Clifford Township

Churches: Welsh Hill Congregational Church located on T460 Elkdale Baptist Church (West Clifford Baptist) located on Rt. 2014, off Rt.106 Clifford United Methodist Church located on Rt. 106 St. Pius X Catholic Church located on Rt. 106 in Royal Clifford Baptist Church located on Rt. 2012 Lake Idlewild Wesleyan Evangelical Church located on Rt. 2067 Elkdale Old Baptist Church (vacant building) located on Rt. 2027 Dundaff St. John's Russian Orthodox Church located on Rt. 2027 Dundaff St. James Episcopal Church located on Rt. 247 *STOCKER'S HISTORY (1887) The First Regular Baptist Church of Clifford. Early Baptist meetings were held starting in the fall of 1802 in the cabin of Amos Harding and in the forests in the summer season following. Meetings continued to be held until the church was constituted Oct. 20, 1817. The years leading to 1830 saw a decline until Charles Miller took over and a meetinghouse was built that year. The meetinghouse was enlarged in 1881 and consecrated in 1882 It was incorporated April 21, 1841. The Clifford Methodist Episcopal Church was dedicated on the 22nd of November 1882. The first meetings were held in the Baptist Church, but after 1852 in the Union Church of Clifford. The First Universalist Church of Clifford was incorporated April 13, 1876. The Union Church of Clifford was built in 1852 and the Methodists, Adventists and Universalists used it. The board of the First Universalist Church controlled the church. In 1887 it was not much used and in a sad state of repair. The Welsh Congregation of Clifford Township &endash; became an incorporated body April 12, 1869 but the congregation was organized as early as 1834. The meetings were held in the house of Zachariah Jenkins, on Cambria Hill, on which the first church edifice was built in 1839. In the summer of 1854 a new structure was raised on an adjoining lot. In 1887 a lecture room and tower were planned. The Clifford Seventh-Day Baptist Church was organized about 1832 and missionaries preached services. Awakened interest produced a small meetinghouse in 1857, which was enlarged later. In 1887 it was the only one of this denomination in the county. The Elkdale Baptist Church was organized July 25, 1851 as the "Union Regular Baptist Church of East Clifford" and bore that name until 1886, when the above title was adopted. The Second Clifford Baptist Church was organized on the west slope of Elk Hill Dec. 8, 1841. Meetings were held in the Brundage schoolhouse. On the first of December 1850, the church was dissolved. The West Clifford Evangelical Church was organized later and a church was built in 1880. Churches in the borough of Forest City Centennial United Methodist Church located at 631 Main St. Christ's Episcopal Church located at 700 Delaware St. First Presbyterian Church located on Main St. Forest City United Methodist Church located at 61 Dundaff St. Sacred Heart of Jesus located at 612 Hudson St. St. Michael the Archangel located at 701 Delaware St. St. Agnes Catholic Church located at 7l5 Delaware St. St. Joseph's Slovenian Church located at 471 Delaware St. St. John Byzantine Church located at 306 Susquehanna St. St. Anthony located at 612 Lackawanna St.   The following is taken from Highlights of Forest City Borough History, 1938 The first church to be erected in Forest City was the Methodist Episcopal, incorp. Jan.17, 1885 and dedicated Nov. 17, 1886. Further improvements were made in 1906. The Welsh Congregational Church parishioners met in 1883 in the old school and next Higgins Hall. The church was erected in 1892 The first Catholic parish was St. Agnes, started in 1888 and completed and dedicated on September 18, 1892. This church was destroyed by fire December 27, 1917 and on March 30, 1919 the edifice was dedicated. The Baptist church was started in 1888; the corner stone was laid Jan. 24, 1889 and the dedication took place January 15, 1895. Ground was broken for the Christ Episcopal Church on Aug. 6, 1891. The cornerstone was laid on Sept. 18, 1891 and the first services were held in the church on June 5, 1892. The second Catholic parish (Lithuanian) to be formed in the Borough was that of St. Anthony's on Aug. 16, 1894. Ground was broken Sept. 3, 1894 and the church was destroyed by fire on Feb. 21, 1899. A new edifice was started June 22, 1899, and the cornerstone laying and dedication of the bells took place Nov. 22, 1899. The church was dedicated Oct. 8, 1905. June 26, 1896 marked the dedication of the Presbyterian Church but as early as Nov. 9, 1890 a Presbyterian missionary preached a sermon in the Maxey Hall, and on Feb. 4, 1891 the First Presbyterian Church of Forest City was constituted and a church was started in the spring of 1894. November 11, 1897 St. John's Greek Catholic Church was started and the cornerstone laid Dec. 19, 1897. St. Joseph's Slovenian Church was started on May 19, 1904 with a groundbreaking; the cornerstone laying service was held on Aug. 4, 1904. The dedication of the church took place March 19, 1905. The Sacred Heart Congregation was started Oct. 13, 1904 and the temporary chapel was destroyed by fire on Feb. 17, 1905. The dedication of the new church took place on May 30, 1908 St. Michaels Slovak Church was organized in 1913 and soon after they purchased the Baptist Church on Jan. 5, 1914. On July 4, 1917 St. Michaels cornerstone was laid and the dedication also took place at that time.   Cemeteries: Burdick Cemetery, Rt. 2012E of Elkdale Chamberlin Cemetery, West Clifford Clifford Valley (Village of Clifford), Rt. 106 Dundaff Cemetery (Village of Dundaff), Rt. 247 Two cemeteries, one north and one south of Dundaff Elkdale Baptist, Rt. 2027 Hillside Cemetery, Susquehanna St., Forest City Borough Sacred Heart Cemetery, Susquehanna St., Forest City Borough St. Agnes Cemetery, Susquehanna St., Forest City Borough St. Anthony Cemetery, Rt. 247W, Forest City Borough St. John Cemetery, Rt. 247W, Forest City Borough St. Joseph Cemetery, Susquehanna St., Forest City Borough Stevens Family, Rt. 106W, near Lenox Twp. line Welsh Hill Cemetery, at Welsh Hill Cong. Church, West Clifford, T460, off 374 Westgate Cemetery, Rt. 2023N Willow View (Village of Clifford), Rt. 2050, off 106

