The original meetinghouse was a log structure. It was built in 1820 and was contained, in part, in the remodeled Union Church of 1842. A subscriptions list for the purpose of this remodeling has survived and states that:

"The roof is to be new shingled, tin spouts added, inside lath and plastered, outside to be roughcast, on the west end an addition to be made to contain the pulpit, communion table and a vestry, the body of the church to be pewed, belfry and bell to be added."

The structural changes amounted to the addition of the square tower and rear wing, and the changing of the shape of the windows.

Mr. Hardman Philips influenced the final design of the remodeled church. The Gothic windows with hand-carved quatrefoils, the crenellated tower with hand-carved finials, and the interior furnishing would be perfectly suitable for an Anglican country church.

The present appearance of the church, both exterior and interior, most accurately represent the work of 1842. There have been no structural changes and the original flooring, pews, window glass, and even the tin wall sconces remain. Only the central tin chandelier is a reproduction. The church bell is a bell saved from one of the first screw factories in the United States, erected by Mr. Hardman Philips in 1821.

The Union Church is an outstanding example of rural American Gothic architecture and has the distinction of being the first regular school-house in Philipsburg and of being an ecumenical Christian church from the very beginning. Today the Union Church is cherished as a key landmark of early settlement and as a monument to the principle of religious tolerance. The Union Church and Burial Ground are both maintained in the very best condition by the Philipsburg Historical Foundation.

The history of the Union Church and Burial Ground begins in 1797 when John George Shultz, an immigrant from Lower Saxony, came to Philipsburg as one of the twelve original settlers. Mr. Shultz received the one town lot and four out-lots which were offered to each original settler as inducement to settle by Mr. Henry Philips. The lot here under consideration was one of Mr. Shultz's out-lots, and this he partially cleared. When the settlers came to need a burial ground, Mr. Shultz permitted them to bury on the lot. Some time after Mr. Hardman Philips came to Philipsburg in 1809, he sought a burial ground and accomplished an exchange of some properties with Mr. Shultz. In 1820 the settlers decided to build a meetinghouse on this land. A paper upon which is written "Subscriptions to Meeting House,” the original subscriptions list, is preserved at the Union Church and begins:

We, the subscribers, wishing to have a house built which will answer the double purpose of a school, and place of worship to be free for religious preachers of the gospel of all denominations do promise to pay William Kinnear and Samuel Turner the respective sums hereunto subscribed by us to be applied by them to this purpose.

Fifty-seven inhabitants subscribed $343.00.

Mr. Hardman Philips deeded the land in trust for this purpose on the 12th of November 1820, according to letters of attorney of March 1 of the same year.

In 1841 repairs to the building were deemed necessary, and a second subscription was begun for the cost of repairs and improvements. The amount subscribed, however, was insufficient; and Mr. Hardman Philips stepped in, both to provide the necessary funds and to oversee the completion of the project. Mr. Philips wished to claim the church as the Protestant Episcopal Church of Philipsburg and had planned it according to the needs and traditions of a Protestant Episcopal congregation. Other citizens, however, objected to Mr. Philips' intentions; and much ill feeling was aroused.

The matter was taken to court; and after a tedious lawsuit, a decision was reached in favor of keeping the church as a Union Church.

The Union Church continued to shelter the services of Episcopalians, Methodists, Presbyterians, and worshippers of other denominations until the early 1920's when the Free Methodists were the last to hold regular services there. In subsequent years the Church served as a museum of Philipsburg heritage, but in 1971 the decision was made to keep the building as a church; and historical exhibits were confined to the vestry.

The cemetery surrounding the church is decidedly integral to it both historically and aesthetically. It was the town cemetery up until 1874 with the earliest grave being December 1819. The cemetery contains a monument to Hardman Philips erected by his widow and a huge tree known as "Founder's Oak" which the School of Forest Resources at The Pennsylvania State University estimated to be 330 years old in 1976, which would make it currently 356 years old. There is one Revolutionary War veteran buried in the cemetery and 13 veterans of the Civil War.

Photo gallery coming soon!