Tour planned of New Castle churches and synagogues
Staff report
NEW CASTLE, PA.
Eleven historic churches and synagogues will be featured on a tour from 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday. Known as the “city of churches” at the turn of the century, the growth and prosperity of the area contributed to religious establishments.
Tour proceeds will benefit the Historic Warner Cascade Theatre. For information, call 724-654-7457 or send email to Audrey339@aol.com. Advance tickets are $10 for adults and $12 for children younger than 12 and are available at Lawrence County Tourist Promotion Agency, 229 S. Jefferson St.; Breakaway Tours, 2103 Wilmington Road; and The Confluence, 214 E. Washington St.
Tickets also may be obtained the day of tour for $12 in front of Mary Mother of Hope Church, 124 N. Beaver St. Tour goers will receive a list of the sites and a map. Sites may be visited in any order. Parking is available at each site and is free downtown on Saturdays.
Tour sites are:
Mary Mother of Hope Church, formerly St. Mary, 124 N. Beaver St.: Built in 1925, it was designed by J.B. Pernod of Oil City, Pa. In 1871, a second church was built along with a school. Later on the same site, a neo-Gothic church was built and dedicated Sept. 5, 1927.
First Presbyterian, 125 N. Jefferson St.: The city’s oldest congregation was established in 1801. The Romanesque Revival church was designated by the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S. as a historic landmark and has a history room.
Family Worship Center, formerly Disciples of Christ Church, 23 W. Washington St.: “The oldest church building in the city” was designed by G.H.M. McKelvey. Bricks were fired locally by Reis, Brown and Burger, and H. Ross Berry, a well-known black builder at the time, did the brickwork. The Gothic Revival church was built 1864-65.
Clen-Moore Presbyterian, 220 Clen-Moore Blvd.: The congregation started near the Neshannock Creek, where tent services took place for five years before a move to a log cabin some 200 years ago. A new addition in Gothic style was recently built.
St. Jude’s Episcopal, formerly Trinity Episcopal Church, 212 N. Mill St.: The Romanesque-Revival style, built in 1901, contains original Tiffany stained glass windows and was designed by Youngstown architect C.H. Owsley.
Ebenezer Church of God, formerly Congregation Tifereth Israel, 1119 S. Jefferson St.: One of the earliest synagogues was built in 1908 near Long Avenue, where Jewish businesses flourished. In 1958 the synagogue was sold to Ebenezer.
Maitland Memorial Church, formerly Primitive Methodist Church, 940 S. Mill St.: Designed by Harry M. Wiring and built in 1901, the church is up for sale. It is Romanesque Revival.
St. Nicholas Orthodox Catholic Church, formerly Grace Methodist Church, 205 E. Reynolds St.: The altar has handpainted screened icons. Built in 1899, the wooden frame church was left as a foundation then encased in brick in 1918 to make a larger church.
Calvary Independent Church, 424 E. Moody Ave.: The church was in a mansion that was a funeral home. Now the mansion is connected to the main church and is used for Sunday school and church activities. Styles are Egyptian Revival and Prairie.
Chapel Jubilee, formerly Temple Israel, 909 Highland Ave.: The grounds have a tree of historical significance to the former site of Temple Israel, built in 1927. Jubilee chapel was established in 1999.
First United Methodist Church, Decker Drive, Neshannock: Built in 1967, the modern structure has “one of the 10 most historic windows of its kind in the United States.” The windows were made for the church in 1889, when it was on Jefferson and North Street.