Allegheny Mennonite Church (Alleghenyville, Pennsylvania, USA)
Scan courtesy Mennonite Church USA Archives-Goshen X-31.1, Box 18/49
Scan courtesy Shuvaev (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
The Allegheny Mennonite Church was a member of the Lancaster Mennonite Conference (Mennonite Church USA), in Brecknock Township, Berks County Pennsylvania, near Alleghenyville. The first Mennonite settler was Jacob Bauman (1722-1770), son of Wendel of Pequea, coming in 1745, who was followed by his brothers Christian and Peter in 1751, also by Peter Eshelman and his sons Jacob and Peter in 1749. Benedict Horning came in 1759.The congregation was organized probably in 1760. Christian Bauman (1724-1790) was the first minister. In 1802 Joseph Bauman (1766-1849), his son, was ordained a minister. In 1816 before moving to Waterloo County, Ontario, he preached a fitting farewell sermon under a tree near his home a mile east from the Allegheny Mennonite Church. Between 1807 and 1825 probably 30 members of this congregation moved to Ontario. The congregation worshiped in private homes until 1855, when they built the first meetinghouse. The 1948 membership was 10.
When the congregation dwindled to nine members regular services ended in 1954, and the remaining members went to neighboring Mennonite congregations. An annual Summer Bible school was held on the site from 1950-1970. After 1977, an annual historical and inspirational service was held on the site on a summer evening. In 1994 the Alleghany Mennonite Historical Association was formed to oversea property maintenance and educational events. The "Alleghany" spelling for the association derives from the spelling used in some early church records.
Bibliography
"National Register of Historic Places Registration Form." United States Department of the Interior. National Park Service. 23 April 2009. Web. http://www.nps.gov/nr/feature/weekly_features/2009/AlleghanyMennoniteMeetinghouse.pdf.
Map
Map:Allegheny Mennonite Church (Alleghenyville, Pennsylvania, USA)
| Author(s) | Aaron M. Weber |
|---|---|
| Samuel J. Steiner | |
| Date Published | August 2015 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Weber, Aaron M. and Samuel J. Steiner. "Allegheny Mennonite Church (Alleghenyville, Pennsylvania, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. August 2015. Web. 19 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Allegheny_Mennonite_Church_(Alleghenyville,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=177195.
APA style
Weber, Aaron M. and Samuel J. Steiner. (August 2015). Allegheny Mennonite Church (Alleghenyville, Pennsylvania, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 19 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Allegheny_Mennonite_Church_(Alleghenyville,_Pennsylvania,_USA)&oldid=177195.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 55. All rights reserved.
©1996-2024 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.