Mahanoy’s oldest church fondly remembered in final service

MAHANOY CITY – When the First Presbyterian Church of Mahanoy City, northern Schuylkill County was a far different place than we now know.

Most of the boroughs we know of today had yet to be incorporated. Ashland had only been a borough for five years, and Frackville for a year, while settlers were just beginning to inhabit the villages of Mahanoy City and Shenandoah City.

In fact, both villages were part of Mahanoy Township at the time.

The First Presbyterian Church was founded in 1862, a year before Mahanoy City borough’s incorporation.

Rev. Ruth Ann Christopher said she believed the rise of the borough and the church were intertwined, noting that the church’s founding coincided with the completion of the Buck Mountain Tunnel, which spurred development in the Mahanoy Valley, which had a population of just 573 in 1860.

As the borough’s population dwindled, so too did the church’s membership, which numbered just 10 as of Sunday’s closure. About 50 people attended the final service.

“We are at the final chapter now,” Christopher said. “Before we leave here this afternoon, the book will be closed.”

“Unfortunately, we take this action today knowing that the story of Mahanoy City and First Presbyterian can be told in countless towns and congregations all across the coal regions,” Christopher added.

Christopher is the pastor at Hope of Christ Presbyterian Church in Summit Hill.

The church’s history is evident in the walls and windows. Stained glass windows memorialize parishioners from the 1800’s, while the walls tell their own story.

“They’re tin. As is the ceiling,” Christopher said. “When the church was built, there was a local tinsmith who was a member of the church, and he donated everything. He personally pressed the design that you see today. He personally pressed that into the tin for his beloved church.”

Gary Perna, Jr., Clerk of Session for the church, was one of the last people to be married in the church and spoke of its history and his personal experiences there.

“The congregation in this church has played a very important role in the lives of so many,” Perna said, holding back tears. “Generations of families have been born, married, and buried from here.”

“This building and congregation have stood the test of time and watched history pass by, from wars to peace, from celebrations and anniversaries,” Perna said. “Over the last few months, when we talked about the closing of this building and the end of the congregation, so many have asked me what am I going to miss. It’s not what I’m going to miss, it’s what I miss already.”

Perna recounted the memories he had with fellow parishioners.

“The tremendous musical talents of Phyllis and Margie, the charisma and the passion of Peg Aschman, the church picnics at the Grier City playground, the bake sales at Ethnic Day,” Perna said. “The fellowship before and after the morning worship, and that time the family had gathered together, asking about how the week was, what’s new, and what they are preparing for in the next week.”

“As we prepare to walk out the doors one final time today, it breaks my heart looking back, that a place of worship that has offered so much faith and love and hope has ended,” Perna said. “In the heyday of Mahanoy City, we had 21 churches and a synagogue. Today, this church joins a list of many in this town that will be a memory.”

Rev. Nicole Vogel, serving as moderator for the Lehigh Presbytery, declared the building “vacated by the congregation and the congregation of the First Presbyterian Church of Mahanoy City dissolved.” Perna presented the records of the church to Rev. Michael Drake, clerk for the presbytery, who said they will make their way to the historical society in Philadelphia.

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Kaylee Lindenmuth

Kaylee Lindenmuth is a Shenandoah native with a passion for journalism and the community she calls home.

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