1881-1890
By 1885, the congregation was confident enough of its own future to undertake a building program. In June, the old stone church which had stood on the acre of ground deeded by Dr. Philip Ebert since 1844 was torn down, and on August 2, the cornerstone of a new church building was laid. It was laid at 10:00 a.m. that Sunday. The current Reverend H. F. Long was assisted at the cornerstone laying by the Reverend A. H. F. Fischer.
It is reported that under the cornerstone the following items were deposited: a Bible, a sketch of the Churches between the Mountains, the Book of Worship of the Lutheran Church, a copy of the Duncannon Record and six county papers, a Grand Army paper with a copy of the Philadelphia Press and Philadelphia Times, dated July 23 and 24, which gave full accounts of the death of General Ulysses S. Grant. The names of the contributors of the erection of the church were also deposited in the stone. The articles were all enclosed carefully in a tin box which was, in turn, encased in the stone. The cornerstone was prepared by A.T. Shupe, proprietor of the Keystone Marble Works, and was donated by him to the congregation for this purpose.
The new church was to be 34’ x 55’ and was to cost about $2,500. Work continued on the building through the summer and fall. The result of the work was the nucleus of the present church building.
On November 29, 1885, the dedication of the new church building was held. The end result was a building that was 34’ x 62’, including a vestibule, built in Gothic style at a cost of $3,000. On Sunday, December 27, 1885, the congregation held its first communion service in the new church building.