FREEPORT CHURCHES

The town of Freeport is as large as it can be as it is bordered by the Allegheny River and Buffalo Creek, and the Laneville section is surrounded by Buffalo and South Buffalo Townships. Although the population of this municipality over the last 50 years stays around 2,000 persons, it has always amazed me that at one time we had 9 churches within the Borough. They were: Baptist, Catholic, Episcopalian, Free Methodist, Gospel Tabernacle, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian and United Presbyterian.

Four of these no longer exist in the Borough today. The Baptist Church was located at the corner of Fifth, Washington and Buffalo Streets across from Trinity Lutheran Church. This congregation passed out of existence and the building was dismantled. The Free Methodist Church was on lower High Street. The building was destroyed by fire and the church moved to South Buffalo Township. This congregation also passed out of existence and that building is now the Freeport Community Center. Gospel Tabernacle moved to Sarver where it is now known as Evangel Heights. Their building in town along High Street houses The Sheltering Tree. The United Presbyterian Church on Fourth Street merged with the Presbyterian Church on High Street. The United Presbyterian Church building was razed and that location is now the site of the Eye Care Center.

So today in Freeport we have 5 churches, St. Mary’s Roman Catholic, Trinity Lutheran, Episcopal, United Methodist and Presbyterian.

If we go further back in time to around 1919, there were 3 Lutheran churches in town. The German Lutheran was located on lower Market St. The English Lutheran was on Fourth Street and that building now houses the Masonic Hall. St. Matthews Evangelical Lutheran was located on Fifth Street at the corner of Buffalo. This building was moved down on Cherry Way, behind the post office and the Presbyterian Church. For many years it has been known as the Montgomery Apartments. Trinity Lutheran was built in 1926.

--Rod Chapman