The Bell Tower @ Trinity United Methodist Church - Merchantville, NJ - Bell Towers on Waymarking.com

This tower rise high above the church, off to the left. There are narrow slits on the way up so as you ascend the staircase you can peer out. At the housing area there are four, elongated arched windows, 2 X 2. The tippy-top looks like a castle, each corner has a little peak rising above the parapet.

The cornerstone reads 1894 confirming this as a hundred year old church. The cornerstone is located in front of the church, way on the right side, to the right of an entrance, about four feet off the ground. The church is gorgeous. There is a historic marker located to the right of the main entrances, about eye level which makes this an historic Methodist Church site.

I found a really neat book which talks about this town and specifically this church. The book was written in 1899. The book is called History of Merchantville, Camden County, N.J. and was written by Francis F. Eastlack. The book can be found HERE. Some of the following information I gleaned from this source.

At the turn of the last century this church was called Old Trinity. For a time, this was the only church around for miles, of any denomination. Originally this was called Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church and was incorporated March 11, 1865. They had another church whose cornerstone was laid the third Saturday in October 1865. The present granite structure was finished and dedicated on May 9, 1894.

Sadly and frustratingly, this historic church has neglected to create a website for themselves. Every other church in town has a website. If they do have a website, they have done their best to keep it a secret. All history from Mr. Eastlack's Book to the present would appear to be lost due to the neglect of the church.

Address
36 W. Maple Avenue
Merchantville, NJ 08109