Photographs from "An American-Born Faith: Writings from the First Century of Mormonism" exhibition at the Free Library of Philadelphia

In this third article on the exhibition of historical writings by and about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, photographs from the exhibit as well as other photographs from the Free Library of Philadelphia's Rare Book Department are shown. The exhibition is found at the Parkway Central branch, the heart of the Free Library system in Philadelphia. It is a beautiful Beaux-Arts style building located at 1901 Vine Street on Logan Circle, just down the street from the Philadelphia Temple. It is wonderful to see the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints showcased at this institution, which houses one of the world's preeminent collections of rare books, artifacts, and manuscripts. Allison Freyermuth, head of the Rare Book Department, provided the tour.

Photographs by Molly Peterson

 A view of the Free Library of Philadelphia from Vine Street. The Philadelphia Temple can be see far right

 Front banners about the exhibition 

 Early guidebook for visiting teachers and missionaries

  Coinage associated with the early Church

  An account from western traveler John Wesley Clampitt, who shared observations of early Mormon settlers 

A rare copy of the Book of Mormon in the Hawaiian language 

 Books that taught reading by the curious phonetic "Deseret alphabet", invented for new converts who did not speak English

 The Story of the Book of Mormon, by Elder George Reynolds

 Photograph of Brigham Young on a collectible card used for trading, similar to today's baseball cards 

 The exhibition is found in the William B. Dietrich Gallery of the Rare Book Department

The next photographs are from other exhibits in the Rare Book Department

 One of many in a lovely collection of original Beatrix Potter art and books

 Carta executoria, late 16th century manuscript. These writings were issued in the name of the current king to provide certain people with nobility 

 Puppet hornbook - used to hold a "horn", which was bone, wood, or other material on which was written school lessons for children 

Hornbook

 Charles Dickens' taxidermy of his pet raven "Grip"

 Section of the 62 foot long Georgian style room in the Rare Book Department, bequested by heirs of William McIntire Elkins, who donated his entire book collection and other treasures to the Free Library 

 Giant globe in the Elkins room

The desk of Charles Dickens, part of the Elkins bequest

Interview with Allison Freyermuth, Curator of Historical Exhibition on Mormonism at the Free Library of Philadelphia

Photo courtesy of the Free Library of Philadelphia

Allison Freyermuth, Branch Head of the Rare Book Department at the Free Library of Philadelphia

Allison Freyermuth is head of the Rare Book Department at the Park Central Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia. She curated a fabulous new exhibition at the Library entitled An American-born Faith: Writings from the First Century of Mormonism. The Library is steps away from the new Philadelphia Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In honor of the temple, this exhibition of rare writings has been created. It was truly a pleasure to speak with Allison and learn further insights about the exhibition, which will run through February 6, 2017. 

The Free Library of Philadelphia has 54 locations throughout the city, as well as the separate Rosenbach collection, which became an affiliate in 2013. This affiliation brought together two of the world's preeminent collections of rare books, artifacts, and manuscripts. "We are a huge system. The building that I am in, the main library - Parkway Central, was built in 1927. The rare book department has been where it is since 1949."  When asked about the mission of the Free Library, Allison shared: "As a public library we serve the community of Philadelphia by advancing literacy, guiding learning, and inspiring curiosity." Allison went on to describe the proximity of the Library to the Philadelphia Temple, and a surrounding building. "There is one building in between us - it used to be Family Court. It is the twin building to the Free Library - they are matching buildings. It's going to be turned into a boutique hotel - a very handsome building".

Photo by Jason Smith for Visit Philadelphia

Parkway Central Branch, Free Library of Philadelphia

Allison shared that many people had learned about the exhibit through social media. "We have had a huge amount of visitors. On Saturday we had over 100 people visiting the exhibit, which is amazing for us. We usually don't get that kind of traffic".

When asked about the acquisition of the pieces in the exhibition, Allison shared "Every single book in the exhibition is either owned by the Rare Book Department or the the Free Library itself. They were part of a circulating collection at one point, or they are from the Rosenbach Museum and Library collection. We borrowed one book from the University of Pennsylvania, I believe it is a Doctrine and Covenants from the 20's. About 17 items came from [the Rosenbach] collection, such as the Deseret Newspapers, a 1st edition Book of Mormon... and a little hymn book...there are around 70 items".
"We have an Americana Collection - some of the books came from that. Some came from the History of Books and Printing Collection - books that are printed in the Deseret Alphabet came from that. We have a very very extensive Children's Book Collection - some of the the primers came from that".

