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First United Methodist Church Of Hollidaysburg

801 Allegheny Street
814-695-4411

In 1830 a small congregation of Methodists gathered in Hollidaysburg homes.  Within a year they out-grew the home setting and met in a school house on Walnut Street.  By 1832 they decided to build.  A year later a frame structure was erected on Walnut Street near Front.  At a cost of twelve hundred dollars and seating for three hundred people, the church was the first in the borough limits.  Circuit Rider the Rev. Thomas Thornton was the first regular minister.

In 1852 a brick building replaced the wooden one.  The stained glass window above our front doors was first installed in this building.  The cost was four thousand dollars, with seating for four hundred fifty.  The building was remodeled in 1873 at a cost of fifteen hundred dollars.  In 1879 two blocks of Hollidaysburg were destroyed by fire.  In 1881 the Methodist congregation decided to move "uptown" to one of the burned out lots.  Our church at the corner of Allegheny and Wayne Streets was dedicated in 1883.  This building served us for ninety-seven years.

In 1959 the Dean property at the corner of Allegheny and Jones Streets was purchased as the site for a new church.  The parsonage was built on part of the land in 1965.  On November 30, 1980, the cornerstone of our new building was laid.  The building was laid.  The building was completed in 1981, incorporating thirty four stained glass windows from previous buildings.  At this time the Frankstown congregation united with First Church of Hollidaysburg.  In 1997, at a cost of 1.2 million dollars, an addition that doubled the size of our education space was completed.


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