Building and Geographic Information According to the 1872 Beers' Atlas of Susquehanna County. To obtain copies of maps e-mail us for details. BLACK SMITH SHOPS- (2) City Dist.; (2) Town of Clifford Corners (one for Wm. Lott) CREEKS/BROOKS - East Branch Creek - Clifford Corners Dist., Hoover Dist., City Dist., Burns Dist.; Bear Brook - Jenkins Dist. GRIST MILLS - City Dist. HOTELS -  Clifford Hotel - Town of Clifford Corners (Roberts Bros.); Crystal Lake Hotel - Burch Dist.; Lonsdale Ho. - Lonsdale Dist. LAKES -  Crystal Lake - Burch Dist. & Luzerne Co. line PONDS - Long Pond - Jenkins Dist.; Mud Pond - Jenkins Dist.; Round Pond - Jenkins Dist. POST OFFICES - Town of Clifford Corners (P.O. & Store) SAW MILLS (S.M. or S. MILL) - Collar Road Dist.; (2) Clifford (one for M. I. Pierce) Dist.; (2) City Dist.; Burdick Dist. SCHOOLS - Jenkins Dist.; Marsh Dist.; Collar Road Dist.; Hoover Dist.; City Dist.; Burns Dist.; Burdick Dist.; Burch Dist.; Lonsdale Dist.; Town of Clifford Corners STORES - (2) Town of Clifford Corners (S. Sh. & Store - J. N. Baker; P. O. & Store); Lonsdale Dist. Others: Cab Sh., Town of Clifford Corners (B. F. Wells) Carp. Sh., Clifford Corners Dist. Cider Mill, Burns Dist. & Clifford Corners Dist. Corderoy Bridge, Truesdale Dist. Elk Mountain, Collar Road Dist. Lackawanna River, Burdick Dist. (East & West Branch) & Burch Dist. Law Office, Collar Road Dist. Millinery Sh., Town of Clifford Corners (Miss P. Stevens) Office, Town of Clifford Corners Railroad / Jefferson Branch of Erie R. R. - Burdick Dist. & Burch Dist. Rock, City Dist. & Herrick Twp. Line Round Hill, Collar Road Dist. S. Sh., Town of Clifford Corners (S. Sh. & Store - J. N. Baker); Jenkins Dist. Scales, Town of Clifford Corners Still Water, Burdick Dist. Store House, Jenkins Dist. Turning Sh., Burns Dist.

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