Part of the exhibition is traveler's descriptions of Mormon settlements and the faith. Allison tells us that Dr. Rosenbach had a keen interest in traveler's descriptions of the early west. "There are lots of books and memoirs about that. Most of them are books, no manuscript journals. The exhibit is very book heavy, containing all books, newspapers, and one photograph... for wall exhibits, text panels have been used." In the section of the exhibition about early Americans' reactions to the faith, Allison tells us that both pros and cons were touched on, but they did not go too heavy on anti-Mormon literature and tried to be balanced.

Allison described a positive general reaction to the exhibit. The Library has not been criticized for doing an exhibit on just one religion, though they are a public institution. They have not had any pushback so far, for which she is glad.

When asked if there were any general questions about the church that the exhibit might answer or clarify, Allison said "We...tried to do a historical perspective of the first 100 years. It definitely touches on scriptures, tenets, and what is believed, but there is a lot more to it than that. There is the missionary experience which I found really fun to put together, and there is Deseret inventing this whole new alphabet, which might be the most visually interesting part of it. We tried to give people a perspective of what it was like".

An American-born Faith: Writings from the First Century of Mormonism is in the Library's largest exhibition space, however there are other compelling galleries in the Rare Book Department. "People are welcome to look at the other cases and other exhibits. We've got a huge collection of Edgar Allen Poe, a huge collection of Americana, and a Charles Dickens collection that's amazing. We have a Charles Dickens taxidermy pet raven, 'Grip'. People who have visited An American Born Faith, most of them, have...wandered around and looked at everything else".

The Rare Book Department is open Monday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and this exhibition is open the same days and hours. It is free to the public.

Allison graduated from the Philadelphia Arts and Business Council of Greater Philadelphia Designing Leadership class on April 15, 2015. She received her MLIS degree from Louisiana State University in 1995, and she has been working for the Free Library of Philadelphia since 1997.

An American-Born Faith: Writings from the First Century of Mormonism. Philadelphia Free Library Opens Rare Book Exhibition

Photographs Courtesy of the Free Library of Philadelphia

First Edition Book of Mormon

The City of Brotherly Love has opened its arms to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as our temple opens for public viewing. In honor of the temple, the Philadelphia Free Library, which is just a short walk from the temple location on Vine Street, has mounted an exhibition of historic material focusing on 19th and early 20th century writings connected with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. These rare items come from both the Free Library and the Rosenbach collections.

Among the items on display are such historical treasures as a Book of Mormon written in Hawaiian, which may be one of only 15-20 in existence, early copies of the Deseret News, a phonetic alphabet devised for non-English-speaking converts, 19th century travelers descriptions of Mormon settlements, publications documenting the range of Americans' reactions to the new faith, as well as early copies of the Book of Mormon.

Book of Mormon, Hawaiian Copy

Deseret News, February 23, 1859

The exhibition, on display at 1901 Vine Street in Philadelphia, is currently being shown and will run through February 6, 2017.

The Rare Book Department of the Philadelphia Free Library is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and may be visited at any time during those hours. At 11:00 a.m. every day, there is a guided tour of the Department's general collections. For more information on the Department, please visit this LINK .

For further reading and information surrounding the exhibition, see this ARTICLE by Kenneth Hilario of the Philadelphia Business Journal.

Historian's Corner: A District Comes Before a Stake

This picture shows Imri Hutchings (standing at right), the second president of the West Penn District, along with his first counselor, Samuel Aston (standing at left), and several others at a district outing in South Park circa 1950.  President Hutchings’ wife, Bernice, is sitting in the back on the left, and Sister Emma Grace Hare, the first president of the district Relief Society, is sitting in front of her.  This picture appears in From These Hills and Valleys.

In October of 1943, Eastern States Mission President formed the West Penn District with Jay Wrathall as the district president.  President Wrathall had previously served as the president of the Pittsburgh Branch (which is now the Pittsburgh First Ward) from 1931 to 1933 and again from 1937 to 1943.

