Nomination for Railway Chapel, The

From the form

The catalogue entry the section above was filed under.

NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 10024-0018 (Oct. 1990) NAT. REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES entries and narrative items on continuation sheets (NPS Form 10-900a). Use a typewriter, word processor, or computer, to complete all items. 1. Name of Property historic name The First Presbyterian Church, Presbyterian Church of Dennison other names/site number - Location N/A - not for publication city or town - N/A O vicinity code OH . county - 3. State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, I hereby certify that this X nomination - request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Dept.

Head, Inventory & Signature of certifying official/Title Ohio Historic Preservation Office, Ohio Historical Society State of Federal agency and bureau National Park Service Certification Date of Action V entered in the National Register. - See continuation sheet. - determined not eligible for the - removed from the National - other, (explain:) . Tuscarawas Dennison Date state Register. Ohio Registration Form National Register National Park Service United States Department of the Interior The Railway Chapel National Register of Historic Places RECEIVED 2280 MAR 05 2009 architectural classification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the instructions. Place additional February 24,2009 In my opinion, the property - meets - does not meet the National Register criteria.

(L See continuation sheet for additional I hereby certify that the property is: street & number - comments.) code _157 zip code 44621 301 Grant Street by entering the information requested.lf an item does not apply to the property being documented,enter"N/A" for"not applicable.For functions, 4:15.09 5. Classification X building(s) _ sites _ structures Lobject 6. Function or Use 7.

Description private slate Noncontributing roof public-local other brick Narrative Description public-State Total walls Architectural Classification Materials Current Functions Romanesque Revival asphalt shingle County and State Category of Property (Do not include previously listed resources in the count.) in the National Register Historic Functions Number of contributing resources previously listed RELIGION/religious facility Name of related multiple property listing public-Federal Tuscarawas County, Ohio (Enter categories from instructions) Number of Resources within Property Ownership of Property (Check as many boxes as apply) Name of Property wood (Describe the historic and current condition of the property on one or more continuation sheets.) district (Check only one box) sandstone foundation The Railway Chapel NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Approval No.

1024-0018 National Park Service The Railway Chapel Section number - The Railway Chapel, the historic popular name for the Presbyterian Church of Dennison, now the First Presbyterian Church of Dennison, is a brick Romanesque Revival building completed in 1871. Included in the nomination as a contributing building is the Second style manse built in 1872 on the east side of the church. The nominated property is located on the northeast corner of Grant and Third Street, in a section of mixed uses - commercial, residential, and religious - on the east edge of the village's commercial district. It is two blocks northwest of the Dennison Depot (NR 1976, expanded 2007), the only other building directly related to the railroad that is still standing in Dennison. The cornerstone for the Railway Chapel was laid August 24, 1870, and the new church was completed on April 2, 1871.

Designed in a rectangular plan measuring 46 by 75 feet, the church is now T-shaped following completion of a rear addition in 1909. Walls of red brick are laid in running bond on a foundation of rusticated sandstone blocks. Dominating the facade is an offset, octagonal bell tower. Its tall spire was destroyed by a tornado in 1954, after which the brick belfry above the roofline was rebuilt with castellations (photo #s 1-4). A large round-arched window centered in the facade, now bricked in (date unknown) with a stone panel bearing the name Railway Chapel, is flanked by the tower and a projecting gabled entry. Fenestration on the six-bay side elevations, separated by buttresses, is comprised of tall, round-arched windows with stone sills and brick drip molds (photo #s 1-6).

The original wood windows were replaced in 1984 using metal frames and the stained glass that was previously installed in 1966. A second entry on the west side exhibits a distinctive carved wood hood and surrounds, and a large new gabled entrance at the junction of the Sunday School addition and the rear of the sanctuary was built in 1964. Corbeled cornices support a gabled slate roof over the original portion of the church. The nave and sanctuary incorporate slender arch ribs supported by vaulting shafts between the windows, a raised altar platform flanked by round-arch doorways, and an ornate Gothic style Schantz pipe organ that was installed in 1925 (photo #s 8-9). In 1909 the pulpit was relocated from the north to the south end of the Chapel, and a two-story Sunday School was constructed across the north end.

Its exterior architectural design closely followed the original church's (photo #s 5-6), while the interior configuration created a modified Akron Plan of Sunday School rooms on two floors opening into the rear of the nave (photo #s 13- 15). Perhaps the most distinctive feature of the Railway Chapel is its pews, which were built in the railroad car shops at Dennison. All of the black walnut pews have reversible backs patterned after railroad passenger car seats in use at that time (photo#s 11-12). Empire (8-86) Narrative Description Continuation Sheet National Register of Historic Places United States Department of the Interior Tuscarawas County, Ohio Page NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Approval No.

