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"You may hear the distant toll of the school bell, the happy sounds of children at play
or music from the old church pump organ."
Linda Cleveland, Historian
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| Photo by Rev. Donald Mitchell |
| The original brass keys .... |
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| Photo Courtesy Shane Dunlap, Evening Sun |
Founded in 1740
174 Red Bridge Road
Gettysburg, PA. at Hunterstown
717-642-9094
"Whatever you do,
In word or deed,
do everything
in the name
of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father
through Him."
Colossians 3:17
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| Photo Courtesy Shane Dunlap, Evening Sun |
This beautiful old church has been in use since 1787, but the congregation
has worshipped in the immediate area since 1740.
From 1747 to 1787, the congregation met in a small log cabin near the
cemetary gate. During the pastorate of the Reverend
Joseph M. Henderson, the present church was built, thus the name,
Henderson Metting House. At the time of the Battle of Gettsyburg,
the church served as a field hospital. In 1849,
the present entrance was made and the three other entrances closed. The pulpit and the high back pews were changed and a foyer
and choir loft were added.
Again, in approximately 1870, general repairs were made which included new pulpit furniture,
new carpet, pews and oil lamps. The present six chandeliers include two originals which hang in almost the exact place
as a hundred years ago. In 2002, all roof trusses were reinforced,
a large masonary crack was repaired, pews were
restored,
floor joists were replaced, floor boards were rehabilitated and replaced, the balcony was totally rebuilt,
a handicapped accessible restroom
and entrance were made, a utility room was added,
heating/air-conditioning
systems were installed,
and carpeting was replaced.
A Celtic cross was fashioned out of salvaged timbers
from
the old balcony and hung behind the pulpit.
Great Conewago Website ...
James O. Phelps |
360˚ Panoramic Photography | The
Civil War Battlefields |
www.jamesophelps.com
In this photograph, with an unknown date,
members of the congregation at the Great Conewago Presbyterian Church pose in front of the building.
Great Conewago Church The church has been in use since 1784; the congregation has worshipped in the area
since 1740. The adjacent cemetery has graves of Revolutionary and Civil War soldiers.
Edwin L Green, Williamsburg, VA
Great Conewago prints and notecards may
be purchased at the Cross and Bluebird Tea & Gift Shops
Located at The Historic Tate Farm CrossandBluebird@aol.com
To view all the prints in this collection ...
Tours of the cemetery may be arranged in advanced. Please telephone Dr. Glenn Zepp at 717-337-9571. Or click to send an email.
225th Anniversary Celebration Service
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January 22nd, at 10:00 AM
| Pastor Donald Mitchell |
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| with Bob McIllhenny/McIllhenny Banners |
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| Members Hunterstown Historical Society |
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Hunterstown native Fred Kammerer
giving a tour of the Great Conewago
Church Cemetary to the members of
HGAC during their Annual Summer Picnic
in August of 2006.
Special Note:
There are 30 Revolutionary soldiers
and 9 Civil War soldiers buried
in the
Great Conewago Church Cemetary.
Contact Us...
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Historic Gettysburg of Adams County presenting The Great
Conewago Presbyterian Church with a Civil War Hospital plaque. Pictured from left to right: Troy Harman, National Park Service
ranger and historian; Gerry O'Brien, local historian; Mike Vallone, Gettysburg Battlefield Guide; Laurie Harding, board
member HGAC and president of Hunterstown Historical Society; Chuck Teague, president of HGAC and NPS ranger; and the Reverend
Donald Mitchell.
Dedication was held in the spring of 2005.
Debra Sandoe McCauslin of Gettysburg’s For the Cause Productions speaks about the life of Hunterstown
resident Eliza Jane Payne. Eliza was born a slave in Virginia.
She was manumitted at age 5 and moved to Pennsylvania with her mother Catherine a.k.a. “Kitty.” Kitty and her children were
kidnapped by 5 men in 1845, beaten, gagged, loaded into a wagon and taken back to Virginia to slavery. The were imprisoned in the Rappahannock County Jail for over 300 days.
The local Quakers aided Kitty and her children and eventually they were freed again and returned to Adams County. Kitty was
penniless and afraid to live alone so she placed her children with area families. Eliza went to live with the Campbell
family near Hunterstown. She resided with them until the last remaining member of that family died and then she joined her
sister in Kansas. In 1863, she was a member of the Great
Conewago Presbyterian Church and she had a pew assignment in the last row. She endured the battle
and avoided capture
by Confederates and she later saw President Lincoln deliver his immortal speech.
For
more information on Eliza Jane Payne, contact Deb at www.gettysburghistories.com or call 717-528-8553.
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