Wednesday Wanderings in the Archives: Ok, well maybe a little late this week as it is now Thursday…but we still wanted to highlight the annual Homecoming service at Historic Rock Chapel taking place this Sunday, September 10, at 2 pm.
Rock Chapel was the first Methodist Episcopal Church in Adams County, with the cornerstone for the original building laid in 1773. Today, it is considered the oldest Methodist church west of the Susquehanna River. According to the Rev. W.W. Carhart in an 1887 address for the 114th anniversary, the first record of Rock Chapel occurs in the minutes of the first Quarterly Conference of 1803 held in Carlisle.
From the early to mid-nineteenth century, Rock Chapel had a large and active congregation holding camp meetings and revival services. In 1849, at a cost of $800, Rock Chapel was rebuilt and has changed little since then. It was also around this time that the congregation added the graveyard alongside of it.
Each year in September, descendants of the original members, those who attended church at Rock Chapel before it was closed in the 1940’s and those who love the history of the area gather for a worship service in the afternoon. Join us there at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 10, 2017.