1024-0018 National Park Service The Railway Chapel Tuscarawas County, Ohio The former manse is a three-story, Second Empire style brick house situated on the east in 1872, the house retains two-over-two, double hung wood sash in segmental arch openings sidelights, but the one-story entry porches, built with wire-cut red brick and tapered wood columns, were a circa 1920(?) addition, as was the larger first floor front window (photo #s mansard roof is enhanced with prominent segmental-arch dormers. Inside the front entry, a slightly curving staircase with an octagonal newel and turned the most distinctive architectural elements on the first floor, while upper story surrounds are more plainly designed. The simple yellow-brick fireplace on the first floor dates to circa 1920, but on the second floor the original dark marble fireplace remains.

Most of the second the kitchen, which has been modernized. The third floor was finished into three rooms, one of which contains a narrow built-in cupboard. floor's four-panel doors still display grain painting (photo # 19), and a rear staircase leads to Continuation Sheet National Register of Historic Places balusters ascends the west wall (photo #17).Broad, shaped door and window surrounds are (8-86) United States Department of the Interior with carved sandstone hoods and sills(photo #7).The front entry incorporatesa transom and side of the Railway Chapel.Built of dark red brick in running bond pattern, and completed 3-4).The cornice features ornate scrolled brackets between frieze panels(photo #7),and the Page 2 Section number 7 OMB Approval No.

1024-0018 NPS Form 10-900-a National Park Service Section number - Tuscarawas County, Ohio Sketch Plan Church Manse Page sidewalk Continuation Sheet Alley National Register of Historic Places The Railway Chapel Grant Street United States Department of the Interior Third Street Tuscarawas County, Ohio Name of Property 8. Statement of Significance

Statement of significance

Areas of Significance (Mark "x" in one or more boxes for the criteria qualifying the property a significant contribution to the broad patterns of -B Property is associated with the lives of persons - C Property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or represents a significant and Period of Significance - D Property has yielded, or is likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history. (Mark "x" in all the boxes that apply.) *A owned by a religious institution or used for Significant Person - B removed from its original location. (Complete if Criterion B is marked above) - C a birthplace or grave. Cultural Affiliation - D a cemetery. - E a reconstructed building, object, or structure. - F a commemorative property.

- G less than 50 years of age or achieved significance within the past 50 years. Narrative Statement of Significance (Explain the significance of the property on one or more continuation sheets.) Primary location of additional data: L preliminary determination of individual listing (36 - State Historic Preservation Office CFR 67) has been requested - Other State agency - previously listed in the National Register - Federal agency previously determined eligible by the National - Local government - University - designated a National Historic Landmark - Other - recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey - recorded by Historic American Engineering Record # 1909 1870-1871 Bibilography Register 1870-1921 Social History Criteria Considerations Architect/Builder individual distinction. Applicable National Register Criteria Significant Dates religious purposes. architect unknown our history.

The Railway Chapel 9.

The rest of the file

Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.

Major Bibliographical References A Property is associated with events that have made distinguishable entity whose components lack significant in our past. for National Register listing.) (Enter categories from instructions) Name of repository: Property is: Previous documentation on file (NPS): County and State (Cite the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form on one or more continuation sheets.) OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service The Railway Chapel Tuscarawas County, Ohio Statement of Significance The Railway Chapel is nominated under Criterion A (Consideration A) as a significant reflection of the paramount role played by the Pennsylvania Railroad and its subsidiaries in the founding and history of the Village of Dennison.

Not only the economic, but also the early social development of the village was fostered almost entirely by the railroad. The Railway Chapel, built under the guidance and active assistance of railroad officers, was the first church in Dennison and best exemplifies the railroad's substantial support for an array of civic, social, and cultural activities and organizations over more than half a century. The Steubenville and Indiana Railroad Company was chartered in 1848 to build a line from Steubenville across Ohio to the Indiana border. Part of the line was open by 1855, but the full 193-mile segment between Pittsburgh and Columbus, Ohio, wasn't completed until 1865. From its inception, the road known after 1868 as the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati & St.

Louis Railway (also called "The Panhandle") was controlled and operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad as one of its two east-west main lines (Burgess & Kennedy). In 1864-1865, the Steubenville & Indiana purchased land and platted Dennison as its principal division point, midway between Pittsburgh and Columbus. The first shops were built in 1865, and within five years the new town's population was about 800 people, a figure which doubled over the next ten years. By 1884, facilities included car and locomotive shops; blacksmith, boiler, tin, carpenter, paint, drafting and pattern shops; a roundhouse; brass foundry; ice and sand houses; lumber yards; and coal yards (Warner Beers). Dennison's shops at the turn of the century were second in size only to the PRR's main facilities at Altoona, Pennsylvania.

