The Sharpsville
Methodist Church grew from the Hays Class, organized at the home of William
Hays, a tenant on the Seth Fruit Farm, just west of Clarksville,
in 1835, when Ensign B. Hill and Reuben
Peck were pastors of the “Salem Circuit”, which included this
neighborhood.
During 1836 the
class changed its meeting place to the home of Andrew
Byerly, on the farm later occupied by J. B.
Hawk; and here, on September 25, 1836 the Society was organized
with James Hays as class leader.
With this move the Hays Class became a Sharpsville group and in
time those members who lived nearer Clarksville became attendants of the
Clarksville Methodist Church, organized in 1821.
The Hays Class
belonged, when first organized, to the Salem Circuit. Meadville
District. Pittsburgh Conference; and was thus older than the Erie
Conference, organized in 1836, in which Sharpsville since included. From
1837 until 1869 Sharpsville belonged, with Greenville, Clarksville, Big
Bend, Keel Ridge, Charleston and Sharon, to the “Old Clarksville
Circuit”. In 1869 it became a separate station.
The Methodist
Society first met within the present limits of Sharpsville about 1847,
in which year
Mr.
Vincent, Mr. Himrod and Joseph and John
McClure constructed the first blast furnace Sharpsville and also
built a school —
still standing [1974]
— at
303 North Mercer Avenue, and now used as a residence, which they offered
to church organizations for Sunday services. This building was used the
Methodists, with other groups, until 1858, when the first Methodist
Church — a 30 by 40 frame building — was erected on North Mercer
Avenue. This church, enlarged in 1875, was used for more than
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