1882 Church in Wellsboro, PA

$124,900

For Sale

Added to OHD on 5/21/23 - Last OHD Update: 5/21/23

331 Antrim Main St, Wellsboro, PA 16901

2 Bed
1.5+ Bath
3404 Sq Ft
0.21 Ac.

Own a piece of Tioga County history! Built in 1882, this former church served the residents of this small coal-mining community of Antrim for many years. Hand-cut stone exterior and just beautiful stain-glass windows which are a must-see from the inside of the building as the artistry is simply amazing and fully intact. 1-2 bedroom apartment in basement has been rented for over 5 years, and provides a steady income. Bring your vision and create a truly remarkable home or vacation property within close proximity to Wellsboro, the Pine Creek Valley and surrounding areas. Pews, appliances and the working church bell that can be heard throughout the town all included!

Listed With

Mark Spencer, Penn Oak Realty :: (570) 724-8000

Additional Links

DO NOT trespass! Schedule an appointment with a local agent to view the property.
Links are provided above for independent verification of listing details.

Browse

OR by region

Min Price

Max Price

Min Acres

Max Acres

Min SqFt

Max SqFt

Min Build Date

Max Build Date

Oldest

Newest Most Voted

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

JDmiddleson | 4765 comments

8 days ago

I want to say stunning but somehow that comes short when describing this beautiful building!

MJG | 6666 comments

Supporter

Reply to JDmiddleson | 4765 comments

6 days ago

Now all we have to do is imagine what the interior looked like before it got the monochrome paint scheme on the walls and ceilings.

Reply to MJG | 6666 comments

I’ve seen some of your posts about interior stenciling and such on church interiors so I can start to imagine what it may have looked like. I’m grateful that the beams/trusses and the rest of the woodwork didn’t get painted white as well!

Me too!!!

Komiza | 722 comments

7 days ago

I agree it is stunning. the stain glass- wonderufl.

Linda | 613 comments

I love it. It’s been well taken care of by the looks of it. I can afford it and do “updates” but need to figure out how to heat it.

J.Scott | 836 comments

The shape of this wonderful building is just so nice! I love the recessed windows.

homebody | 197 comments

I think I’m in love!

Kathy | 81 comments

It looked like a bargain until I noticed that the whole town is next to a landfill. It would be expensive to move.

Cora | 2755 comments

Moderator

Found some interesting history on Antrim, as well as a photo of the village in 1902. Is that this church, on the left?

Edit, try this link:

Duncan Township and Antrim History by Sexton (joycetice.com)

JimH | 8077 comments

Reply to Cora | 2755 comments

Yes, the church at left. (Removed link to Antrim Township – wrong place 😀 )

Reply to JimH | 8077 comments

LOL thanks! I’ll try again.

Looks ready for services! The Trinity Episcopal Church at Antrim was associated with St. Paul’s at Wellsboro. It was built with large contributions from the Magee family that owned the Fall Brook Coal Company.

http://www.joycetice.com/church/trinity.htm

http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/dam/mg/mg48.htm

Lancaster John | 1174 comments

5 days ago

Dreamers might enjoy this photo of two ladies outside the church. The caption gives their names as Martha Young and Hazel Estep. If my photo doesn’t load properly, you can find it here: http://www.joycetice.com/articles/antrimph.htm

Reply to Lancaster John | 1174 comments

Trinity church-service was held in the school house at Antrim July 24th 1872, by Rev. Charles Breck, D. D., rector of St. Paul’s church Wellsboro. Persons favorable to the organization of an Episcopal Church in Antrim were invited to remain after the service for a business meeting. Dr. Breck called the meeting to order and John Hinman was elected Secretary. It was resolve to organize a church and its name was determined upon. The number of vestrymen was limited to seven, and the following name gentlemen were elected: John Hinman, David Cooper, Thomas Gaffney, Joseph Jackson, James Nugent, Jerry Austin, and Benjamin Dobbs. Rev. Dr. Breck, John Hinman and Thomas Gaffney were appointed a committee to draft a charter of incorporation and submit it to the court of Common Pleas of the county for approval. Lay readings was kept by John Hinman, and sermons were read by Isaac S. Marshall and Dr. E. George for quite sometime, the services being held in the paymasters office. On the 26 of April 1873 John Magee Jr. died and in his will it was directed that the sum of $50,000 the expended by his executors in directing five Episcopal Church is. In consonance with his wishes, in July 1880, the cornerstone of Trinity church, Antrim, was laid, and edifice was completed during the summer of 1881. It was built of the Antrim sandstone, at a cost of about $13,000 and is one of the most substantial church edifices in northern Pennsylvania. It is of fine architectural design, and is a monument to the generosity and Christian benevolence of John McGee Jr. connected with a church is a Sunday school with 90 scholars and ten teachers, and a library of 100 volumes. The rector is Rev. Charles Breck, of Wellsboro; wardens, William Howell Jr. and Thomas Gaffney; vestrymen, Dr. E. G. Drake, Samuel Heron, Joseph Lodge and D. M. Edwards.

Gregory_K | 1586 comments

Wow, thanks. I found some of that information, but no means even half of it. And digging around, I still have not found an architect, or an old interior showing early decoration of the nave. I have not checked the Wellsboro Agitator yet, but that will probably be next. It was founded in the 1850s, and published through the 1960s. So far, I have not found the 1880s on line.