At their peak before a strike in 1921, about 2,100 men worked in the repair shops and another 1,000 served as engineers, firemen, conductors, and other operating staff. The shops built and repaired both cars and locomotives. At that time, the locomotive department completed heavy or general repairs on about 450 steam engines per year, the roundhouse crews handled more than 100 locomotives daily, and the car department handled repairs to more than 50,000 cars annually (Romig). When the railroad decided upon its division point, the site of Dennison was picked purely for its location, as there was no existing town or center of commerce. Everything about the community radiated from the railroad. Not only the massive yards and shops, but the town itself was laid out by the railroad.

As Dennison and its rail-related facilities grew, the railroad also actively promoted the community's social welfare and development. Company houses were built on Third Street, the Railway Chapel was built to meet the Continuation Sheet National Register of Historic Places NPS Form 10-900-a Page (8-86) Section number - 8 NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 National Park Service The Railway Chapel Tuscarawas County, Ohio religious needs of the community, and the immensely popular Pan Handle Athletic Club (PHAC) was founded in 1882 - all at the instigation of railroad officials.

Trains brought railroad baseball league teams, football, wrestling, boxing, basketball, and track teams to stadium was completed in 1917, and in 1921, the Pennsylvania Railroad held its second annual system-wide track and field meet at PHAC Park (Romig), with more than 20,000 spectators and 700 contestants in attendance. The PHAC had more than 800 members in the 1920s, maintained a gymnasium and club rooms, and its board of directors was largely composed of railroad officials. Railroad officers also sponsored the community hospital, built in 1915, and encouraged employees to form musical groups such as the Dennison Shop Band. W.W. Card, Superintendent, and Thomas Denmead, Master Mechanic at the Dennison Shops, took a particular interest in community activities, and contacted the Presbytery of Steubenville to start a church in Dennison (both were on the first Board of Trustees; Anon.

1965). Five lots were donated by the Dennison Land Company, which the railroad had organized in 1864. Most of the labor and material were also provided by the railroad, which even laid a temporary spur to the church site to facilitate deliveries of building supplies. Several railroad officials donated $500 each to the project, and the church bell was given by Benjamin Smith, a prominent railroad man from Columbus (Baker). Furnishings were constructed or donated by railroaders, the most notable reflections of which are the church pews. All of the walnut pews were built in the Dennison Car Shops, and their reversible backs, perhaps unique in a church setting and still intact today, were patterned after seat designs used in railroad passenger coaches of that era. "Because of the connection between the church and the railroad, it has always been known as the Railway Chapel" (Baker).

Local railroad employment began a long decline following a 1921 strike, through the Great Depression and the post-World War II boom in automobile and airplane traffic, but the railroad remained Dennison's principal employer until the 1970s. In 1968 the Pennsylvania Railroad, once the largest in the United States and known simply as "The Standard Railroad of the World," merged with the New York Central to form the Penn-Central Transportation Company. Passenger service nationwide was taken over by Amtrak in 1971, and in 1976 all freight operations on the Penn Central were absorbed into Conrail. Conrail demolished the shops, roundhouses, and all other servicing facilities at Dennison, removed the yards, and downgraded the Panhandle to a single-track line, operated now by the Ohio Central Railroad (8-86) Section number Continuation Sheet for freight service only.

National Register of Historic Places United States Department of the Interior Page - 3 NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 National Park Service Section number - Tuscarawas County, Ohio The Railway Chapel and the Depot are the two most prominent buildings directly related to the railroad still standing in Dennison. In 1931 the Twin City Athletic Club replaced the PHAC, and fire destroyed their original building in 1934. The stadium was dismantled in 1942, some of the company houses on Third Street have been demolished, and the others all have varied and multiple losses of integrity.

The Railway Chapel, however, retains sufficient integrity to convey its significant representation of the 100+ year interlinked history of the founding, growth, and development of Dennison and the Pennsylvania Railroad, and of the railroad's pivotal sponsorship in enhancing community life and social welfare beyond those aspects of the village's history related solely to railroading. Local pride in the Chapel, and especially its reversible back pews, reflects this broad railroad heritage from which the village yet draws its identity. "Dennison wouldn't exist if it hadn't been for the railroad, and neither would the First Presbyterian Church, the oldest church in the community" (Baker). Continuation Sheet The Railway Chapel National Register of Historic Places United States Department of the Interior (8-86) Page Tuscarawas County, Ohio 10.

