Jumonville takes its name from a French officer killed in a 1754 skirmish with British forces led by Major George Washington. More than 100 years later, the property served as a Pa. Soldier's Orphan School from 1875 until 1908, providing food, clothing, and Christian education to children living in poverty whose fathers were killed in the Civil War. The property was donated to the Methodist Church in 1941 by Harry Whyel, and the giant white cross on the mountain, built in 1950, stands 60 feet tall and 33 feet across after first being conceived by Rev. Dr. Will Hogg of Asbury United Methodist Church in Uniontown. The Pittsburgh Conference of the UMC operated a summer program there for almost 30 years before expanding to a year-round program in 1971. Today, Jumonville operates summer camps for all ages and serves in fall, winter, and spring as a Christian retreat center, while its campus, 19th century stone buildings, and mountaintop view have made the Cross of Christ a landmark that has touched people from around the world.
