The
New Virginia Methodist Church was built about
1870 or earlier on land donated by Mr. Joel Frazier. About 1826
Mr.
Frazier had purchased and cleared 133 acres of land in this area. From
those acres he donated lots for the Methodist Church and a school house.
“A
History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania,” published in 1877 by L. F.
Everts & Co., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in speaking of New Virginia
says: “This place has no postoffice, it being at the crossroads, a
half mile south, and called ‘Five Points’ postoffice. New Virginia has
one store, one Methodist Church supplied from Sharpsville, a school
building and a small cluster of dwellings, in fact it is a kind of
continuation of Neshannock, situated a mile east. The people are mostly
engaged in coal mining.”
Mr.
Frazier’s grandson, Mr. Charles Baker, a retired gentleman now (1959)
residing in Masury, Ohio, moved to New Virginia with his parents in 1880.
The family joined the Methodist Church. Mr. Baker remembers clearly much
of the church’s early history. He was personally acquainted with nearly
all of the ministers serving New Virginia from 1880 to 1908 and recalls
the names of all he knew. He also recalls, as do several other elderly
members of the congregation, that the New Virginia Church was at one time
called the “Mt. Pleasant Church.” The origin of this name in
connection with the New Virginia church cannot he ascertained.
There
is evidence that New Virginia church was on the same circuit with
Clarksville, Charleston, Bethel, and Five Points. A record book in the
Clarksville church contains some very interesting information concerning
the New Virginia church. Of special interest is an entry made by the
pastor [Otho Brant, photograph at right] at New Virginia. This record in complete detail is as follows
“I
preached my first sermon in Mt. Pleasant M. E. Church, New Virginia Nov.
20th, 1882.
“A
Revival Meeting was begun in January 1883 at Mt. Pleasant M. E. Church. It
continued over ten weeks. During the meeting many souls were converted.
Some glorious testimony meetings were held during the meetings on Sunday
afternoons. Some meetings were held at private houses during the day.
“One
hundred thirty-three persons united with the Mt. Pleasant M. E. Church on
probation during the conference year beginning October 1882. Three persons
united with the church by letter. A number of those received on probation
joined as full members before the close of the conference year.
continued
