Coordinates: 40°06′16.3″N 75°26′16.6″W / 40.104528°N 75.437944°W / 40.104528; -75.437944

Washington Memorial Chapel

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Washington Memorial Chapel
File:Washington Memorial Chapel PA2.jpg
Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 411: Malformed coordinates value.
Lua error in Module:Coordinates at line 489: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
LocationMontgomery, Pennsylvania
CountryUnited States
DenominationEpiscopalian
Websitewmchapel.org
History
Founded1903
Dedication1904
Administration
ArchdioceseProvince III
DiocesePennsylvania

Washington Memorial Chapel in Valley Forge National Historical Park is a national memorial dedicated to General George Washington and an active Episcopal parish in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.[1] The church was inspired by a sermon preached by Anglican minister Reverend Dr. W. Herbert Burk, founder and first rector of the parish.[2] The building was designed by architect Milton B. Medary.[3] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 1, 2017,[4] and is undergoing an active restoration campaign.[5][6]

It is located in Upper Merion Township.[7]

History

[edit | edit source]
File:Washington Memorial Chapel T-Square Club Catalogue 1908 p.102.jpg
Medary's original plan (1908)
File:Washington Memorial Chapel PA1.jpg
Interior in 2016

Reverend Burk was rector of an Episcopal church in nearby Norristown. The money for the chapel was raised in small increments, and its stone walls were built a "few feet at a time."[1] Burk was active in trying to preserve Valley Forge and in the establishment of the Valley Forge Museum of American History, predecessor to the Valley Forge Historical Society.[1]

A previous attempt to build a memorial church at Valley Forge had been launched in 1885 by Baptist minister James M. Guthrie, who raised funds and began building before running out of funds.[8]

June 19, 1903 marked the 125th anniversary of the evacuation of the Continental Army from Valley Forge,[1] and the cornerstone was laid on property donated by the I. Heston Todd family. A small wood-framed building nearby preceded the present structure. President Theodore Roosevelt visited the site and gave an address in 1904, and the original wooden building was named the Theodore Roosevelt Chapel. It was demolished after completion of the present chapel.[9]

The Chapel's exterior was completed in 1917 and its interior in 1921. It serves as a wayside chapel to those who visit Valley Forge National Historical Park, and is open to the public.[9]

Noted ironsmith Samuel Yellin produced the wrought iron gates, hardware, and locks. He was one of many artisans to produce sculptures, stonework, stained glass, and metal work.[10] The interior woodwork was supplied by cabinetmaker Edward Maene (1852–1931).[11]

The Chapel can appear to visitors to be a part of the park, given its central location. However, the Chapel and surrounding property belong to the Episcopal Church. There is a model of the Washington Monument across from the Chapel which marks the grave of Lieutenant John Waterman. The Bell Tower houses the DAR Patriot Rolls, listing those that served in the Revolutionary War.[12][13]

National Patriots Bell Tower and Carillon

[edit | edit source]
File:WASHINGTON MEMORIAL CHAPEL, MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA.jpg
National Patriots Bell Tower (1953)

The National Patriots Bell Tower[14] was a later addition to the Chapel, and houses its carillon. The 102 ft (31 m) tower was built entirely with funds raised by members of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) over a period of more than a decade.[15] Construction began in 1941, but was suspended due to World War II, and restarted in 1949.[16] The bell tower was completed and dedicated in 1953.

The Justice Bell (Women's Liberty Bell) is on permanent display in the bell tower chamber. It was forged in 1915 as a nearly identical replica of the Liberty Bell, and became an instrumental symbol of the Women's Suffrage movement. In 1920, after touring many parts of the country to promote the passing of the 19th Amendment, the bell was stored on the grounds of Valley Forge National Park before being permanently moved to the bell tower chamber in 1943.[3]

The bell tower contains a traditional carillon, with a keyboard of 58 bells. The first 14 bells (from the Meneely Bell Foundry) were installed in a temporary wooden tower in 1926, and the number of bells expanded over the course of three decades. Fifty-six bells were installed in the bell tower in 1953, and expanded to 58 bells in 1963 with two bells from the Fonderie Paccard in France.[14]