In addition, I have yet to research local newspapers in nearby communities, which would almost certainly carry articles on this church’s construction and dedication. $50,000 was a great deal of money to spend on establishing church (s).

4 days ago

I can never get enough of these historic photos. The clothing, the expressions.

And this incredible building in the background. *chills*

Edifice Complex | 28 comments

It is a remarkable wee church! The work of the original stonemasons exemplified a mastery of their trade. It is a fine structure indeed, incorporating several idiosyncratic elements.

The gable extension over the porch is not only a delightful imagining of a covered balcony, the bell rope dangling in the narthex confirms that this is the belfry that’s sent peels across the valley since 1882.

The folk in this village constructed a cathedral in miniature. With its cresting detail in tact, the tower/steeple that crowns the posterior roof crossing has been ingeniously pivoted 45⁰ – which both accents it’s presence, and would simplify its incorporation into the roof. The absence of any signs of water damage to the nave’s ceiling confirms the wisdom of such a design.

Ecclesiastical architecture is something of a minor hobby for me. I like to guess the denomination of a church by its external appearance. This place proclaims its adherence to the Anglican Communion, in American lingo, Episcopalian. And in a village commemorating Antrim, the original parishioners here built paying tribute to the Church of Ireland. The muscular Celtic Cross at the gable end broadcasts that faith tradition.

I couldn’t discern the presence of an altar light in the sanctuary, so I’m assuming this place of worship has already been deconsecrated.

Kelly has gifted us a site that let’s me tour the USA vicariously. The inevitable link to Realtor.com provides a map (which defaults briefly upon opening to the Prime Meridian at Greenwich, edifyingly enough) to situate each property for me relative to the rest of the continent … and renders up other data, too.

Antrim, PA fails 2 of the requirements on my relocation checklist: groceries & worship. This remote village hasn’t even lured a Dollar General (nor the street view Google truck). And, it seems, Trinity Episcopal was the sole village church.

The walk-out cellar apartment looks welcomingly bright and cosy. A conscientious live-in trustee would have to remove the vegetation creeping up the walls. Ivy might suit academe, but the modest grandeur here should not be obscured. If I could concentrate my bookshelves in the wings of the transept and where the kneelers have been piled, domestic incursion into the worship area could well be minimised. A deft rearrangenent of residential furniture might easily accommodate occasional public uses.

Pennsylvania’s coal and iron ore fueled an industrial revolution. Miners (and fisherman) are famed for their singing. Perhaps that’s a consequence of vocations where sudden death is an occupational hazard. I suspect that Trinity Church has brilliant acoustics. Perhaps there’s a concert, performance or festival future for this place.

Trinity Church is the one photograph that illustrates Antrim’s albeit meagre Wikipedia entry. It might well have been the pride and soul of the settlement. So maybe on Christmas Eve, or Easter sunrise, or occasions of national jubilation or mourning, the old bell could ring forth, and the doors could open to encourage the community to gather together once again?

Reply to Edifice Complex | 28 comments

Yes, the Episcopalians built wonderful small churches all over! Unfortunately, there’s not much of a community left there to enjoy it today; the coalfields are now a state forest. It could be a private place for work and contemplation as you say.

Slings | 5 comments

Wellsboro is only a 15 minute drive to amenities. Sounds good to me!

Reading the posts of everyone who have commented here is an easy reminder why this website and the newsletters are so much fun. Edifice Complex, JimH, Slings, Joe D, Cora, Kathy, Homebody, J.Scott, Linda, Komiza, MJG,
JDmiddleson – your comments are always so interesting. Thanks.

Reply to Gregory_K | 1586 comments

Add Gregory K to that list. 🤗

Thank you so very much. As an historian and historic preservationist of some 60 years +/- experience, I can state without exaggeration that I always learn something new and important every time I log onto this site. Sometimes it is as straight forward as a cultural or architectural perspective. Sometimes it is an architect I’ve never heard of, often an historic building material, a new approach to a preservation challenge, or comments and questions about a detail in a photograph I had not noticed..

It’s always fun, Kelly’s suggestions and listings are both interesting and entertaining; but I always log in knowing that the latest installment will be fun and worth the time to read carefully.

Again, thanks everyone for sharing your knowledge and perspectives.

Joe D | 12 comments

It would make a wonderful chapel for a retreat house.

Has anyone teased out the name of the architect? Like Edifice Complex I too guessed it as an Episcopal Church. But such a refined design for a small village! My guess would be a Philadelphia or upstate New York architect. And perhaps more than knowing the name of the architect, I’d like to know who the stonemasons were – remarkably beautiful work.

Reply to Joe D | 12 comments

3 days ago

The design is by Joseph Lyman Silsbee, a young MIT trained architect from Syracuse, who would later employ a 19 year-old draftsman, Frank Lloyd Wright. https://jlsilsbee.blogspot.com/search?q=Trinity+Episcopal

Thanks to the Green Free Library in Wellsboro, PA, Scott Gitchell of the Tioga County (PA) Historical Society, Architect Donald Pulfer (who wrote a master’s thesis on Silsbee), and Christopher Payne, whose Searching for Silsbee blogspot confirmed the attribution.

Very cool – thank you!

Comments are reader and auto-moderated. If you feel a comment is inappropriate, click the red flag at the top right of the offending comment.
No politics.

Commenting means you've read and will abide by the comment rules. Click here to read the comment rules, updated 4/20/22.

OHD does not represent this home. You must independently verify listing details.

Specially selected historic real estate for old house enthusiasts.