ROGERS CHAPEL. Located in the village of McVille 5 mi. W. of Ford City in Manor Twp. Methodist Episcopal. Pittsburgh Conference. The church grew out of services held in the homes by Robert ROGERS and George VENABLES in the 1850s. The first church was erected on land donated by Stephen FORRESTER in 1861. The present building was erected in 1882. On Dec 18, 1954 the church purchased the one room McVille School across the road and converted it into a parish hall. In 1968 it was part of the Manorsville Charge.

Next south of “Concordance”, on the later of the two last-mentioned maps, is seen the Frederick Razer and A. McCall tract, 313 acres and 104 perches, called “Mount Hope”, the greater part of which was included in Gapen’s survey to John Bell, Jr. Razer’s improvement began in August, 1793, and the patent for which was granted to Razer and McCall, February 6, 1809, who made partition of it between themselves, and McCall conveyed 165 acres of it to Razer, May 23, 1813, and Razer conveyed the remaining 148 acres to McCall, June 21. Razer conveyed 165 acres and 104 perches to John Reamer, June 21, 1813, for $828.12 1/2, which Robert Robinson, sheriff, sold to Samuel S. Harrison on pluries ven. ex., No. 55, March term, 1823, in the common pleas of this county, for #280, which the latter conveyed to Hugh and James Forrester, April 2, 1833, for $500, of which about 50 acres were then cleared, “with a cabin house and cabin barn”. Hugh Forrester conveyed all his interest in these 165 acres to Stephen Forrester, January 8, 1859, for $1,100, and on the same day the widow, administrator and administratrix of James Forrester released to Stephen all their interest therein, to whom it still belongs.

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 Hugh Forrester, late of Bellevue, was born in Scotland, where he received his education, and on reaching manhood he sailed to America, residing two years in Baltimore. In 1826 he came to Allegheny county, via the B. & O. R. R., as far as it was built, walking thence to Pittsburgh, where he soon formed a partnership with his brothers, John, Robert and James, in stone-contracting. A few years later they dissolved partnership, and he, with his brother James, continued the business until the death of the latter, about 1859, when Mr. Forrester took John Megraw into partnership, which continued until the retirement of the former in 1871. Mr. Forrester was one of the heaviest contractors at that time, and constructed many large buildings, among which were St. Andrews church, and the stonework of the first bridge over the Allegheny River, and the old penitentiary. In 1853 he moved to Bellevue and bought twenty acres of land, being the first sold off in town lots. Here he resided until his death, which occurred Dec. 26, 1885, when he was seventy-nine years of age, having amassed a large fortune. He was married, in 1834, to Nancy Ferguson, of Armstrong county, and to them were born six children. She died in 1843, and two years later Mr. Forrester married Mary Rodgers, who bore him ten children, eight of whom are yet living. She died in 1871, and he then married, in 1873, Ellen henry, of Ohio, who now resides on the old homestead at Bellevue. Mr. Forrester was a member of the Sixth U. P. Church of Allegheny; he was well known and highly respected throughout the country.
 

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