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The
earliest history of Wilson Presbyterian Church began in the year
1893 when the present Wilson District of Clairton, commonly
known as "Old Wilson," was two distinct communities known
as Mendelssohn and Wilson.
In December of 1893 a small group of interested persons, feeling
the need of religious guidance and training in their own
communities, for the Pine Run Methodist Church at Coal Valley
was the nearest at that time, met to make plans for organizing a
Union Sunday School. The meeting was held in the finishing
room of The Mendelssohn Piano Factory, a flourishing plant which
was located somewhere near the present benzol plant of the
Clairton By-Products Coke Works. A month later, on
Saturday evening, January 6, 1894, a second meeting was held and
plans completed to hold Sunday School the next day in the rooms
of the Piano Company, which was graciously offered by Mr. E. G.
Hays.
The organizers were delighted and surprised at the interest
displayed that first Sunday, January 7th, for seventy-two
persons were present that afternoon. The meeting was
conducted by officers of the Pine Run Methodist Sunday School.
At the close of the lesson a business session was held for the
purpose of electing officers to serve for the balance of the
year, and those elected were as follows: superintendent, Mr. J.
G. Patterson; assistant superintendent, Mr. Fred Bugle;
secretary, Miss Blanche Reed, and treasurer, Miss Elizabeth
Nickel. The piano company granted the use of one of its
pianos. Miss Blanche Reed graciously agreed to be pianist.
It was decided that the Sunday School would be held in the same
place every Sunday afternoon at 2:30, until further notice, and
would be known as "The Mendelssohn Union Sunday School."
One who showed considerable interest in the progress of the
Sunday School was the pastor of the old Lebanon Presbyterian
Church, The Reverend Harry Grubbs. When he heard that it
was the desire of some to follow the Sunday School with a church
service, he offered to preach on Sunday afternoons at the close
of the school hour. Automatically then, the
newly-organized Sunday School became the mission of the Lebanon
Presbyterian Church. Rev. Mr. Grubbs preached his first
sermon to the group in February, 1894 and interest continued to
grow so that on March 29, 1894, a meeting was called for the
purpose of considering the feasibility of organizing a
Presbyterian Mission. Rev. H.A. Grubbs presided.
July of the same year saw the construction of the "Mendelssohn
Chapel" begun on part of the same site on which is located our
present church building. The ground was donated by Mr.
A.G. and J.T. Wilson, their offer having been one of two sites
presented, the other was in the Corwin Plan, Mendelssohn.
The building committee consisted of Samuel Witherow, J.T. Wilson
and Stockdale Snyder.
The first trustees elected to look after the business part of
the mission, and who for some time concerned themselves with its
spiritual welfare too were A.G. Wilson, Andrew Fraser, David
Bradshaw, J.G. Patterson and William Patterson. Through
the hot days of July and August the work of construction
continued and on the evening of Saturday, September 1, 1894 the
cornerstone was laid with impressive ceremonies conducted by
Rev. Harry Grubbs. Work on the chapel progressed rapidly
and on Sunday, December 9, 1894, just one year to the very day
from the time the first meeting had been held to establish the
Sunday School, the congregation occupied its new church home for
the first time. The chapel was dedicated free of debt on
Sunday, October 21, 1897.
Mr. Grubbs continued to occupy the pulpit until 1898 or 1899
when he was succeeded at Lebanon Presbyterian Church by Rev. J.T.
Munford, who continued the Sunday afternoon services until the
early part of 1902, which marked the termination of our
relations with Lebanon Church under whose guidance we had
labored for six years. It was felt that the congregation
had now grown to sufficient size to become a separate
institution. There was some regret in severing the
pleasant relations which had existed between the mission and
mother church but those active in the chapel felt that better
results in the religious activities in the community would be
secured if the church were to assume sole responsibility for the
future welfare of its people. |
