The publication is reproduced in full below:
CELEBRATING 250 YEARS OF THE LAUREL HILL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
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HON. GUY RESCHENTHALER
of pennsylvania
in the house of representatives
Friday, August 12, 2022
Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and congratulate its congregation for 250 years of service to God and their community in southwestern Pennsylvania.
The Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church was built in 1772 by Scotch-Irish immigrants, and the original log structure was the first Presbyterian Church west of the Allegheny Mountains. The church was rebuilt in 1782, 1852, and 1898 as the congregation grew. Where the church once featured beeswax-coated windows, its sanctuary is now home to 110-year-old English stained-glass windows and an ornate chimney.
In 2012, Pittsburgh's Heinz History Center featured the Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church for its profound influence on southwestern Pennsylvania. During the 19th and 20th centuries, the church funded the Laurel Hill Academy. William A. Clark attended this private school and later became a United States Senator from Montana.
The church's cemetery serves as a testament to the history of the region and our Nation. The 7-acre burial ground is the final resting place for veterans of the French and Indian War, with several graves belonging to Native Americans. Other headstones mark the resting places of those who joined the fight for independence during the American Revolution. The Laurel Hill Cemetery is also home to Americans who fought to preserve our Union during the Civil War. The headstones of these veterans serve as a reminder of the struggles that strengthened our great Nation.
Madam Speaker, the story of the Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church is uniquely American. The church has stood as a testament to its faith for 250 years, and I look forward to what the next chapter has in store for its congregation and community.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 135(1), Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 135(2)
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