The bell tower is played regularly by a resident carillonneur. Concerts, both formal and informal, are held throughout the year and are open to the public.[17]

Features

[edit | edit source]

Stained glass

[edit | edit source]

The chapel contains numerous stained glass windows designed by Nicola D'Ascenzo, including:

  • George Washington Window, south wall over entrance, depicting 36 scenes from Washington's life
  • Anthony Wayne Window, west wall,[18] depicting 12 scenes of American expansion
  • Alexander Hamilton Window, east wall
  • Martha Washington Window (1918), north wall over altar
  • Washington at Prayer Window, carillon tower chamber

Church furniture

[edit | edit source]

The chapel also features numerous pieces of furntiture designed by Milton B. Medary and carved by Edward Maene, including:

Sculpture

[edit | edit source]
  • Valley Forge (Seated Washington) (statuette, bronze, 1878), rood screen, Franklin Simmons, sculptor
  • Sacrifice and Devotion (Grieving Mother) (statue, bronze, 1914), Heckscher Memorial, Cloister of the Colonies Garden, Bela Pratt, sculptor[24]
  • Harrison Memorial Gates (wrought iron, 1918), porch, Samuel Yellin, metalworker
  • Declaration of Independence Tablet (bas relief, limestone, 1926), nave, Martha Maulsby Hovenden, sculptor
  • United States Constitution Tablet (bas relief, limestone, 1936), nave, Martha Maulsby Hovenden, sculptor
  • Bishop William White (statue, bronze, 1937), Alexander Stirling Calder, sculptor
  • George Washington (statue, limestone, 1953), exterior of National Patriots Bell Tower, C. Paul Jennewein, sculptor[25]
  • Nathanael Greene (statue, bronze, 2015), front lawn, Susie Chisholm, sculptor.

Other media

[edit | edit source]

See also

[edit | edit source]

Lua error in mw.title.lua at line 392: bad argument #2 to 'title.new' (unrecognized namespace name 'Portal').

References

[edit | edit source]
  1. ^ a b c d Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  2. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  3. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  4. ^ National Register of Historic Places Program: Weekly List, May 12, 2017 (week of 5/01/17 through 5/05/17), SG100000943, Listed 5/1/2017.[1]
  5. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  6. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  7. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value). // Compare with Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  8. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  9. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  10. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  11. ^ Lita Solis-Cohen, "Winterthur’s Philadelphia Furniture Forum: What Was Learned?" Archived 2014-07-02 at archive.today Furniture News, March 5, 2014.
  12. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  13. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  14. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  15. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  16. ^ Shelley, p. 33.
  17. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  18. ^ Anthony Wayne Window from Washington Memorial Chapel,
  19. ^ "Memorials – Pews of the Patriots," Washington Memorial Chapel (Summer 2016), brochure available at chapel.
  20. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).[permanent dead link]
  21. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  22. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  23. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  24. ^ Sacrifice and Devotion Archived 2014-08-08 at the Wayback Machine, from Bela Lyon Pratt
  25. ^ Howarth, Shirley Reiff, C. Paul Jennewein: Sculptor, The Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa, Florida, 1980, p.138

Resources

[edit | edit source]
  • Rev. W. Herbert Burk, D.D., Making a Museum: The Confessions of a Curator (1926). Burk was the founder and curator of the Valley Forge Museum of American History.
  • D'Ascenzo Studios, The Memorial Windows, Washington Memorial Chapel, Valley Forge, Pa. (1930).
  • Eleanor H.S. Burk, In the Beginning: at Valley Forge and the Washington Memorial Chapel (1938).
  • Shelley A. Perdue, The Washington Memorial Chapel: Historic Structure Report and Condition Assessment, (Masters thesis, University of Pennsylvania, 2005).[2]
[edit | edit source]
Error creating thumbnail: File missing
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Washington Memorial Chapel, Valley Forge.


Lua error in Module:Authority_control at line 153: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).

Retrieved from "http://70.231.62.181/index.php?title=Washington_Memorial_Chapel&oldid=4993878"