hen the initial services of what would become First United Methodist Church were held in Tamaqua, Hunter Street was full of stumps and East Broad Street was a swamp.

Streets like Orwigsburg, Penn and Spruce were laid out, but there were only a handful of homes.

Wealthy families’ residences dotted Pine Street, and coal miners stayed in company homes built by the Little Schuylkill Company.

It was a growing town, and one frequently visited by a Methodist minister named Rev. Joseph Chattell.

On his mission trips, Chattell would visit homes to preach.

He delivered his first Tamaqua sermon in 1832 - and 190 years later, members of First United Methodist Church continue to worship together.

“It started in homes, and then there was a smaller church,” said Patricia “Patti” (Eisenberg) Rarick, chairwoman of the church’s board of directors.

The congregation recently celebrated the 190th anniversary with a special service.

“It is a traditional church with all the beauty in it,” said the Rev. Debora Forney, the church’s pastor.

“It is also a very friendly church,” added Rarick, who has been a member for 64 years.

The church, at 124 W. Broad St., was the setting for her baptism, confirmation and marriage.

And it’s also the place where another longtime member, state Sen. David G. Argall, recalled a teenage memory of climbing the bell tower with other members of the church youth group.

Marilyn Felsoci, a 56-year member, remembered holiday services so well attended that chairs would have to be set up next to pews.

Records note that the congregation began gathering at the site as early as 1837. Tamaqua borough purchased land there and built a two-story building for the borough, school and any religious groups.

Several congregations worshipped there. But in 1846, First United Methodist decided to purchase it. Its congregation was growing and there wasn’t enough seats for all attendees.

“Since many of these were young men, ‘the most important portion of every community,’ it was deemed necessary to provide sufficient places for worship so that they would not begin spending their Sundays in other places ‘too far from the moral and manly’,” according to church records.

The new church cost $6,000. Church and community members pledged $4,400 toward construction costs. Donations ranged from 25 cents to $1,000.

The new church - which still stands - opened its doors in 1852.

“One of the favorite ways of raising money for the church was to hire a speaker to speak on some topic of the day. One such talk was by a pastor on ‘The Romance of Cavalry Life,’” according to the church records.

The congregation continued to grow, and improvements were made. In 1876, the church added a bell to its tower and installed a massive stained glass window in the back of the church, facing West Broad Street.

Smaller stained glass windows bearing the names of early members line the sides of the sanctuary.

“We had a lot of doctors and undertakers and school teachers who were members here. We had a lot of very wealthy people who for years belonged here,” Rarick said.

The church acquired a large painting from Salem United Methodist Church in Tamaqua, following a 2010 merger of the churches. It hangs above the altar.

“It was the centerpiece of that church,” said Rarick’s husband, Jack, who belonged to Salem.

Forney, who also heads a Methodist congregation in Audenried, was appointed minister in 2021.

“It’s just a traditional church with a lot of beauty in it. It’s just so beautiful, I don’t know how to describe it,” Forney said. “It’s also so rich in history.”

Rarick has many fond memories.

She recalled how seating would be available for 120 people during Holy Thursday services.

“You still had people standing in the back,” she said.

At one time, the church had a multi-class Sunday school, multiple choirs and a Methodist Youth Fellowship.

Argall, who heads the staff parish relations committee, belonged to the youth fellowship.

“We had a very large youth group with 20, 30, 40 kids from all over the area. They weren’t just from our church,” Argall said.

The group did service projects for the church, visited local nursing homes, organized Easter sunrise services, and went on trips to New York City and Washington, D.C.

“My very first trip to the Capitol in Washington was with the youth group. My parents didn’t like to drive in the city. So it wasn’t a school trip, it wasn’t a family trip - the church youth group got me to Washington for the very first time,” Argall said.

There was also much time for fun, he remembered. New members - who were in the sixth grade - were taken into the church attic and told to kiss a brick.

“Many of them refused - and we were kind of bummed out,” Argall laughed.

There were even a few teen members brave enough to climb high into the church’s belfry.

“Now remember this is an 1852 belfry so that’s pretty spooky,” Argall said.

Rarick recalled the beautiful Christmas decorations and tree that members would take pride in setting up year after year.

“We were known for our Christmas decorations,” she said.

United Methodist also had a big following each Lenten season, Rarick said.

The Methodist church was known for its cod fish cakes for years,” she said. “We were noted for that. We’d make thousands of them.”

“We would make cod fish cakes and pickled cabbage. People call to this day to ask for them,” Felsoci said.

Felsoci originally attended a Congregational church in Coaldale with her family but when her father passed away, she needed to get her mother to services.

“I was a nurse and I worked on weekends, so my girlfriend who lived across the street said she would take her to her church (First United Methodist),” Felsoci said.

Felsoci would soon join.

She remembered organizing a Welsh songfest each year around St. David’s Day in March.

“It originated at the (Welsh) Congregational church in Lansford and it ended up in our church,” Felsoci said. “It was to keep the Welsh heritage up. We had 14 to 16 churches involved - Catholic, Protestant. The music was beautiful.”

As is the case with many places of worship, membership has dwindled. It has about 100 members on its rolls, and about a quarter of them are active.

The church welcomes everyone to its 11:15 a.m. Sunday services. The church is handicapped accessible and has a ramp and an elevator.

Members of the church’s board of directors also include Ruth Betz, vice chairwoman, Bobbie Coccio, secretary; Frances Zukovich, financial secretary; Debbie Emeras, treasurer; and Lois Fulmer, Marilyn Felsoci, and Randy Gormley, trustees.