View source for Bible Truth Hall, Philadelphia, PA

The exclusives in Philadelphia date back as early as 1873. In 1884, there was a division inspired by situations with F.W. Grant, who became "Grant exclusive". In 1890, the U.S. Religious Census indicated one PB-I (Grant) assembly in Philadelphia Co., with 26 meeting in a rented hall with capacity of 150. This meeting was active thru at least 1948. The following is from [[https://brethrenpedia.org/index.php/Pennsylvania_history#1890.E2.80.99s:_West_Philadelphia_Assembly.2C_Philadelphia.2C_PA Peterson's history]

"In the 1880s or 1890s, George McCandless, who had a printing business, was preaching on the streets of Philadelphia. He rented a store at 20th and Kater Streets in south Philadelphia and put a big Bible in the window along with some Bible texts. He invited men to a Bible study and in other ways attracted families to gather, apparently as an assembly. A number of these families later moved to west Philadelphia and met in a room in a large building at 67th and Market Streets, owned by James Arthur, a building contractor. The assembly at that time became known as the West Philadelphia Assembly.

Mr. Arthur knew of George MacKenzie, who had only recently become acquainted with the New Testament manner of gathering and would soon become outstanding itinerant preacher and encouraged him to teach at the new assembly. In about 1900, Mr. Arthur won a contract to develop a residential area in Kenilworth, New Jersey. He brought some of these Philadelphia Christians with him and helped start an assembly in Kenilworth. He sold the Philadelphia building at that time, and the Christians who had been meeting there moved a short distance west to a store between 58th and 59th on Market Street. The group at that time was small and was affiliated with the ‘Grant exclusive’ brethren.

A Mr. Mory then built a four-story apartment building at 5917 Chestnut Street and rented the whole first floor to the assembly. There it flourished and grew, and many well-known speakers came for special meetings, including Henry Allan Ironside, A.E. Booth, and George MacKenzie.

Then a split occurred, and one group moved out, to 58th and Hoffman Avenue. These were identified with the ‘open’ brethren. In 1948 they moved into a basement-only building in nearby Lansdowne and became known as the Lansdowne Gospel Hall, and after that the Lansdowne Gospel Chapel. They later added an above-ground auditorium, but a fire forced them to move out for six months. At that time, the brethren who had remained at 5917 Chestnut, invited them back into that space. When the repairs were finished, the rift apparently healed, those brethren joined with the Lansdowne group. In 1956, some of the families moved further out into the suburbs and established the Malvern assembly. The Lansdowne assembly today is known as the Lansdowne Bible Chapel, located at Greenwood and Wycombe."

=Locations=
* 20th & Kater Sts., South Phil.
* 67th & Market Sts., West Phil.
* Market St., between 58th and 59th, Phil. 
* 5917 Chestnut St., Phil.

=Also See=
* [[Who's Who at Bible Truth Hall, Philadelphia, PA]] notable alumni

=Sources=
* [https://brethrenpedia.org/index.php/Pennsylvania_history#1890.E2.80.99s:_West_Philadelphia_Assembly.2C_Philadelphia.2C_PA Peterson's history]