1971: DISASTER IN MERCERVILLE: UNION METHODIST CHURCH EXPLOSION

 

I remember this disaster quite well. I had just passed the area on Quaker Bridge Road perhaps a half hour prior to the explosion as I was on my way to my New Brunswick office. One of my work mates was Al Tobias who lived on Holt Avenue, mere streets away from the explosion. It was the talk of the town way back there 42 years ago. How time has flown; it seems like just a few years ago. The church was rebuilt in the beautiful edifice on Paxon Avenue off Edinburg Road.

1971: How Well I Remember This BLACK Morning!

I was on my daily commute to New Brunswick when this disaster happened. For some reason, I opted to go via Quaker Bridge Road rather than my normal Route 130 route. When I reached five points, all was chaos. I detoured and seeing all the police and fire activity, tuned my radio and waited for the news. The rest is history. That devestating explosion was heard far and wide and but for the grace of God, there were no fatalities. This is another of those "Do you remember where you were when the Union Methodist Church exploded?" I do.

1959: Mercerville's United Methodist Church

Here are the lovely young ladies from the Brownie Scouts as the partipate in "Fly Up" exercises in the church which was once located on Quaker Bridge Road. You will recall that the church was destroyed in a massive explosion back in the 1960's. (?) The replacement church is now on Paxon Avenue right off of Edinburg Road.

1959: MERCERVILLE UNION METHODIST CHURCH GIRL SCOUTS

The Union Methodist Church of Mercerville was demolished in a gas explosion. As I recall it was back in the 1980's when I was commuting daily to New Brunswick.

Once again, thanks to my history-genealogy expert (and he really is), Alan Wildblood for advising me that the church was known as "Union Methodist Church," not "United M.E. Church" as I erroneously posted.