Middle Spring Presbyterian Church

The Middle Spring Presbyterian Church was built in the Province of Pennsylvania in 1738 by early Scotch Irish settlers. It has been mentioned frequently in the histories of the early days of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania and of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in general.

Located in the small community of Middle Spring, Pennsylvania, on present-day Pennsylvania State Route 4001 (old Pennsylvania 696), it is situated two and six-tenths miles north of Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.

Scotch-Irish Settlers

Sometime around 1730, a group of Scotch Irish immigrants settled in the area of Pennsylvania that would later become Cumberland County. The Scotch Irish were among the earliest of the settlers who chose to make their homes in this frontier region of Colonial America. According to historian Wayland F. Dunaway:

Founding of the Church

Presbyterian preaching began on this site in the open air as early as 1736. Two years later, Presbyterian Church officials erected a new building here, close to the bank of the small Middle Spring creek that ran through the area, a common practice of Scotch-Irish settlers in the Cumberland Valley that enabled settlers to live and work near available, abundant sources of water. The first building was a log church, which became not only a house of worship but a gathering place for the earliest immigrants. They called the church site "Middle Spring", because it was located midway between two other water sources in the area, the Big Spring and the Rocky Spring. The church was thirty-five feet square. It had slab benches, a dirt floor and was unheated. The pulpit was high and was set against the wall with the precentor's desk positioned just below, in the front.

In those days, the Middle Spring area was very much a part of a rugged frontier; encounters with Indigenous peoples were common, some of which were violent.

Attending the Frontier Church

Local historian Belle Swope wrote the following about her ancestors, Robert Quigley and his wife, Mary Jacob Quigley, who were among the early members of the Middle Spring Presbyterian Church at a time when it still held services in rural Pennsylvania.

Original Church Replaced

The parishioners replaced the first log church with another in the 1760s. In turn, they replaced this church with the "Old Stone Church" in 1781. However, it suffered from a "structural defect". So, the congregation had to tear it down and replace it in 1847. At that time, they moved the church from where the old cemetery is still located (about one-tenth mile to the northwest) to its present location. A Christian Education Building was added to the 1847 sanctuary in 1964. There are four cemeteries associated with Middle Spring Church: the Lower Cemetery, the Upper Cemetery, and the Modern Cemetery; Hannah's Cemetery is located outside of Newburg.

Famous Members

Many of the original settlers of Cumberland County are buried in the Middle Spring Presbyterian Church Cemeteries. Among those buried there are Hugh Brady and Hannah Brady, parents of Major John Brady (whose many exploits on the Pennsylvania frontier are commemorated in a monument in Muncy, Pennsylvania). They are also the grandparents of John's sons, Captain Samuel Brady, of Brady's Leap fame and of Samuel's brother, United States Army Major General Hugh Brady, both of whom attended this church.General Hugh Brady was born in Standing Stone, Pennsylvania, which is now Huntingdon, Pennsylvania on 27 July 1768. However, he did attend that church at points in his life. Both his parents had been brought up in the Middle Spring Presbyterian Church and his mother, particularly, was very religious. So, any time Hugh lived in the vicinity of this church, he would have attended it. With that in mind, his sister, Agnes Brady was born on 14 February 1773 in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, which indicates his parents were living there at the time of her birth. The Indians killed his father on 11 April 1779 when they were living near present day Muncy, Pennsylvania. After the death of her husband, his mother Mary Quigley Brady took her still at home children, which included Hugh, to live with her brother Robert Quigley, who attended the Middle Spring Church all his life and is buried in its Upper Cemetery. She stayed with Robert Quigley until October of that year, when she returned to her home near Muncy. Four of Hugh Brady's children were born in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, Mary Luthy Brady on 11 November 1811, Elizabeth Hall Brady on 31 October 1814, Jane Brady on 10 March 1817 and Cassandra Brady on 18 August 1819, which indicates that he lived there during that time period
Brady Genealogy
/ref> Their maternal grandparents James and Jeanette Quigley are buried there as well.

Gallery

File:Middle Spring Presbyterian Church3 En 8-11-08.jpg, Middle Spring Church, 2008
File:Brady, John Mounument3.JPG, John Brady monument, Muncy, Pennsylvania

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Middle Spring Presbyterian Church
Presbyterian churches in Pennsylvania
Province of Pennsylvania
Churches in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
Scotch-Irish American culture in Pennsylvania
Scotch-Irish American history
Churches completed in 1738
1738 establishments in Pennsylvania