Troutville, although small in population, is a historically significant borough in northwest Clearfield County.
Its located along what was once the Great Shamokin Trail. The trail was used by First Nation peoples to make their way both east and west across Pennsylvania. Today, Interstate 80 comprises approximate parts of the trail.
State Route 410 was once a subsidiary trail that connected the Big Spring area, in what is now Luthersburg, to present-day Troutville and then to Route 36 and Punxsutawney. Peel back the layers of a Pennsylvania road map and early native trails still stand out.
Euro-American settlement in Troutville, mostly made up of German immigrants, began in the 1830’s. A Post Office was located there in 1857.
The town was originally named Trautweinville, after settler Jacob Trautwein, but the name was conveniently shortened and Anglicized to Troutville.
As the land was cleared of the original woodlands, farms grew and prospered. Many German immigrants had a knack for agriculture and turned their hard work into success.
Troutville’s, nearby rolling hills and farms, along Route 410, show this to be true today. Ironically, Pennsylvania Amish, descended German immigrants of three centuries ago, have more recently moved into the Troutville area, bringing their farming skills and unique religious traditions with them.
Some German immigrants to Clearfield County were Catholics. More were Lutherans. Many original German families, as the generations passed, affiliated themselves with multiple Christian denominations.
In Troutville, a German Christian group, led by succeeding ministers, Reverends Althaus, Engelbach and Brandt, established a Reformed Congregation in 1851. Reformed worship services tended to resemble ones used by Presbyterian and Dutch Reformed Churches.
Trinity Reformed Church, as shown in the photo, was simply, but beautifully designed. The sanctuary is entered through a doorway beneath the then common open belfry.
Many such belfries have been remodeled and walled in to prevent weather damage and leakage. A separate entrance led to a side room, which was likely used for Sunday school instruction.
Trinity Reformed joined the ranks of many other churches that served as faith anchors in Clearfield County.