Country Churches: Fallston Presbyterian

June turned out to be Presbyterian month at Falmanac, but just by accident, though I did actually attend this church when I was very young. However, the reason I picked this location was because I'm still getting used to a new camera and the place is near my house. When you've got new equipment, stay close to home!
I'm also getting used to a new "walk-around lens," though this one won't take long to digest. "Walk around lens" is a term for any lens suited to a variety of tasks, it's the lens you leave on the camera. Most people prefer a medium zoom and I'm no exception. I use Canon's EF-S 17-55 f/2.8 IS lens; it's fast, image stabilized, and not too prone to distortion. Kim uses Canon's EF-S 17-85 lens, which is slower, but has a longer reach, and is also image stabilized. I think the 17 - 85 is perhaps the most versatile lens I've ever used, but I'm a nut about fast glass, so I prefer the 17-55 f/2.8 model. The S designation means they are made for Canon's APS-C line (dRebels, 20D, & 30D), and use all of the lens. This allows for wider angles, but more vignetting too. Nevertheless, the S lenses have been, in our opinion & experience, an outstanding line.
Fallston Presbyterian Church was built in 1873. It is one of the few Greek Revival buildings in Harford County, Maryland. It used to sit next to an old school house, which I attended when it was a preschool in the 1960's. When the church expanded in the 80's the school came down, which most agreed was better than ripping down the old sanctuary.
The 1980's saw major changes at three historic Fallston churches: one was torn down entirely, one was moved, and one (this one), was added onto. It would be interesting to compare and contrast the situation at each church back then. One of the big problems for these old congregations is space, they all sit on smallish lots and local real estate prices have been high for decades. They are country churches, but it isn't country anymore - it's suburban. You can read more about Fallston Presbyterian here.