer Green, Education Director of the Chesco History Center recounts the true tales from the mysterious history of Delaware and Chester Counties. Hear cases of witchcraft, necromancy, disease, and murder. Learn about the strange ways the early Pennsylvanians treated their dead- and their living!
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Grange Open House Oct 10, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Grange Estate, 143 Myrtle Ave, Havertown, PA 19083
Come and join us for our Fall Open House with Free tours of the Mansion, $5 pumpkin painting and $10 scarecrow making (bring your own clothes!) and refreshments.
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To Build a More Perfect Union: Architecture & Democracy Oct 12, 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Carpenters' Hall, 320 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19106
Join us during DesignPhiladelphia for a provocative exploration of these issues inside historic Carpenters’ Hall, a gem of classical Georgian architecture and a key site in the formation of American democracy. $5-10. Virtual option available for $5.
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Virtual Presentation: The Dark History of Delaware County: Unusual Deaths, Crimes & Hauntings in Penn's Woods Oct 12, 6:30 PM – 7:45 PM
Zoom- registration required
Join CCHC's Director of Education, Jenn Green to hear cases of witchcraft, necromancy, disease and murder, and learn about the strange and supernatural ways that early Pennsylvanians treated their dead—and their living.
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*Swedish For All Seasons with the American Swedish Historical Museum Oct 13, 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Tinicum Memorial Public Library, 620 Seneca St, Essington, PA 19029
Explore the country of Sweden, “land of the midnight sun.” Find out how the changing seasons affect Swedish life while looking at beautiful photographs, dressing up in traditional costumes and creating a Dala horse craft – an icon of Swedish culture. This hands-on program is great for kids.
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*Delaware County's Most Haunted Oct 13, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Springfield Twp Library Meeting Room, 70 Powell Rd, Springfield, PA 19064
Local medium and author Laurie Hull will be sharing stories and history of the abnormal happenings in Delaware County. Whether you enjoy supernatural phenomena, history or a combination, this evening is for you.
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The Great Pumpkin Carve Oct 14, 4:00 PM – Oct 16, 9:00 PM
Chadds Ford Historical Society, 1736 Creek Rd, Chadds Ford, PA 19317
Join us for a 3 day Chadds Ford tradition where over 70 giant pumpkins are carved by local artists on Thursday and will be lit and displayed on Friday & Saturday. All three nights enjoy a 'kid friendly' Haunted Trail, raffle prizes and live music from "Kenny & Friends". Food and drink available. $5-15
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RFC Lectures: Building the Imperial- Frank Lloyd Wright in Japan Oct 14, 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Online- registration required
In 1919, Frank Lloyd Wright invited Antonin and Noémi Raymond to join him in Japan to complete the design and construction of the Imperial Hotel. It was the most significant commission in Wright's career and introduced a particularly American version of Modern Architecture to Asia. $12
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*Talking the Delco Way: the story behind the accent Oct 14, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Online- registration required
Join DCHS for a virtual event highlighting the story behind the celebrated Delco accent! Featuring Susanne Sulby, dialect coach for Mare of Easttown and Prof. Josef Fruehwald, professor of linguistics at Univ. of Kentucky. Donations welcome.
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*Public Archaeology day Oct 16, 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Newlin Grist Mill, 219 Cheyney Rd, Glen Mills, PA 19342
For this season we will not be allowing hands-on public participation, but visitors will have the opportunity to watch the archaeologists work and talk to them about the process and their finds!
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Grain Day at Colonial PA Plantation Oct 16, 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Colonial PA Plantation, 3900 N Sandy Flash Dr, Newtown Square, PA 19073
We will be sowing our Red May wheat, an 18th century variety of winter wheat, and our winter barley. We will be showing some of the steps used to process grains and will be baking bread from our grains. $6/10
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Lantern Ghost Tours Oct 16 and 23, 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM
Colonial PA Plantation, 3900 N Sandy Flash Dr, Newtown Square, PA 19073
The torchlit path will lead you to locations in and around the Plantation's centuries-old buildings, where costumed interpreters will relate tales of murder, mischief and misadventure from nearby areas in Delaware and Chester counties. 12+ only. $15
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