rachelh@myweeklysentinel.com
ROARING BRANCH — Michael Roan of Williamsport will be auctioning off the Roaring Branch United Methodist Church and all its contents on Saturday, May 7, at 2 p.m.
The church is to be sold at $20,000 or more and its square footage consists of: a sanctuary and social hall, kitchen, bathrooms, 14 leaded stained glass windows, public water, a parking lot, more than an acre of corner parcel and OGM rights.
The property is adjacent to Loyalsock State Forest and the Lycoming Creek. The property is located across from the Roaring Branch Post Office.
Roaring Branch UMC history
The present Roaring Branch United Methodist Church originated in a class organized in 1870. It consisted of about 20 members with 60 members in the Sunday School. It was known as the Methodist Episcopal Church of Roaring Branch until the union in 1968 with The Evangelical United Methodist Church into the new United Methodist Church.
The Ralston charge circuit was founded in 1873 and the Roaring Branch Methodist Episcopal Church was transferred to the Ralston Circuit in 1876.
Prior to building of the present Church, it is thought that the congregation held their meetings in the school house or in the various homes. From the minutes of the first trustee meeting July 7,1881; Dr. O. C. Cole was elected president, T. P. Rockwell was elected secretary, and Charles S. Green was elected treasurer. Other trustee members included Thomas DeCoursey, A. E. Browning, and William Huntington.
Plan No. 4A listed in the catalogue of architecture Board of Church Extension M.E. Church dated 1881 published by Charles A. Dixon printing house was adopted. The size of the building to be 28 feet by 52 feet with two wings, the ground floor resembling a Cross.
The building committee was elected by the Quarterly Conference held at Mclntyre on June 17,1881 consisted of Charles S. Green, John A Innes and L. L. Washburn. They were authorized to build the church according to the plan in their hands, and to raise by mortgage the sum needed at not more than six percent interest.
The property where the present building stands was purchased for 1 dollar. A receipt was acknowledged to secure the deed.
The day of the auction, Roan and his helper Scott Jones will register participants with their $5,000 fee for bidding. Questions about the property will be answered before the bidding begins. Bidding will take place after, with breaks, depending on how intense the bidding is. Roan says the overall process takes about 15 minutes.
“People were raised here, baptized here, joined the church here and may even joined (organizations such as) Boy Scouts here,” said Roan, noting the importance of the property. “It’s a sad thing (to sell the church), but it’s better to move a piece of real estate quickly rather than let it sit for a year.”
Roan has been a realtor since 1980 and has lived in the area his whole life. Since then, he has sold more than 460 homes, 14,285 acres, 94 commercial properties, 87 farms, 10 churches, 3 quarries and 11 schools. His sale total more than $91,000,000 and he has sold in three states: Pennsylvania, Virginia and Florida. He got into the trade from helping a former landlord during his college days. He graduated from Williamsport Area High School, Erie Business Center and Edinboro University. He has a degree in business administration/sale and marketing and a bachelor of arts degree in business economics. Roan resides in Loyalsock Township with his wife and four children.
Roan will hold two other local auctions. The first auction will be on Thursday, April 28, at 6 p.m. in the White Deer Valley (1315-1319 Eighth Street Drive, Cronrath Road, Watsontown), with more than 39 acres as well as a 17,178 square footage building to sell.
The second auction will take place on Saturday, May 14, at 401 Skyline Drive and 29 Todd Avenue in Uniondale at 2 p.m. With this property, comes two buildings.
Roan Real Estate specializes in land and farms. For more information, or to see this property, contact Roan at 570-419-0380 or email him at michaeltroanrealestate@gmail.com or visit his website at www.roanrealestate.com for more specific details about the property. Official address for the property is 3 Canton Street, Roaring Branch, PA 17765.