Early  History  Of  Little  Britain  Presbyterian  Church
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Little Britain Presbyterian Church celebrated its 250th anniversary in 1982 of the founding of the church. The following information has been copied from portions of a booklet written for that occasion.

Since 1732, Little Britain Presbyterian Church has stood as a spiritual lighthouse in southern Lancaster County.

The early Scotch-Irish, who settled in this area, embraced the Presbyterian faith and received occasional visits from Scottish missionaries. In all probability they continued to receive spiritual visits from these itinerant clergymen until their numbers increased to the point where they could unite as a congregation.

It is believed that the Little Britain congregation was founded in the year 1732. The first church building was erected on a tract of land belonging to Daniel Carmichael and was located on the property known as the Clifford Holloway, Jr. farm. It was a small log structure with a large stone fireplace and chimney built at the end. The log church was abandoned when a new church was built, but stood for many years after it ceased to be occupied for church pur­poses. The graveyard connected with the first church was always reserved for church use. This old burying ground, a silent landmark of the early days of our church, still remains. It contains about fifty graves. Several of the slate markers are still discernible. An inscription on one of the headstones reads: “Here lieth the body of Daniel Carmichael, who departed this life January 10, 1753, aged 38 years.”

The foundation for a new stone church building was laid in 1763. It was located in the southern end of the present cemetery. Approximately eight acres was obtained from a property, later known as the Emma Reed property, for use as a cemetery. From 1769 until 1804, the Little Britain congregation was a "flock without a shepherd." The sermons were preached by "supplies" looking to the settlement of a pastor.

In 1803, a call from the congregations of Little Britain and Chestnut Level churches was presented to the Rev. Charles Cummins. He accepted and was ordained and installed on August 15, 1804. The records show he was paid $40.09 for the first three months. In 1808 the pulpit was again declared vacant and remained so for twenty-four years. On December 25, 1832, the Rev. John Patton was ordained and installed over both Little Britain and Chestnut Level churches. On May 22,1835, the Rev. Lindley Rutter was installed and took charge of both churches. He stayed until 1860, when he resigned the charge of Little Britain Church into the hands of the Rev. Robert Alexander, who remained for seven years.

In 1869, the stone church was torn down and replaced by the present brick structure, whose foundation was built from stone taken from the old church. The bricks used in construction of our present church were quarried and baked on the John B. Hess property. There were approximately 150,000 to 180,000 bricks used in the construction, at a cost of one-third to one-half cent per brick. Over the years, many improvements have been made and the church has been beautified in many ways.

On November 2, 1904, services were held in Little Britain Church to commemorate the re-opening of that structure which had undergone a great change in its interior appearance. Milton Walker, a contractor of Oxford, completed much of the improvement. The frescoing of the walls and ceiling was done by Hanley Parker of Philadelphia and was a work of art. The pews and all the wood work were painted and a new carpet laid. The space for the choir had been elevated about a foot, and enclosed. In the lower room, which was used for Christian Endeavor meetings, the Sunday School and other purposes, a great change was noticeable. The doors opening from the vestibule, had been changed to double doors in the center. The large furnaces, which were along the aisles, had been relocated to the corners to make more space. In the rear, the permanent partition had been supplanted by folding doors that could be opened to enlarge the room. About one hundred more chairs had been added to the seating capacity. The rooms were lighted by five large chandeliers donated by I. Haines Dickinson. This work was completed under the supervision of the trustees at a cost of $2,000.

In May 1913, new pews were installed in the church sanctuary at a cost of $685.78. The money for the installation was taken from a $900 legacy left to the church by William Walker. These pews are still in use.

In 1930, an attractive addition to the front of the church, in­cluding upper and lower vestibules, stairways, and a double bell tower were erected by contractor A. J. Eckman at a cost of $15,000. The "Moller" pipe organ was installed in 1932 at a cost of $4,400. These improvements were made during the pastorate of the Rev. William H. Davies. A major portion of the funds required for the addition were donated by L. C. Hamilton, in memory of his parents, Jonathan and Mary Ann Hamilton.