The district included three branches—Pittsburgh, Wilson (now the Pittsburgh Second Ward) and Washington as well as Sunday Schools in towns as far away as Johnstown and Carmichaels.  Wrathall and his counselors spent many Sundays traveling all around the district; their travel was facilitated by the clergymen’s coupons for gas that the district president had access to, this being during World War II when gas was rationed.  He was succeeded as district president by Clarence Bigler in 1947 and by Imri Hutchings in 1949.

When Hutchings was called to the position, there were 750 members in the three branches, but two of the branches were being led by missionaries, as there were very few Pittsburgh-area natives with Church leadership experience.  Hutchings chose leaders through inspiration and taught the members of the branches about “love and forgiveness,” as those who were called to lead were not always the most well-liked members.

He and his counselors also located members meeting in the more distant parts of the district and organized branches by starting with the most important auxiliary. “We found that the most successful way to start a branch was to start a Relief Society,” he explained.  Branches were organized in Butler, Punxsutawney, Johnstown and even East Liverpool, Ohio, during his tenure.  Hutchings also reached out to Saints in the region by holding leadership meetings with the Erie District and sending officers to conferences in Harrisburg and New York State, but the Erie meetings were less than successful; “there were so few (in attendance there) that most of the time we all traveled in one automobile.”

The West Penn District’s auxiliaries were also organized gradually during this period.  The district Relief Society was organized in 1949 and went through many of the same challenges of transportation and communication as its predecessor in the West Pennsylvania Conference.  These challenges were exacerbated by the geographic area of the district, which stretched from Wintersville, Ohio, to Johnstown, but they were met with unfailing resolve.

The first elders quorum in the district, which was called the Second Quorum of Elders since there was a First Quorum in Philadelphia, wasn’t organized until 1958, and it started out with just 75 elders scattered across ten branches.  However, as with the rest of the local Church membership, the Second Quorum grew fairly quickly, as a Third Quorum had been formed by 1963.

The growth of the Church organization in the Pittsburgh area continued apace in the 1960s.  On November 13, 1960, the Eastern Atlantic States Mission (which included Pittsburgh) was formed from the Eastern States Mission.  Two days later, Hutchings was succeeded as district president by Frank Young, who held the position until the Pittsburgh Stake was formed in 1969.

In 1963, the West Penn District sent out its first full-time missionary, Sister Erma Wollensack of the Pittsburgh Branch.  The foundation for her successors as missionaries from Pittsburgh began to be laid two years later, when the district’s first seminary class took place in Upper St. Clair, a distant southern suburb of the city.

And in 1967, the missionary effort within the district was enhanced with the formation of the West Penn District Mission, which was roughly equivalent to the (now-discontinued) stake missions of more recent years and the ward missions that continue to exist.  The district mission’s first president was Orrin Hatch, a native of the Pittsburgh suburb of Baldwin who presently serves as a US Senator representing Utah.

The dreams of the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in southwestern Pennsylvania to have a fully formed Church organization in their area finally came to fruition at the end of the 1960s with the formation of the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Stake.  But that is another tale for another post.  Until next time…

Respectfully submitted,

Rush David

Pittsburgh Stake Historian

Two Pittsburgh Stakes Become Three!

President Brennen C. Murray of the new Pittsburgh PA West Stake, with his counselors, Dale Hoggard and David Bayles

The Pittsburgh PA West Stake became the third stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Pittsburgh area and the newest of the Church's over 3,000 stakes when members sustained its creation at the semi-annual conference of the Pittsburgh PA Stake on Sunday, September 7, 2014. Brennen C. Murray of Upper Saint Clair, who has served for the last five and a half years as president of the Pittsburgh PA Stake, was called and sustained as president of the new stake. His counselors will be Dale C. Hoggard of Robinson Township and David B. Bayles of Upper Saint Clair.

Creation of the new stake meant reassignment of many of the congregations—wards and branches—in the Pittsburgh area. The new stake will take in six congregations that had been part of the Pittsburgh PA Stake—the Pittsburgh 2nd, 5th, 6th, Washington, Wheeling (WV) and Wintersville (OH) Wards. Two wards from the Pittsburgh North Stake—Greensburg and Pittsburgh 3rd—joined the remaining congregations—McKeesport, Monongahela, Oakland (young single adults), Pittsburgh 1st and 7th, and Uniontown—in the Pittsburgh PA Stake.

