Candlelit Service at Fairview Church New Germantown, PA - 2024

Thank you to The Perry County Historical Society and The Burns Valley Mennonite Church for an incredibly moving experience.
History of Fairview Church:
Built in 1857, this church is 167 years old! Originally know as Fairview Methodist Episcopal Church was constructed on 36 perches (approximately ¼ acre of land), and sold to the original trustees by Ephraim McLaughlin for the sum of twenty dollars. McLaughlin, of Scottish birth, was the owner of a nearby tannery and also a church trustee. All materials for construction were obtained locally-with foundation stone gathered from the nearby Conochocheague Mountain, brick made onsite near Sherman’s Creek, and timber sawn and milled at local mills.
Toboyne township’s population was much larger in the 19th century than it is today, with many of the township’s 2000 residents engaged in farming, tanning, milling, timbering, and other industries. The church was used throughout the 19th and first half of the 20th century until just after World War II, when the dwindling population forced the congregation to move its services to other locations. In 1975 the church conference approved its transfer to the Historical Society. Since that time the Society has undertaken restoration of both the interior and exterior façades.
There is no electricity or heat; the church is illuminated by coal oil lamps and is heated by a pot belly stove positioned in the center of the building. It was truly a remarkable and moving experience to hear everyone singing together like it was in the olden days.