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While the Academy took care
of the educational needs
of our community, the Union Sunday School provided the spiritual needs.
Before there were enough people to support separate congregations, the
Union Sunday School filled the void. It was started by the American Sunday
School Union of Philadelphia, and from 1861 to 1915, it
provided a place for non-sectarian
worship. At last, the Trustees allowed
the Sunday School to meet at the
Academy, since the purpose of both
institutions was to educate and enlighten the youths of the community.
Two of the headmasters of the
Academy, Clifford Levering and Israel
Irwin, served as Superintendents of the
Sunday School.
Around 1876, at the conclusion of the Centennial Exhibition in
Fairmount Park, several of the houses
that were constructed by the different
states were available. Several members of the Sunday School, including
Israel and his son Hervey Irwin, went
to dismantle a house, returned to Bala
Cynwyd to reassemble it, and used it
as the Union Sunday School. The
building sat near the Academy, approximately where the bus circle and
the front entrance to Bala-Cynwyd
Middle School meet.
The Union Sunday School
was the center of social activity in the
community: strawberry festivals,
oyster suppers, picnics, a speaker on
Anniversary Sunday.
Some families, such as the
Irwins, were very involved in the
Sunday School. Israel was Superintendent; Hervey and his wife, along with
Aunt Cora, taught classes; Aunt Della
played organ; and Evelyn and Florence,
Hervey's daughters, attended classes.
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