New presidency of the Pittsburgh PA Stake, President Erich B. Peterson, with his counselors, Ron Paul and George Cavalier

With President Murray's release, a new presidency was called for the Pittsburgh PA Stake.  Erich B. Peterson of Pittsburgh, who has served as second counselor to President Murray, was called and sustained as the new president. His counselors will be Ron Paul of Brownsville and George P. Cavalier of Greensburg.




Conference day was gorgeous. The sun was shining, the temperature was ideal, and for a change humidity was low. Families came knowing that a new stake was to be created. They were anxious to learn the details—which would only be revealed at conference.

Elder Teh visits with a child before conference begins.

Elder Teh and Elder Kunz

Elder Michael John U. Teh of the First Quorum of the Seventy, a native of the Philippines, presided at the conference, assisted by Elder Milan Kunz, also of the Seventy, who resides in Downingtown, PA.

Members throughout the Pittsburgh area could view the conference in their own meetinghouses; however, many gathered at the stake center. They heard testimonies of the gospel from those who had been released from their callings in the Church and from those newly called. Some were emotional; all were heartfelt.

Sister Armi Barnett and Patriarch Bruce Barnett

First to speak was Patriarch Bruce Barnett, who has served as patriarch to the Pittsburgh PA Stake for the last 20 years. A retired professor of biology at Waynesburg University, Patriarch Barnett has given blessings to hundreds of members of the Church in the Pittsburgh area over those years.

"The Holy Spirit does speak to us. I can't stress enough how important it is that the person coming to receive the blessing be spiritually prepared."

Presidents Erich Peterson and Dwight Ferguson,
who served as President Murray's counselors in the former Pittsburgh Stake

Next to speak was President Dwight Ferguson, who has served as first counselor to President Murray. He said he considered his release to be a tender mercy because it will allow him to spend more time with his wife and family. He recalled kneeling by his bedside in Finleyville as a 14-year-old boy to ask about the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. God answered his prayer, and testified of its truth. That testimony sustains him to this day.

Following are extracts from the testimonies of others who spoke:

George Cavalier—former bishop of the Greensburg Ward (for 1,378 days, he told us), former U.S. Marine and convert to the Church, with a son in the Brazil Sao Paolo Mission:

"My parents taught me three things: Be brief, never say never, and the difference between a stranger and a friend is an introduction. I'm thankful for this opportunity to serve."

Ron Paul—bishop of the Monongahela Ward. His wife's friend and son had accompanied them to the stake center to meet with Elders Teh and Kunz. After the visiting pair had sat in the foyer watching members come and go for 20 minutes, the son remarked, "These people are so happy! What makes them so happy?" President Paul referred to feelings he shared with many in the room—excitement about the progress of the Church, sorrow to be parted from old friends:

"I am not the only one in the room with mixed emotions. I am humbled to be in the service."

Molly Peterson—wife of President Peterson and mother of three:

"Our head is the Lord Jesus Christ. I know that from the love that I feel. What a privilege it is to humbly assist in His work. Simple prayer brings miracles when we are assisting. My heart is tugged [over the division of the stake], but we will make new friends."

President Erich B. Peterson:

"Thank you, Molly, for talking with me and helping me—even when I didn't want to be helped! Perhaps this is an opportunity to live a little closer to the Lord, to love more deeply, to forgive and reconcile, to renew our commitment to go to the temple and to be worthy of a temple recommend. Our Heavenly Father is just a prayer away. Each of us can do great things because the Lord is the head of this church. We walk with Christ. I'm grateful for the opportunity to be your servant."

David Bayles:

"Sometimes when daddies are called to serve it's hard on the family. I will always be your daddy. I love you. There is one thing that has sustained me, and that is my testimony of Jesus Christ. There is no need for you to conquer the world, because Jesus has done that for you. I am so grateful for my Savior. I love Him."

Dale Hoggard—moved to Pittsburgh 34 years ago, accustomed to sit in church on the first row, at first as only three, ultimately as 11 in the family:

"I married up twice. Maile [my first wife] was a strong and courageous woman. I am thankful for temple covenants that can preserve us and save us through difficult times. It has taken me eight years [from her death] for me to crawl. For years Kitty Wirth was sitting in church two rows behind us. Now she can sustain me [as my wife] in my hours of need. Each of us are points of light. We give light to our friends, colleagues and neighbors that we love. We each have responsibility to actively participate in inviting others to come to Christ and live."

