Milton Loyer, Conference Archivist
January – 100 years ago
United Brethren pastor Rev. Zephaniah Colestock died January 19, 1924, just 2 months shy of his 100th birthday. Born in Littlestown PA in 1824, he served the Church for 66 years (including 4 terms as district superintendent) before retiring in 1912. He is most remembered for giving his house in Mechanicsburg to the Pennsylvania Conference in 1893 to become the Colestock Old People’s Home – the first such benevolent institution in the entire United Brethren denomination. Now a private residence, that Marble Street building, immediately east of the town cemetery, is an official historic site of the Conference and the United Methodist Church. It was used until 1915 when the guests (including Colestock himself) were transferred to the newly acquired facilities at Quincy. Colestock is remembered today as the namesake of the Colestock Health Center at Quincy Village and by a stained glass window in the sanctuary at First UMC in Mechanicsburg. His grave in the Mechanicsburg cemetery is marked by a tall obelisk within sight of his former home.
February – 50 years ago
The February 1974 edition of THE LINK announced a new technological breakthrough for the Central Pennsylvania Conference: “Due to the installation of a telephone-answering machine, you are able to call the Conference Program Office at any time and get your message through. Regular office hours Monday through Friday are 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. If you desire to call at any other time, no matter what the hour of the night – or weekend – please do so. Leave any message you wish and your request will be heard and answered at the beginning of the next working day. Please do not hesitate to use this newly added convenience. It is with you in mind that this service has been created and made possible.”
That same issue encouraged participation in the Harrisburg Audio-Visual Institute featuring such state-of-the-art sessions as “How to use projected audio-visuals with Youth.”
