Fire hits Welsh American church

A watercolour of the Welsh Congregational Church before the fire

A church built in 1850 by Welsh coal miners who settled in the USA has been badly damaged by fire.

Fire crews from two counties dealt with the blaze at the Welsh Congregational Church in Lansford, Pennsylvania, after the blaze broke out last Monday.

The wooden building, said to be the oldest Welsh church in the region, had not been used since the 1930s but was restored in 1985.

Nobody was injured in the fire. Police have begun an investigation.

A state historical marker was placed at the church in 2002 following a campaign by a preservation task force in the area.

Ed Moran, whose great-grandmother was a Morgan from Wales, said: "This is a sad loss. This is the oldest Welsh church in the area."

This is a sad loss. This is the oldest Welsh church in the area Ed Moran

In the late 17th Century, there was a large emigration of Welsh Quakers to Pennsylvania, where a settlement, known as a Welsh Tract, was established.

There are a number of Welsh place names in the area, along with Welsh churches.

Mr Moran said he was proud of his Welsh heritage and dismayed that many of the old Welsh churches in the region are no longer used.

"I was born in Pennsylvania in the coal regions. My grandfather was a miner [and] I grew up listening to exuberant Welsh hymns sung from many churches like the one that burned in Lansford," he said.

"I also attended Gymanfu Ganu and Eisteddfodau (traditional Welsh festivals) here.

"It is sad to see the loss of this beloved landmark, but sadder to know that many of the old Welsh churches, and churches of many denominations, are now vast empty spaces for the most part, due to changing demographics and the waning of ethnic traditions.

"But I welcome the arrival of new immigrants from Latin America, Africa, India, Southeast Asia, who are bringing new, heartfelt traditions here just as our Welsh and Irish ancestors did a century ago. The cycle of faith and memory revives itself."