President Brennen C. Murray:

"I believe in God the Eternal Father, in his Son Jesus Christ and in the Holy Ghost. I worship them. I strive to obey them. As we honor them there is safety. It is through Jesus Christ that we are redeemed, that we are healed. Each of us is called of God in our various responsibilities."

Two youth also shared their thoughts and testimonies. Blake Connor of Uniontown Branch spoke of testimony and conversion:

"We can lift and inspire others. I am thankful the Lord is helping me with my conversion."

Lindsey Elias of the Monongahela Ward spoke about standing as a witness of God at all times and in all places. "I always share with my friends what I'm doing at church." She told of her school friend Angel, who, when another student criticized the standards Lindsey lives, spoke up to defend her, saying, "She has a beautiful faith." Lindsey said,

"I want to be an example to others. It's easier to live the gospel when we live it every day."

Sister Johnson—wife and mission companion of President Johnson of the Pennsylvania Pittsburgh Mission:

"We have the privilege of serving with a royal army. Love is the essence of missionary work. Add [to the labors of the missionaries] your everyday acts of love and kindness."

President and Sister Christman of the Columbus Ohio Temple
visit before conference.

Sister Christman—Matron of the Columbus Ohio Temple:

"It is a great blessing to work in the house of the Lord. I know we have a Father who loves us."

Elder Milan Kunz testified that those called to serve had been called by the Lord. He explained that Elder Teh and he knew whom the Lord had already chosen and whom He wanted called in the same way we all receive revelation from God:

"We study it out in our minds, make a decision, take it to the Lord, and He answers. All prayers are answered. Our Heavenly Father loves us." 

Elder Teh concluded the conference session:

"The Lord has called these men. 'We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy.' That took place yesterday. Go forth with faith, knowing whose work this is. He only asks that we do the very best that we can. I can do that. Every day I can be a little better. I take joy in that blessing."

Historian's Corner: A Conference Comes Before a District

A plaque in the Second Ward building charts the congregation’s evolution from one of the first branches in the Pittsburgh area to a suburban ward in the Pittsburgh Stake

To pick up from where we left off the last time, the modern history of the Church here began in 1886, when a conference was convened at the New England Branch (near the present-day location of the Pittsburgh Second Ward) on May 16-17.  The members of the branch had asked to be re-baptized into the Church the year before.  Another branch was organized that same year in Little Redstone in Fayette County (further south of Pittsburgh) and three more followed in 1887.

At that time, western Pennsylvania was under the jurisdiction of the Indiana Conference, a “conference” in this sense being a smaller version of a district.  The process of re-introducing the Church into the eastern United States was long and difficult.  It was likely made more difficult by the legal proceedings undertaken against the Church in the latter half of the nineteenth century.

Western Pennsylvania was transferred to the Northern States Mission in 1889 and then to the Eastern States Mission in 1897.  The Eastern States Mission had been organized in 1893 when Elders Job Pingree and Seymour B. Young Jr. were dispatched to New York City to restart missionary efforts in the East following the resolution of the Church’s legal difficulties.  The mission was headquartered in Brooklyn and included New York, Maryland, the southern part of West Virginia, New England and eastern Canada in addition to Pennsylvania.

The mission expanded into Virginia shortly thereafter and counted 975 members in eight conferences by the year 1900.  Thirty years later, the mission counted 4,281 members in twelve organizational units, which by this point included districts and conferences; the Pittsburgh area was part of the West Pennsylvania Conference.

Despite having so many members, the mission counted only six chapels, including two in Pennsylvania.  During these early days of the Church, each branch was a handful of families that met in different members’ homes at varying times.  This was generations before the current consolidated meeting schedule was introduced (that occurred in 1980), so there was no organizational expectation of so much to take place on Sunday as there is now.

Two of the main priorities of the early branches were creating Sunday Schools and Relief Societies.  The first record of the latter in Pittsburgh dates from May 25, 1916, when a Relief Society presidency for the branches in the area was called.  The members of the presidency lived far apart and could not meet often, owing to the difficulty of transportation and communication in those days.  This also contributed to the fact that the Relief Society presidency’s membership changed three times in the ensuing year.

