I was about three years old when we moved to Littlestown. Mom and Dad started us in Sunday school and church at the "Methodist Church". I don't think it was, at that time, called Centenary. Now, I am one of the oldest members of this church.

I do remember a lot of older members, from when I was a little girl. Mr. and Mrs. Tagg owned a little grocery store, on S Queen street, and while in church, they always gave us pink peppermint candies, so that we would be quiet. Then there were Miss Emma Forest, Miss Annie Forest, their brother and Mrs. Strain. They all lived together in a house on North Queen street. Miss Annie had been a missionary, in her younger days, in China. She told so many stories about her living and being a missionary in China. I remember her telling about all the snakes they had there, and how they worshiped them. She said they were everywhere and you couldn't step out of the door for the snakes. But, you did not kill them. At first she had to overcome her fear of the snakes before she could work with the people. I'll always remember what Miss Annie used to say, that if we can sing and be so happy here on Earth, then Heaven must certainly be a most wonderful place. Then, I remember the little hat store that Mrs. Strain had on the corner of West King street across from the five & ten, which is now an antique shop. She played the organ every Sunday and we always said that she wore a different hat each time. She always dressed nice and had hats to match all of her clothes. Mom took us to the "women's society" meetings that were held in different members' homes. We got to know a lot of the members there, as well as at church and Sunday school.

When I graduated from high school, Miss Annie and Miss Emma gave me a scarf, made in China, out of Miss Annie's missionary chest. It even had some stamping of Chinese on the edge. I'm seventy-one years old now, and still have the scarf. I believe we can still see the Forest name on at least one of the small, stained-glass windows in the church which were donated by them.

My Dad and Leroy Wallick, a neighbor and fellow member, put the first electric lights, also the first overhead lights of any kind, in the church. Also Dad and Leroy dug out for and installed the first furnace that the church ever had. I remember the big register that used to be in the very center of the church floor. I remember Dad telling us, while they were digging for the furnace, that they found many human bones. They say it was an old Native American burial ground, but, I don't know if that was true or not. When Dad and Leroy finished remodeling the church, (perhaps there were others that helped too, I don't remember), my Dad's Grandma donated two lithographs (pictures), from her home, to our church. One was of Jesus calming the tempest, and the other, which, as far as I know, is still hanging in the church, was of the Last Supper. I checked into the whereabouts of these pictures about twenty years ago, and the calming of the tempest was no longer used. Mary Byers helped in the search and found it in the basement of the hall, usually the last stop before being thrown out, severely water-damaged and with it's frame in terrible condition. She said, "they will probably never bother with it again. I took the picture and had it retouched and put in a new frame and matt.
It still has some spotting, that will always be there, but I have it hanging in my living room today. If the Last Supper picture is ever to be discarded I would hope that I would be notified because of the sentimental value.
One time we had missionaries come, to our church, from all different places and of all nationalities. They put on short plays. One I remember was, "Ten Nights In A Barroom." It was about a father that drank and how his little girl's accident turned him into a Christian. Different families gave these people a place to sleep and stay for several nights, while they were putting on the plays. Mom and Dad had two of them to stay with us; one was a Jewish man, who played our piano, one evening, for hours, while we sang hymns, the other was a Native American.

I remember, when I was about eight years of age, Mom dressed my sister, June and I up as the Gold Dust Twins, (an advertisement) for a Halloween social at the hall. We were two little black girls, dressed alike, with black hair and black faces. June had dark brown eyes but, really, mine were light blue. But, anyhow, we won first prize.

I always had little poems, and such, to say for Christmas and Easter. One year I got up to say a long piece of poetry ,that Mom had taught me, and I said the last years'. I didn't think of it until I had gotten to the last line. Then I stopped and remembered. I began to say the new one ,all the way through. How dumb I was. No one would have noticed, but, being a kidd. I goofed. I went back to Mom and Dad, put my face in Mom's lap and cried. Of course, no one could hear me because I cried quietly. We were never to let anyone hear children talking or crying in church. We knew better. It was God's house, and we were to sit there quietly.

I continued to grow up in Centenary Methodist church and, when a teen, started, with lots of help from my minister and boyfriend, (later my husband) formed the youth fellowship. I was married at the church by the Reverend Robert Sheehan. We were the first couple for whom he had ever performed a wedding ceremony, being only an ordained minister for a few weeks. Twenty-five years later he and his wife attended our silver anniversary party. Both of my children were baptized in this church. My husband died in 1971 and was buried by the Reverend Barry Murr, the pastor at that time. I have not attended for the past ten years or so, but, am still a member and would like to get back to attending. At the time I stopped, Barry Deutsch had left and I was suffering from foot problems. I have neglected starting back to church regularly.

Also did you know for a time our hall was used as a Bowling Alley & I think for some time as a Sewing factory. I remember going there to Bowl when I was a young teen.