AN ADDRESS BY JOHN D. MCINTYRE, ESQUIRE NOVEMBER 1, 1959

ON THE OCCASION OF THE 11OTH ANNIVERSARY OF

THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF ETNA

ONE HUNDRED AND TENTH ANNIVERSARY FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF ETNA NOVEMBER 1, 1959

Sir Walter Scott, in his "OLD MORTALITY", tells of a religious itinerant who spent years of his life in going from burial ground to burial ground, removing moss and other substances from old tombstones so as to restore names and dates that time had well nigh effaced. It was his joy and delight to bring back again to the notice of others the names and history of those who had gone before.

The person who prepares an historical address, and especially of a Church that is 110 years old, must do some of the same kind of work that "Old Mortality" did. He must spend some time among the graves of the departed. He must bring back from the past the names of men and women who once played a prominent part in the history of this church, but who are now almost entirely forgotten. The records of this church from the beginning to 1916 are in German - Anniversary booklets,

We are now celebrating an unusual event. This church has reached her 110th milestone. Not many churches in this vicinity are that old. A church feels honored when she can celebrate her centennial as this church did ten years ago, but today we are thinking of her 110th birthday.

One hundred and ten years is a long time, whether we look back or into the future. It means many generations. It means a length of time that exceeds any human life. One hundred and ten years takes us back a long way in the history of this community. It takes us back before there was a Borough of Etna; before this locality had any paved streets; before it had any utilities; before it had a railroad, a street car or an automobile.

A few white men were temporarily in this locality as far back as two hundred years ago. Just as the junction of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers about six miles from here offered an attractive place for the beginning of the City of Pittsburgh, the junction of Pine Creek and the Allegheny River was an attractive place for the first settlers of this community. Two hundred years ago an Irishman named George Croghan established an Indian Trading Post on Pine Creek where it joins the Allegheny River. Mr. Croghan married an Indian woman and was appointed by England as its Indian Agent for

what is now Western Pennsylvania.

General William Wilkins, a former Federal Judge and a United States Senator was the first real land owner in this locality. His land holdings included the whole of the present Borough of Etna and a great deal more. He built himself a residence on Freeport Street, which was later known as the "Blue House", Many of you will remember this building. Lafayette stayed there when he visited the United States one hundred and thirty five years ago.

In 1825 General Wilkins sold his land here to David Anderson and built himself a new home across the Allegheny River in a place now called Wilkinsburg. Mr. Anderson laid out a part of his property in a plan of lots which he called "Centerville". This plan had three streets - Butler Turnpike, Walnut Street, and Locust Street. After Mr. Anderson's death, the town adopted the name of a leading citizen and became known as “Stewartstown". It kept that name until it was incorporated as The Borough of Etna in 1868, shortly after the close of the Civil War.

In the year 1805, the Pittsburgh-Freeport Road was built. This road brought numerous settlers to this vicinity. Then in 1828 came the Pennsylvania Canal which connected Pittsburgh with Johnstown, and Johnstown with Philadelphia. Also in 1828 Henry Spang & Sons purchased a small iron mill on the banks of Pine Creek. This mill was making scythes, sickles and other forms of tools. The Spangs expanded it into a pipe mill, and it has been Etna's greatest source of employment down through the years.

With these opportunities for employment and with good farming land all around Centerville, many settlers came here. A great many of them were from Germany and Switzerland. They came here to stay - to build homes and raise their families. Hence they were naturally a religious group.

A number of the Centerville families became members of the Voegtley Church on East Ohio Street. Most of you know it. It is located across the street from the Heinz Community House. To attend this church meant either to walk many miles or go by canal boat. I imagine there was not much of Sunday left after attending services there. Our bus service may not appear to be very good on Sundays, but they run a lot oftener than the canal boats. Some of the people of Centerville thought they should establish a church of their own. Early in the year 1849 Jacob Van Ins, a native of Switzerland, requested Daniel Hieber, a prominent citizen who lived on Butler Street to help him organize a church.

In March, 1849, they held a meeting at Hieber's home that was attended by seven men. They held a second meeting a little later and more men attended. A written Constitution for the new church was drawn up and signed. Unfortunately this document has been lost. German United Evangelical Church of Centerville, Pennsylvania. There were sixteen charter members.

By September, 1849, they had a frame building erected on this present site. The cost of the building and the lot upon which it was erected was $300.00. We understand that Jacob Morelock, who was a large land owner in Centerville sold the Congregation the lot for a very nominal sum. Mr. Morelock later donated to the church the land which now comprises the larger part of the Etna Cemetery. Every member of the church was entitled to a free grave. The charge for opening and refilling a grave was $1.50.

I have a list of most of the members of the early church. You will recognize most of them.

You will notice that they were all men. The membership of a man included his entire family. When a son got married and established a home, he had three months to have his name added to the church roll. If he did not do so, he was out. Sometimes whole families joined the church when they moved into the village. In the year 1868 came the families of Conrad Metzger, Sr., John Schor, Sr., Conrad Stadler and Ludwig Zoerb. John Metzger, Jr. was two years old.

