by Geoff Fox
Prepare to step back in history as the Friends of Tonoloway Primitive Baptist Church present a fictional service from the mid-1800s.
On Sunday, September 28, at 2 p.m., the church will hold a fictional 1850 church service at the historic church in Needmore.
The service focuses on how citizens of the newly formed Fulton County may have learned of the news had they attended church on Sunday, April 21, 1850. 
The service will be conducted by Rev. John H. Nelson who is a member of the board of directors of Tonoloway Primitive Baptist Church.
Nelson is well versed in the history of Fulton County and has written over 20 books.
He is also a past-president of the Fulton County Historical Society and is currently a director.
In his service, Nelson has put together a church service reminiscent of 1850 and incorporates some of the details surrounding the formation of the new county and promises a service on the healing powers of God but with a historical twist.
The church, located at 571 Thompson Road in Needmore, was built in 1802 on the site of an earlier log church. One of the earliest ministers was Rev. Joseph Powel who served as a delegate to the Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention in 1787.
During the Civil War, the church served as a hospital for sick and wounded Federal soldiers following the bombardment of Hancock by Confederate General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson in 1862. The sick and wounded soldiers wrote their names and other inscriptions on the walls of the church and are still visible today.
On November 1, Nelson will give a lecture on the history of the French and Indian War private fort known as Coombe’s Fort, which stood just north of Hancock.
In addition, there will be an official dedication of the new Coombe’s Fort historical marker and side panels.
The lecture will be held at 1 p.m. at the Warfordsburg Senior Center, located at 209 Long Hollow Road.