In 1946, the Rev. Roy W. Townsend was installed as pastor at Little Britain Church and began a long and dedicated period of service to the church and to the community. During this same year the church was further improved by the installation of an amplification system given by Mr. and Mrs. William Scotten.

In April 1958, the congregation approved a tentative plan designed by Paul Risk for the construction of an Educational Building. In May 1959, the congregation voted to proceed with the building operations with Donald Risk and Sons in charge of construc­tion. By mid-December 1959, ground was broken and building opera­tions got underway for a two-story educational building. The Corner­stone Laying Ceremony was conducted at 3:00, Sunday, May 1, 1960. The new building was dedicated in a service on Sunday, October 16, 1960 at 2:30. The two-story Educational Building is attractive, practical, safe, and strongly con­structed with double walls of concrete block and brick. There are two fireproof stairways with ample exits, and the main stairway provides a much-needed front exit from the church sanctuary. The building consists of thirteen Sunday School rooms; a combined session room and pastor's study; and a furnace room that houses a heating plant with emergency lighting system. The total cost of the Educational Building, including furnishings, was slightly over $51,000.

In 1959, Donald Risk installed acoustical tile on the ceiling of the sanctuary at a cost of $1,475. New lighting was installed and an antique chandelier formerly used in the church was restored and hung in the sanctuary. Following these improvements, the trustees engaged Charles Gochenauer, Quarryville, to paint the sanctuary and vestibule at a cost of $2,500.

In June 1976, the Rev. Roy W. Townsend retired from active ministry after thirty years of faithful and loving service to our congregation. Both he and Mrs. Townsend had contributed much to the spiritual life and development of the church, and were held in high esteem by the congregation. Our church family felt as if they had lost two loving and loyal friends. At a congregational meeting, the Rev. Mr. Townsend was honored by being elected Pastor Emeritus of Little Britain Church.

For a year and a half the pulpit was vacant. In November 1977, the Rev. Walter G. Cook accepted the call to become our pastor and on December 18, he was installed by Donegal Presbytery. The Cooks moved into the life of Little Britain Church with ease and grace, bringing with them new ideas, but respecting the old. A newsletter, "The Link", was organized and has served as a bond of communicati­on between the church and the home. A Children's Library was established and dedicated on November 30, 1980 as a memorial to Jeffrey Long. A personal relationship with Dennis and Rachel Smith in Guatemala was established as a specific Mission project. On Christmas Eve, 1981, Little Britain Church had its first Candlelight Service.

Much has been said of the many im­provements made over the years to make the church building a fitting and beautiful place of worship, but let us not forget that it is the congrega­tion that worships within its walls that constitutes the true church. Through its twenty ministers and thousands of faithful Christians, Little Britain Presbyterian Church has stood to the Glory of God and proclaimed the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. In retrospect, we are justly proud of our heritage. The past is safe. It is the future that presents the challenge. Let us be worthy of our heritage!

The Little Britain Church was served mostly by Supply Pastors until 1804. Ministers serving the Church over a period of more than 200 years are as follows:

                   Rev. James Hunt, Pastor  1763 - 1767                                           Rev. James McLean  1890 - 1901 
                   Rev. Mr. Luckey, Stated Supply  1781                                              Rev. Thomas Koontz  1901 - 1905 
                   Rev. William Paxton, Stated Supply  1791 - 1792                         Rev. Alvin Sawtelle  1906 - 1908          
                   Rev. Charles Cummins, Pastor  1804 - 1808                               Rev. Alexander Thompson  1909 - 1915 
                   Rev. William Annan, Stated Supply    1828                                    Rev. George Leukel  1915 - 1921 
                   Rev. John Patton, Pastor  1832 - 1834                                           Rev. William Davies  1922 - 1945 
                   Rev. Lindley C. Rutter, Pastor  1835 - 1860                                   Rev. Roy W. Townsend  1946 - 1976 
                   Rev. Robert Alexander, Pastor  1860 - 1866                                  Rev. Walter Cook  1977 - 1997 
                   Rev. Solomon McNair, Pastor  1867 - 1873                                   Rev. Henry W. Heaps  1998 - 2001 (Interim)
                   Rev. John Boyd, Pastor  1874 - 1875                                              Rev. Robert G. Stier  2001 - 2003
                   Rev. Alonzo Michael, Pastor  1877 - 1880                                      Rev. Dr. Richard R. Streeter  2003 - 2004 (Interim Supply)
                   Rev. Joseph B. Turner, Pastor  1882 - 1886                                  Rev. Dr. Robert LaForce  2005 (Interim Supply)
                   Rev. George Buckle  1887 - 1889                                                    Rev. Thomas P. Milligan  2005 - Present

                                                                    

                                                            The  Little  Britain  Church  Manse
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The Little Britain Church manse, or parsonage in the language of our forebears, remains as beautiful as it was when placed in the service of our church since 1862-63

The manse had been at least the temporary home of fourteen different pastors. The present trustees have in their possession the deed of the land purchased, together with the "draught" that surveyor E. T. Evans prepared following a survey on June 26, 1862. The trustees of Little Britain Church purchased the land, which contains three acres, one perch, from William Gibson, Sr. on June 4, 1862 for the price of $450. The trustee signing the deed was W. W. Brown.

Current trustees also have the contract documents authorizing construction of the parsonage. This agreement, dated June 11, 1862, was between contractor-builder William B. Drake of Little Britain Township and the Building Committee comprised of George Evans, A. I. Caldwell, and W. Walker. This document contains complete specifications for the structure. The cost to the Little Britain congregation for the services of contractor-builder William B. Drake was the sum of $900. Mr. Drake was to furnish all the lumber and hardware and construct the house. The committee, on their part, agreed to do all masonry and bricklaying and find and install the slate, in addition to doing the plastering, painting, tinning and the handling of the lumber, providing it was secured within sixteen miles. The congregation subscribed about $2,775. Church members also gave materials, their time, and used their teams and wagons for transportation of materials. This was a large residence and turned out to be one of the finest in the neighborhood. From a review of old records of the time, much sacrifice on the part of members is noted. The congregation was continuing to pay on this project late in the year 1866. The small barn that remains on the property cost about $240.

Mr. Drake was to get $300 when the roof was in place, an additional $300 when the house was finished and the keys turned over to the Committee. The balance of $300 would be paid to the contractor within three months from time of completion. For faithful performance, the Committee members and the contractor were bound each to the other by the Penal Sum (now called a Bond) of $500.

This beautiful manse is located in the village of Oakryn on State Route 272. The house had perhaps one of the very earliest water systems - a gravity system which used an Ericsson steam pump to fill the tank in the attic. The trustees had also installed a central heating system, which worked well. Originally the house had four huge chimneys (two twin) on either end of the house, complete with fireplaces and flues for separate heating stoves.

Many fond memories of the manse are shared by all those who attended the various church-oriented functions that met in this house throughout the years.

Older than our present church, the manse is completely comfortable and livable. Before the Rev. Cook and his family called the manse their home, the house was completely remodeled, not so much because of disrepair but to help heat it more economically.

We invite one and all to drive to Oakryn and pause a few moments to view the manse and grounds. The white pines planted when the house was built are gone now, but the pride of a congregation that sacrificed to build this house so many years ago still lives.

Credit for the information in this report is given to the history committee for the 250th Anniversary of the Little Britain United Presbyterian Church in 1982. The dedicated church members serving on this committee were Charles H. Reed, Chairman, Anita Reed, Velma Aument, and Eleanor Pennell Brown. We want to express our appreciation for the many hours they gave so freely to conduct the research and compile the material. The closing statement in the booklet expressed their feelings: "This has been a labor of love for the Church of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, and for the furtherance of His Kingdom".