Latrobe United Methodist Church
440 Main Street, Latrobe, PA 15650 Phone: 724-537-8141 Fax: 724-537-5778
Our History
The Methodist Church in Latrobe began in 1853 when 7 members gathered in the family living room of Mr. & Mrs. William Williams, Sr. Attending where Latrobe's first burgess and his wife, David L. McCullough; Mrs. McGowin; Mr. and Mrs. Hassinger and their daughter.
New members joined meeting at other homes and in a classroom of the small First Ward School. By 1856 membership had grown to 40 and they moved into a new brick church at 339 Depot Street. Worship was held on the second floor with Sunday School on the first. This site was used until 1887 when the present church was dedicated.
The Brinker farm, established in 1844, included the land on which the parsonage and the church are now located. The owners son, Richard and his wife took took up residence in the home that our former parsonage in 1886. They donated the adjacent land for construction of our present church; contributing the three bells in the tower and the Main Street stained glass window. The Barchkhoff organ, made in Latrobe, was a gift from Andrew Carnegie.
Serving on the board of trustees in these formative years, 1886-7, were A.B. McChesney, for whom McChesneytown was named; A. Shumaker, Grand Depot Department Store, G.B. Whiteman, father of the founder of the Latrobe Bulletin; Patrick Weaver, planing mill; I.D. Pore, hardware and plumbing; D. W. Jones, Lloydsville Coal; G. C. Anderson, lumber; Richard Brinker.
When "Aunt Becky" Brinker died, she willed her home to the church. In 1946 the Brinker homestead was refurbished and Rev. Howard Emrick became the first minister to reside there.
In 1928 an addition to the church, the "Old Sunday School Building", was built to accommodate the hundreds of parishioners who attended class in the 30's and 40's. Its mortgage was paid off in 1942.
In 1952 the sanctuary was remodeled, including the new Reuter pipe organ, carillonic bells (gift of G. Edward Anderson), and padded pews. With the removal of the side balconies and addition of a center aisle, seating was reduced from 600 to 220.
In 1958 the new Sunday School addition was built with its enlarged social rooms (now Dixon Hall), children's department, enlarged office space and a parlor.
In 1991 the "Brinker" parsonage was razed and a new parsonage was built on the site which was completed in May, 1992.
In the year of 1996 the balcony of the old School School was enclosed for much needed additional classroom space. A lounge and classrooms were constructed for the Junior and Senior High School students.
Guiding and inspiring these people were their pastors: George Washington Cranage 1853-1854; John McCarty and James Sansom Bracken 1854-1855; John McCarty and Matthew J. Montgomery 1855-1856; Matthew J. Montgomery 1856-1857; Henry L. Chapman 1857-1859; John Coleman High 1859-1861; Wiley W. Roup 1861-1863; John S. Wakefield and Henry Long 1863-1864; John S. Wakefield and James B. Gray 1864-1865; James Borbidge and James B. Gray 1865-1866; Matthew J. Montgomery 1866-1867; Abraham J. Rich 1867-1868; Joseph Jackson Hays 1868-1870; David M. Hollister 1870-1872; James Fletcher Jones 1872-1875; John T. Riley 1875-1877; Asbury C. Johnson 1877-1880; William Francis Conner 1880-1883; Earl D. Holtz 1883-1885; Benjamin Fell Beazell 1885-1887; Charles Wesley Miller 1887-1889; Milton Mechesney Sweeney 1889-1892; Noble Garvin Miller 1892-1893; William Pitt Turner 1893-1896; Edward George Loughrey 1896-1901; Rezin Beeson Mansell 1901-1903; Reimund C. Wolf 1903-1908; Delbert L. Johnson 1908-1913; Richard Bruce Cuthbert 1913-1916; Henry N. Cameron 1916-1921; Elijah Wilson Kelly 1921-1926; Albert Clarence Saxman 1926-1931; William Rufus Hofelt 1931-1936; Chester Arthur Clark 1936-1940; Charles Amos Hartung 1940-1945; Howard Charles Emrick 1945-1952; James Lewis Carraway 1952-1956; Howard Weston Jamison 1956-1959; Charles Arthur Clark, Assistant 1954-1959; Willis Burton Ruddock 1959-1966; Clark Russell Kerr 1966-1976; Paul Mechem Easter 1976-November 1, 1981; Kenneth Anderson McGowan, Jr. November 1, 1981-1995; Aimee Arlene Wick Twigg 1995--.