During my walk around Trinity Place and Way's Garden park last month, I fell in love with Trinity Episcopal Church. I thought it would be a good idea to showcase another well known Williamsport feature: it's Historic Churches and places of Worship.

 

I tried my best to get them all, and I know I missed a few. I am mad because I didn't get the chance to photograph the one church that is being converted into lofts. I might get that another time and update this thread. Some of these came out a little messed up because I forgot I had my filter equipped. Oh well. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

 

Ascension Church:

 

 

West End Christian Community Center:

 

 

One of the oldest Churches in Lycoming County, Lycoming Presbyterian Church. Build date is unknown but might have been as far back as 1786:

 

 

 

 

I got a photo or two of this on my walk around Trinity Place and Way's Garden last month, but here it is again.

Covenant Central Presbyterian Church. Built in 1906:

 

I definitely had my filter set wrong. Whatever, it looks cool haha.

 

Ye Olde Church. It's now used as a senior center:

 

 

 

I saw this while taking a shortcut to another church. I don't know what it was, but I wouldn't mind living here during school:

 

Grace United Methodist. Built in 1885:

 

 

Again, Trinity Episcopal. This time I got all of the 218ft. spire pretty much in frame. Built in 1876:

 

First Baptist Church. Designed and built by Eber Culver in 1854:

 

 

 

Christ Community Worship Center:

 

 

Christ Church Episcopal. Built in 1841:

 

This reminded me a lot of Trinity, just on a smaller scale. It's is older also:

 

 

 

 

 

The First Presbyterian Church. Sorry about the traffic lights :oops: Built in 1849:

 

I wish my photoshop skills were good enough to get rid of that traffic light:

 

 

The place where my parents were married in 1974, Temple Beth-Ha Shalom. Built in 1904:

 

 

 

 

I have two more churches for you today.

 

American Rescue Workers National Headquarters:

 

 

 

First United Methodist:

 

 

 

And I'll finish with a couple views of downtown from the churches:

 

They were a block apart. Like they say about Williamsport, there is a church on every corner:

 

Excellent stuff!

 

I like First Presby the best, perhaps.

Beautiful stuff!

Good collection; some of the older stone churches look like they were designed by the same architects who created some of Pennsylvania's Medieval-looking county prisons!

 

Traffic lights aren't always a distraction; sometimes they work as foreground elements to give a photo depth. Those are fine.

Heavenly. (Hey, someone had to say it)

Good collection; some of the older stone churches look like they were designed by the same architects who created some of Pennsylvania's Medieval-looking county prisons!

 

Traffic lights aren't always a distraction; sometimes they work as foreground elements to give a photo depth. Those are fine.

 

Yeah, a lot of the structures in Williamsport that were built in the victorian era were designed by the same people, Peter Herdic and Eber Culver.  I know Herdic built Trinity Episcopal, along with many other buildings around town, but he might have built some of the other churches also.

The first one is like nothing I've ever seen.  That porchlike structure is incredible.  There really needs to be more effort to preserve these buildings. 

The first one is like nothing I've ever seen. That porchlike structure is incredible. There really needs to be more effort to preserve these buildings.

 

Yeah, I didn't even know about it until I was driving around the block trying to find the visitor's lot for Lycoming Presby, and I saw it. I'm glad I did.

those are awesome.

 

if you can find out and get a chance could you add the dates they were built? just curious.

Yeah I can try. I forgot to take a photo of every sign. They usually have the dates. I'll do some research and update the thread the best I can.

EDIT: I found the dates for most of them, but not all.  It's amazing that these places don't put the history of their beautiful places of worship.

thx a lot! the striking first baptist church had me guessing it was around that old. looks like some of it was rebuilt a bit too or is of varying styles.

That's one of the things I find fascinating about Pennsylvania's towns. In the upper Midwest, a few houses survive from before the Civil War and almost all the urban commercial  and public buildings and churches from that era are long gone. In Pennsylvania's small towns, residential and commercial buildings and churches from the 1840s and sometimes back into the 1700s seem to be all over the place. It really gives me pause to consider some of those homes that have served continuously as everyday private residences going on 250 years.

 

I know that's not remarkable in Europe, but in North America settlers had just begun to carve farms and villages out of ancient forests when some of the homes in the area around Lancaster were built. Here's one from 1754 in Strasburg:

thx a lot! the striking first baptist church had me guessing it was around that old. looks like some of it was rebuilt a bit too or is of varying styles.

 

Yeah I noticed that also.  I'm not sure if it was rebuilt or not.  I have a feeling the rear section of the building was a new addition at some time because it is way different than the front section.  It's somewhat like the middle section of the building.  Eber Culver's works of art are very prominent and beautiful structures and Williamsport is lucky to have many buildings designed and built by him.

I just updated the thread a bit.  Two more churches. Yay.

Neat additions. First United Methodist is certainly atypical, but it's a handsome design.