Old St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church

St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church is an historic Episcopal Church church located in Douglassville, Pennsylvania. The church is a part of the Diocese of Bethlehem.

St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church
A brown sandstone tower stands in front of a church with a sharply pointed roof.
Religion
AffiliationEpiscopal Church
DistrictDiocese of Bethlehem
ProvinceIII (Middle Atlantic)
Location
St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church
1801 Chapel of St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church
Old St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church is located in Pennsylvania
Old St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church
Old St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church is located in the United States
Old St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church
LocationU.S. 422, Douglassville, Amity Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania
Coordinates40°15′26″N 75°43′45″W / 40.25722°N 75.72917°W / 40.25722; -75.72917
Area0.3 acres (0.12 ha)
Built1801
NRHP reference No.78002343[1]
Added to NRHPMarch 08, 1978

History

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St. Gabriel's was founded in 1720 as a Swedish Lutheran church. In 1760 the church joined the Church of England. The oldest structure is known as Saint Gabriel's 1801 Chapel. It was built in 1801, and is a two-story, three bay by two bay, brownstone building. It features a herringbone design in the stone construction. The interior was restored in 1959.[2] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.[1]

The larger structure was consecrated in 1884. An addition was made in 1959 that contains administrative offices and classrooms. The interior of the 1884 church was remodeled in 2003. In 2005, the existing 1959 portion of the building was remodeled and expanded to include more classrooms and a large parish hall.

The historic cemetery has veterans from most wars, starting with the Revolutionary War (25 veterans) and ending with the Persian Gulf War (1 veteran). The one exception is the Spanish-American War.

List of Clergy

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  • Andreas Rudman, 1701-1707
  • Andrew Sandel, 1708-1719
  • Samuel Hesselius, 1720-1723
  • Assistant Pastors of Wicaco, 1723-1734
  • Gabriel Falck, 1735-1745
  • Henry M. Muhlenberg, 1748-1752
  • John Abraham Lidenius, 1752-1755
  • Henry M. Muhlenberg, 1755-1761
  • Alexander Murray, 1762–1778, 1790-1793

(During the Revolutionary War period. Reverend Murray returned to England. The Parish was cut off from the Church of England so there were no stated public ministrations.)

  • John Wade, 1795-1797
  • Caleb Hopkins, 1798-1801
  • John Armstrong, 1801-1805
  • Caleb Hopkins, 1805-1806
  • Levi Bull, 1806-1825
  • Caleb J. Good, 1826-1827
  • George Mintzer, 1828-1836
  • William Homman, 1837-1838
  • Henry F. M. Whitesides, 1839
  • Oliver A. Shaw, 1840
  • George Burker, 1840-1842
  • Edmund Leaf, 1844-1868
  • Jeremiah Karcher, 1869-1871
  • Edmund Leaf, 1872-1876
  • John Long, 1877-1886
  • Edward J. Koons, 1886-1888
  • William DuHamel, 1889-1892
  • Samuel McElwee, 1892-1906
  • William R. Holloway, 1907-1912
  • A. S. H. Winsor, 1912-1914
  • William DuHamel, 1915-1928
  • Arthur B. Vossler, 1928-1934
  • Daniel C. Osborne, 1935-1938
  • Irving Angell McGrew, 1939-1942
  • Thomas B. Smythe, 1943-1959
  • Woodworth B. Allen, Jr., 1959-1962
  • Lloyd I. Wolf, 1962-1965
  • Kenneth T. Cosbey, 1966-1987
  • Calvin C. Adams, 1987-2010
  • David Green, 2013-2018
  • Andrew D. VanBuren, 2019–present

References

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  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System – (#78002343)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania". CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Archived from the original (Searchable database) on 2007-07-21. Retrieved 2012-09-29. Note: This includes Charles Dunlevey (n.d.). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Old St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-09-29.
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