The church from the time it was founded has been an independent church. Until recently it did not associate itself with any Organized Synod or Council. The Protestant Reformation in Germany ended by permanently dividing German Protestants into two definite groups, known as the Lutherans and the Reformed. Each considered the other as heretics. The settlers in this vicinity were of both kinds. This caused the founders of this church to look for a pattern of a Constitution by which members of each group could become members of the new church. Such a pattern had been worked out by several churches in the Pittsburgh vicinity. These churches were known as GERMAN UNITED EVANGELICAL CHURCHES. The Centerville church adopted this kind of a charter.

However, these churches had no seminary to supply it with ministers, and the pastors the church engaged were educated largely in Germany, either in Seminaries conducted by the Lutheran or the Reformed groups. In the early decades of your church's history, it sometimes had pastors who were very zealous in their efforts to lead the congregation into the Synod of one or other of these denominations, which he believed had the only key to salvation, and when they were unable to succeed, one of them denounced the Church Council as heretics and another pastor resigned, took some members with him and organized a new church in Sharpsburg.

To protect itself against such attacks in the future the congregation in 1852 incorporated the church and its charter in the local court under the name of "INDEPENDENT GERMAN UNITED EVANGELICAL CHURCH". In 1929 the church again revised its charter and by proper Court procedure changed its name to "THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF ETNA". Prior to that it had become associated with the NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CONGREGATIONAL CHURCHES. I understand that in the Congregational Churches, each church is free to determine its own doctrine. There is no council, synod, or hierarchy that tells the various churches and church members what they are to believe.

In the last one hundred and ten years, this church has had fifteen ministers. Reverend Leiseder has been your pastor for the last forty-eight years. In the other sixty-two years, fourteen pastors have come and gone. They were as follows:

The frame building erected in 1849 was superseded in 1880 by the present brick church. It, of course, did not have the present annex. The total cost of the new church was $8,032.58. In 1884 the Ladies Aid Society furnished the interior decorations. In 1888 a Pipe Organ was installed in the choir loft. In 1900 the vestibule and the stairways were remodeled, new pews and new altar furniture was installed at a cost of $3,000.00. In 1910 the church was redecorated and electric lights were installed at a cost of $2,378.00.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day of 1911 were great milestones in the history of this church, for these were the occasions when Reverend Leiseder conducted his first service here. Reverend Leiseder was young and enthusiastic, his eye was not dim or his natural force abated, and through his influence during the next year, 1912, the church annex was added and a steam heating plant installed. This cost your congregation $6,858.00.

In 1917 a fire occurred in the church building and caused $4,000.00 worth of damages. The loss was covered by insurance, but church services had to be held in the Locust Street School for two months.

During the First World War the church contributed liberally and worked strenuously for the Red Cross and the sale of Liberty Bonds. It fed and entertained many of the soldiers and sailors before they departed for their various military camps. A number of the boys of this church were wounded in action and three of them did not return.

They were: Charles Koehler, Ralph Young, and Fred Haengaertner. Their pictures are in the booklet of the church's 70th Anniversary in the year 1919.

At the 75th Anniversary in 1924, the present organ was installed; the art glass windows were installed; the Hieber property adjoining the church was purchased; the church was painted and some remodeling was done. This was the church's greatest financial undertaking. These improvements and additions cost $21,000.00, but by the 80th Anniversary it was all paid off.

It was at the 80th Anniversary that Mr. Charles Heusy presented to the church the two paintings you see hanging on each side of the organ. I trust you all know that these paintings are excellent works of art. They have been so judged by eminent artists who have examined them. We should also not forget that the frames and stretchers carrying these pictures were made and presented to the church by Mr. Edward Schor.

During the early Thirties this locality suffered greatly in the Great Depression. This church not only contributed its financial share for the relief of those in distress along with the other local churches in this vicinity, but Reverend Leiseder took the initiative in forming the Etna Relief Organization. Mr. Alec Andres, a member of this church, became its President and your Pastor its Relief Agent. The services of this organization covered the entire community. Your Pastor's job was so extensive as to require almost his full time for two years and most of his time for another three years. The church graciously and willingly permitted him to donate his services to this cause, and he did so with little or no publicity.

These years of helping others, and years of economic depression took its toll from your church. Members dropped out because they were unable to pay their church subscriptions; the publication of the Church Paper, "The Belfry" ceased and the Lincoln Bible and General Science Classes were discontinued. Probably all of these were just adjourned or temporarily discontinued until times became more normal again, but as yet they have not been revived.

