Home > Lehigh Valley News > Breaking NewsFire in historic Welsh church in LansfordThe Morning Call6:43 a.m. EDT, August 31, 2009Firefighters in Carbon County are on the scene of a working fire in an historic church in Lansford this morning.The fire was reported around 5:05 a.m. in the old Welsh Congregational Church in the 200 block of W. Abbott Street at Pine Street.Fire companies from Lansford, Summit Hill, Tamaqua, Nesquehoning and Coaldale are on scene, the Carbon County Communications Center said. Initial reports indicate damage may have been contained to the interior and is under control, but fire crews are expected to remain on scene for several hours. Most streets in the area of the church are blocked with fire equipment.It is the oldest Welsh church in the region, founded by coal miners who settled in the Ashton section of Lansford in the 1800s. The church has not been used for services since the 1930s, but it is considered one of the Panther Valley's historic treasures. It was restored in the 1980s and received a state historical marker in the 1990s.The building, constructed with land and lumber donated by Lehigh Coal & Navigation Co., was dedicated Dec. 26, 1850 as the Old Welsh Church. It became the First Congregational Church of Ashton in 1854 and later the English Congregational Church of Lansford to reflect a change from Welsh to English language services.The Welsh Congregational Church Preservation Society re-dedicated the church in 1985 following the restoration, which was completed by the return of the original lectern and altar chair. - Reporting by Tracy Jordan, The Morning Call*The Morning Call, 101 North Sixth Street, Allentown, PA 18101