OF LANCASTER COUNTY. 459 



ary 31, 1834, and remained about six years. In l>i41, tlie Rev. .lolm McNair was 

 called to the pastorate and on the 1st of June installed by the Presbytery of New 

 Castle. Under Dr. McNair's ministry the edifice now standinfj was built and dedi- 

 cated to the worship of God on May 11, 1851. In the followin<r Uetobcr. after t«n 

 years' service, and against strong solicitation, the pastoral relation was (lissolved— 

 not by the New Castle Presbytery, but by the Donegal, which had again come 

 into existence, and within whose limits the Church of Lancaster then was and con- 

 tinues to be. 



Soon after the completion of the hcmse of worship, there was unhappily a division of 

 the church, and the formation of what was calleil the Second Prcsl)ytcrian C'inirch of 

 Lancaster. This branch called the Rev. Alfred Nevin whose pastorate continued about 

 four and a half years. 



The First Church, as the old society came to be called after the division, called the 

 Rev. J. Abeel Baldwin, who was installed over it on Tuesday evening, October 28, 1852, 

 and continued his ministry initil April 8, 18o6. 



On the 9th of July, 1857, Mr. Walter Powell was ordained and installed as i)astor of 

 the First Church. During the early part of his ministry the breach between the two 

 branches was healed, and the struggle to maintain sei)arate existence was hai)pily 

 brought to an end in 1858. The pecuniary embarrassments which had greatly hampered 

 the churches in their separate existences were gradually removed. Tlie debt on the 

 church edifice was paid. In 18(j4 a comfortable house was jjurchased for tlie free use 

 of the pastor and family, and the church edifice, chiefly through the exertions of the 

 ladies of the church, was put into a better state of repair. 



During the summer of 1867, the health of Mr. Powell, which for some time had been 

 impaired, became so much reduced as to render it impossible for him to perfonn the 

 arduous duties which were incumbent upon him. The congregation with commendable 

 liberality granted him a six mouths' leave of absence, but the respite came too late. 

 His disea.se, which was of an insidious character, gradually sajiped his strength until, 

 on .Tan. 23, 1868, his Master, whom he had so faithfully served, released him from all 

 earthly labors. 



After a vacancy of several months a call was extended to Mr. George Robinson, and 

 by him accepted. On the evening of Sept. 8, 1808, Mr. Robinson was ordained and in- 

 stalled over this church. Present membership, 255. 



PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHES IN LANCASTER COUNTY WITH DATES OF THEIR ORGAMZ.\TIOX. 



« Donegal, 1722; Pequea, 1724; Middle Octoraro (Bart), about 1727; Chestnut Level, 

 unknown; Leacock, about 1741; Little Britain, imknown; Lancaster, 1763; Columbia, 

 1807; Coleraine, 1816; Marietta, 1832; Bellevue, 1832; Strasburg, 1832; Mount Joy, 



1839; Cedar Grove, 1839; Mount Nebo, 1858; Carnarvon, ; Free Presbj-tcrian 



Church of Colerain (Octoraro), . 



THE ROMAN CATHOLICS.i 



Tlie Catholics of Lancaster County, were first organized in 1740. Tlie fii-st Church. 

 St. Mary's, was built in 1745, destroyed by fire in 1760, and rebuilt in 1762. The Ger- 

 man and English speaking Catholics worshipped together until 1850: when the congre- 

 gation had been so largely increased, that it became necessary to build a larger Cliurch; 

 the Gennan portion withdrew, and selected a site in tlie south-western part of the City, 

 and erected a fine building, under the patronage of St. Jo.seph; that church, owing to the 

 increase of the congregation, now requires enlargement. Those who still worshipped 

 in the old church, soon found it necessary to erect a larger building also, the foun- 

 dation of the present edifice was laid in 1852, and the church dedicated in 185(5. In 

 January, 1867, a fire in the basement, supposed to liave been occasioned, owing to .some 

 1 Contributed by Mr. Peter McConomy. 