In 1936 came the Great Flood on St. Patrick's Day. The Allegheny River rose to a height of forty-six feet - ten feet higher than it had ever been before. The church threw open its doors to the families who were flooded out of their homes. It was soon filled with flood refugees. Then came that awful fire on Union Street where nine Etna citizens lost their lives and many were burned and injured. I remember coming to the church the next day. It looked like a Field Hospital during a war. The injured were lying on beds and cots in the first floor of the church building, and were being attended by a staff of doctors and nurses brought from Pittsburgh by way of Seavey Road.

Throughout the many years of its existence, this church and its Pastor, Reverend Martin Leiseder, has been a blessing to this community. They have extended assistance and benevolences to everyone regardless of his church affiliations or creed. Its doors have always been open to anyone to worship regardless of his creed or beliefs. I am a Presbyterian - I have always been Presbyterian and no doubt always will be.

For many years I have taught the Men's Bible Class in the Sunday School of this church. The doctrine I teach is that of the Presbyterian Church. I have never had even a suggestion from anyone that I teach anything else. I think if this church should ever change its name again it could properly be called the "Community Church of Etna".

An event of historical interest happened in this congregation in April of 1916 when Miss Catherine Beck and Mrs. Cecelia Watson were elected members of the Board of Elders. We Presbyterians did not approve the election of ladies to the Board of Elders until approximately thirty years later.

Time will not permit us to go into much detail regarding the histories of the Departments of the Church, namely - The Sunday School - The Ladies Aid Society - The Sunday School Teachers' Association - The Activities Committee of the Church.

In 1849, education was largely a private enterprise which for common people was mostly undertaken by the churches. Most churches had what was called the Church School. In this church, the Church School was probably started when the church was started. The church has a record that in the year 1851 funds were being collected for the Parish School. Had I been speaking here fifteen or twenty years ago, I could have said many of the older citizens of Etna and Sharpsburg received their elementary education in the Parish School of this church. Now, John Metzger, Jr. is the only one I know of. During the first few years following 1849, the Minister was probably also the school teacher.

Beginning with 1854 a regular teacher was employed. The first teacher was a Mr. Oetting. He was also the Organist and leader of the choir. His annual salary was $60.00. The first janitor received $6.00, and the first minister received $236.00.

In addition to the Parish School was the Sunday School. As early as 1854 there was a resolution on the Minute Book of the Church Council requiring every member of the Council to visit the Parish School and the Sunday School at least four times each year. Down through the years the Sunday School has been a great feeder to the church. Of the thousands of children who have been enrolled in the various classes, a large percentage of them have been enrolled in the membership of the church. The Sunday School has been a power for good in the community. German language was used in the Sunday School until 1915.

The church has had a Ladies Aid Society for the last eighty-five years. It has been a most active and helpful organization. We can probably best describe its value by saying that it has filled a function in this church similar to the function of womanhood in a home. It has been a constant and generous giver toward the financial needs of the church. It has always made the church the beneficiary of most of the proceeds of the many suppers, dinners and banquets which it holds.

The Sunday School Teachers' Association was organized in the year 1900. It has a constitution, and is an active organization which has frequent social and business meetings for the purpose of keeping up the interest and enthusiasm of the teachers of the various classes, as well as Officers of the School. For fifty-nine years they have been doing a good work and deserve great praise for it.

The Activities Committee of the Church is a group of young men who are always ready, able and willing to offer their services in connection with the various activities of the church. Whenever some help is needed in the church, Sunday School, or any other department of the church, the Activities Committee is called upon and they promptly go into action. A church can never die while she has plenty of young blood in her veins, and the Activities Committee furnishes a good supply of this valuable necessity.

In 1942 to 1946 came the Second World War, and again this church did all that could be done for our Country and its boys and girls who entered the Armed Forces. Having been a soldier myself, I was always much impressed with a brief ceremony this church held every Sunday morning at the beginning of the church services. On each side of the pulpit there was a large candelabra, on which were white candles. Each soldier or sailor, of a family of this church, who was in the war was represented by a particular candle. While the congregation stood in silent prayer, a parent or a relative of each soldier lit his candle every Sunday morning. When times get tough, perilous and discouraging in war, it is encouraging for a soldier to know that the folks at home are praying for you. As in the First World War, three boys of the congregation made the supreme sacrifice. They were: Elmer G. Beyerly, Herbert H. Schwartz, and Charles W. Heusy

The year 1959 has now arrived. Your church is celebrating its one hundred and tenth birthday. For this occasion she has cleaned, renewed and brightened up her building and sanctuary. This has been largely possible through a generous legacy left to the church by the Will of a former prominent member, John W. Zoerb. On this occasion as always, the church extends to one and all a most cordial welcome.

I cannot sum up the history of this church better than did your Pastor in the booklet written by him for "your Centennial when he said "The history of our little Church is a genuine bit of American History. The history of our United States starts with their Declaration of Independence. The history of our Church starts with its Declaration of Independence. The purpose of both, our Country and our Church, is one and the same Freedom for men and women, who are able to govern themselves. Thus by their origin and purpose our Country and our Church are completely one in the very essence of their nature".