History
Old Leacock Presbyterian Church located along route 340, one mile west of the village of Intercourse in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is a model of early Presbyterian edifices located in this section of the Commonwealth. Its history can be traced to early settlers of Scotch and Irish ancestry who fled to this country to escape the religious persecutions of Charles II of England.
The original place of worship for these people, determined by the hierarchy of the Presbytery in 1724, was the Pequea Presbyterian Church, locate some ten miles to the Northeast. The hardships of traveling to the location resulted in request from these “people of the West end” seeking permission from the Presbytery, the Synod, and the General Assembly to construct a building and develop a separate congregation. After a delay of two years permission was granted. The date was 1740.
The original log church was built on land that had been the property of John Vernor. Within a decade another church member, John McCausland , while visiting Ireland, recruited twelve young craftsmen to come to Lancaster County. They built the stone structure which has come to be known as Old Leacock Presbyterian Church.
The stone walls have remained essentially untouched from then until now. Human accessions to the period in which they lived resulted in modifications which became visible when the white stucco was removed from the exterior walls in 1981. The interior of the church was renovated in 1903 and in 1964.
Services
Each Summer, Sunday Worship services are held at Old Leacock, Sunday mornings at 8:00 A.M., starting in June through the first Sunday in September. Hymn Sings are held the first Sunday Evening of each month during the same time period. A Christmas Eve service as well as a Thanksgiving Eve service are held at Old Leacock as well.
