Caernarvon Township, Lancaster County, is said to be one of the original Townships formed upon the creation of Lancaster County in June of 1729. Caernarvon Township lies in the eastern most part of Lancaster County, adjacent to Berks and Chester Counties. Its 22.5 square miles are bordered on the north by the Black Creek ( a tributary of Muddy Creek), and on the south by the Welsh Mountains. The Conestoga Creek flows westward through the center of the Township. Along its valley, the land is fairly flat and sometimes marshy. Other than the Welsh Mountains, the only hills in the Township are to the North in the Turkey Hill/California area near the State Gamelands. Lancaster's Caernarvon Township borders that point at which the counties of Berks, Chester, and Lancaster meet. There is some disagreement in the published accounts regarding the time of the official establishment of this township. Also, there may have been some degree of early uncertainty between this township and the adjacent township with the same name in Berks County regarding boundaries. However, tax lists make it certain that this township in Lancaster County did exist officially by the 1750's. Settlement within the boundaries of Caernarvon Township commenced about the 1720's if not even slightly earlier. Most of the early families were of the Anglican faith and of Welsh extraction. The first Anglican Church in Lancaster County was established at Churchtown, ( Bangor) about 1733. Most of its members were Welshmen. Churchtown's various inter-related aspects of religious, social, architectural, and economic history. It is generally believed that the congregation of Bangor Episcopal Church is the oldest inland or non-coastal Episcopal congregation in existance today in the United States. Within the Church's burial ground lie soldiers of every war from the French & Indian to World War II. Col. Washington, later General, worshipped her in 1758 with Capt. Jacob Morgan and Lt. Col. Conrad Weiser both of the 1st Battalion, 1st Regiment of the Pennsylvania Militia and later during his winter at Valley Forge. The present building was built in 1830, though not the original stone structure built in 1756 its north, east and west walls contain stones from that first stone church with names of initials of subscribers or donors to the 1756 building fund. Another Church in Caernarvon Township is the Churchtown Methodist whose present building was built in 1879 with the stones being quarried on the sandstone ridge on the north side of the valley by the members free of charge. The Caernarvon Presbyterian Church is the work of, as well as a monument to, Catherine Jenkins, wife of ironmaster Robert Jenkins, of Windsor Forge. This Church was built in 1843 with considerable help from Catherine who established a trust fund for the general maintenance of the Church. Dorothea Dietz, wife of Isaac Dolby Sr, (my own Great Great Grandparents) was baptized at the Bangor Episcopal Church mentioned above and we suspect some of their children were baptized there as well. Jodi Reifsnyder Adrian's family (children and grandchildren of Catherine Dolby wife of Samuel Reifsnyder) operated the stone quarry on Turkey Hill in Caernarvon from where stones for the Methodist Church mentioned were cut. Samuel Reifsnyder made the steps for the church as well as steps and sills for homes around Churchtown.