Ambler Church of the Brethren
- Yen Ho
- May 29
- 3 min read
The Ambler Church of the Brethren was one of the churches in Ambler that originated from Upper Dublin. Before Ambler existed, all the mills, churches, and homes were part of Upper Dublin Township. As Ambler was growing into a thriving town, more people began to move into the borough, creating an opportunity for churches to move to a new location to bring in more membership.
Early History
The church was originally known as the Upper Dublin German Baptist Church, and was founded by John C. Reiff who donated the land for the church and cemetery in Upper Dublin. The church was dedicated on September 14, 1840. The meeting house was measured 27 x 36 feet made of stone. Another prominent founder of the church was Hannah Jones.
Fun Fact # 1: Hannah Jones had a pet parrot that startled worshippers by shrieking, "Hurrah for Polk and Dallas."
There was been some consideration to locate their church to Ambler since there was hardly any members who live in the neighborhood. There was even an option to buy the Methodist church in Ambler, but not everyone agreed to the idea.
Some time during the early 20th century the church was renamed as the Upper Dublin Brethren Church of Ambler when the congregation agreed to relocate to Ambler. In Spring 1917, under the leader of Reverend Henry K. Garman (1884-1955), he appointed a committee to propose building plans for their new church on the lot at the corner of Butler and Rosemont Avenues. They selected local architect Watson K. Phillips to design the ideas.
The church laid their cornerstone on August 20, 1922 for their new church. Ever since then, the church was officially renamed as the Church of the Brethren of Ambler.
"The new church edifice is designed along Gothic lines and will be built of Chestnut Hill stone. An auditorium seating 225 persons will be on the Butler Avenue front. A large Sunday school room will be in the rear of the building. A tower set at an angle will be located at the corner adjacent to the two streets. A Bible class room will be located in the rear over the first floor Sunday school room. A social hall class room for primary, junior and beginners, departments, kitchen, toilet and robing rooms will be placed in the basement. The building will measure 48 by 70 feet."
- Ambler Gazette, August 17, 1922
Bibliography
"Corner Stone To Be Laid." Ambler Gazette. August 17, 1922. Page 1. https://digitalarchives.powerlibrary.org/papd/islandora/object/papd%3Awivp-gazett_6887.
History of the Church of the Brethren of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. (Lancaster: The New Era Printing Company, 1915): 153-162.
Klinge, Frank H. M. Montgomery County 1927 Reading Main Line Vol 1, Plate 29, 1927.
"Messenger." Church of the Brethren 164, no. 10 (2015): 3. https://www.brethren.org/messenger/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/01/Messenger-2015-12.pdf.
Morris, William E, and Smith & Wistar. Map of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania: from original surveys. [Philadelphia: Smith & Wistar, 1849] Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/2012590207/.
Mueller, A. H. Atlas of the North Penn Section of Montgomery County, Pa., Plate 26, 1916.
Philadelphia Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide, v. 32, n. 14 (1917): 229.
Philadelphia Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide, v. 32, n. 31 (1917): 506.
Philadelphia Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide, v. 32, n. 41 (1917): 666.
Quattrone, Frank D. Ambler. (Charleston: Arcadia Publishing, 2004): 50.
"Tavern At Rose Valley." Ambler Gazette. April 13, 1922. Page 2. https://digitalarchives.powerlibrary.org/papd/islandora/object/papd%3Awivp-gazett_11152.
"Whittock's Whitpain." Wissahickon Valley Historical Society. Accessed June 20, 2024. https://www.wvalleyhs.org/whittocks-whitpain/.
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