The challenges of leadership were ameliorated in 1922, when Sister Marble Holmgren was called as the Eastern States Mission’s first mission-wide Relief Society President.  She traveled around the mission to instruct the sisters in their duties, visiting the city of Pittsburgh on October 1, the Fairview Branch (in Butler County, north of Pittsburgh) on October 18 and the New England Branch on October 25.  Three years later, the five branches in the area organized their own Relief Societies.

From 1941 until 1963, the wives of mission presidents were asked to “take direct charge” of the Relief Society work in their missions’ areas.  This provided the relatively young branches with a veteran leader who may likely have had experience in areas with a fully formed Church organization.

The next step in the evolution of the Church in the Pittsburgh area came in 1943, when the West Penn District was organized.  But that is another tale for another post.  Until next time…

Respectfully submitted,

Rush David

Pittsburgh Stake Historian

Historian's Corner: In The Beginning . . .

The picture shows Pittsburgh as seen from Mount Washington (or “Coal Hill” as it was then known) in the early 1850s.  It is the cover illustration for the book From These Hills and Valleys.

Hello, friends.  My name is Rush David, and I am the Stake Historian for the Pittsburgh Stake.  In this blog post, I will discuss the earliest history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints here in southwestern Pennsylvania.

The Church was organized on April 6, 1830, in Fayette, New York.  During the next twenty years, the center of Church activity moved from Fayette to Kirtland, Ohio; Jackson County, Missouri; and Nauvoo, Illinois, before ultimately moving to the Salt Lake Valley in what later came to be known as Utah.

The Church did not leave Pittsburgh (which was then a small town with a population of around 15,000) untouched in its earliest years.  A number of prominent early missionaries of the Church served in the area in the 1830s, including Hyrum Smith, Samuel H. Smith, William Smith, Orson Pratt, Jedediah M. Grant, Brigham Young, and Erastus Snow.  In addition, one of the original members of the First Presidency, Sidney Rigdon, was a native of the town now known as Library.

A branch of the Church existed in Pittsburgh from 1830 until approximately 1840.  The branch had 169 members and 7 elders in its membership during that period; there were 830 members and 29 elders in all of Pennsylvania.  The area was within the boundaries of what was later known as the Eastern States Mission, which was headquartered in New York City and held semiannual conferences in Philadelphia for a few years in the early 1840s.

In time, however, the severe persecution that the Church faced in Missouri and Illinois, as well as the difficulty of communicating across long distances and the Church’s center moving to Utah, led to most of its members who lived east of the Mississippi River migrating to the Salt Lake Valley.  Missionaries were withdrawn from the East in 1857, and the Civil War (1861-1865) put a damper on Church activity in both the North and South.

The book From These Hills and Valleys notes that “Church records pertaining to growth and activity for this area are practically non-existent from 1840 until approximately 1885.” However, there was at least one branch in the area in 1885.

For organizational purposes, the modern history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in southwestern Pennsylvania is considered to have begun in 1886, when a conference was convened at the New England Branch (near the present-day location of the Pittsburgh Second Ward) on May 16-17.  The members of the branch had asked to be re-baptized into the Church the year before.

This is how the Church began here, but there’s so much more to tell beyond this.  Until next time . . . 

Respectfully submitted,

Rush David

Pittsburgh Stake Historian 

Welcome to the Historian's Corner!

Hello, friends. My name is Rush David, and I am the Stake Historian for the Pittsburgh Stake. As part of my calling, I have been asked to contribute one post per month to this blog regarding the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints here in southwestern Pennsylvania.

Initially, most of my posts will feature stories and pictures that first appeared in From These Hills and Valleys, a book about the history of the Church in this area that was published in 1986 as part of the centennial celebration of the Church’s presence here. I have only been Stake Historian for six months, so I have not accumulated a great deal of information concerning the Church’s local history. In time, however, I intend to present more recent historical information about the Church in this area.

My goal in doing all of this is to help you get a better sense of where the Church has come from, how it has gotten to where it is now, and where it may conceivably be going in the future. I am grateful for all of you who will be coming with me on this journey through the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints here in southwestern Pennsylvania.

Until next time . . .

Respectfully submitted,

Rush David
Pittsburgh Stake Historian