Geographical Data (Describe the boundaries of the property on a continuation sheet.) 11. Form Prepared By name/title _ May 21, 2008 street & number 201 Third Street NE city or town - state Ohio Submit the following items with the completed form: A USGS map (7.5 or 15 minute series) indicating the property's location. A Sketch map for historic districts and properties having large acreage or numerous resources. Representative black and white photographs of the property. (Check with the SHPO or FPO for any additional items) Property Owner (Complete this item at the request of SHPO or FPO.) street & number 301 Grant Street, P.O. Box 109 - telephone Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C.

470 et seq.). Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 18.1hours per response including time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this form to the Chief, Administrative Services Division, National ParkService, P.O. Box 37127,Washington, DC 20013-7127; and the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reductions Projects (1024-0018), Washington, DC 20503.

44621 740-922-5743 name Dennison Zone Northing Easting Photographs organization UTM References Ohio Continuation Sheets Additional Documentation Additional items First Presbyterian Church of Dennison Boundary Justification zip code_44702-1211 Jeff Brown/Historic Preservation Administrator Stark County Regional Planning Commission date Name of Property The Railway Chapel See continuation sheet Verbal Boundary Description County and State (Place additional UTMreferences ona continuation sheet.) Canton . zip code Acreage of Property - Maps less than one (Explain why the boundaries were selected on a continuation sheet.) 471660 NPS Form 10-900-a OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 United States Department of the Interior The Railway Chapel Anonymous. Dedication of the New Presbyterian Church at Dennison. Dennison, Ohio Tuscarawas Advocate, April 14, 1871. Anonymous.

1865-1965 Centennial Souvenir Booklet. Dennison, Ohio Dennison Area Centennial, Inc., 1965. Baker, Jon. Railway's legacy in Dennison includes building historic church. New Philadelphia, Ohio: The Times-Reporter, p. C-1, March 12, 2007. Reprinted as The Railway Chapel: Dennison's Oldest Church, Twin City Chamber of Commerce2008 Membership Directory, p. 27. Burgess, George H., and Miles C. Kennedy. Centennial History of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company 1846-1946. Philadelphia: Pennsylvania Railroad Company, 1949. Caldwell, J.A. A Comprehensive Account and Guide Book of the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and St. Louis Railway, familiarly known as The Famous "Pan-Handle" Route. Wheeling, West Virginia: 1879. Romig, Gene. A Tale of Twin Cities.

Booklet prepared for the Uhrichsville Board of Trade and the Dennison Chamber of Commerce to welcome visitors to the Pennsylvania Railroad's annual track and field meet. September 24, 1921. Warner Beers & Company. The History of Tuscarawas County, Ohio. Chicago: 1884. The boundary of the nominated property includes whole lots numbered 289-293 in the village of Dennison, Ohio. The five lots together, located on the northeast corner of Grant Street and Third Street, measure 125 feet in frontage and 125 feet in depth. The lots were originally numbered 12-16 in Block 16, Dennison, Ohio. Boundary Justification The boundary is based upon the legally recorded lots that have historically been associated with the nominated buildings. Ownership is recorded in the deed records of Tuscarawas County, at New Philadelphia, Ohio.

(8-86) Bibliography Continuation Sheet Tuscarawas County, Ohio National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Boundary Description Section number 9,10Page Page OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 National Park Service Section number Tuscarawas County, Ohio The following information is the same for all photographs: Property Name: The Railway Chapel Address: 301 Grant Street, Dennison, Tuscarawas County, Ohio Name of Photographer: Gerald Wilson Date of Photograph: May 4 (exterior), May 5 (interior); 2008 Location of Negative: Photographer's possession Description of Views by Photograph Number: #1 Facade and west side, looking northeast. Former manse to right. #2 Facade and east side, looking north-northwest. #3 Facades of church and manse, looking north. #4 Facades of church and manse, looking northwest. #5 Rear view of church, looking southeast.

East side and rear of church, looking southwest. Detail view of manse, cornice brackets and window trim. Interior view, church sanctuary looking south-southeast. #9 Church sanctuary, looking south-southwest. View of sanctuary from the pulpit, looking north toward the rear. Reversible back pews, made in the Dennison Car Shop. Detail view of a pew's reversible back mechanism. Interior view, Akron Plan Sunday School addition, looking northwest Balcony level of the Sunday School addition, looking northwest. Staircase to balcony of Sunday School, looking east. Stained glass window in the church office. The date 1868 probably marks the year of the first meetings that led to the establishment of this church. Interior view of the manse, front entry looking north. Interior view of manse's front entry, looking south. #19 Grain-painted door on the second floor of the manse.

#20 Built-in cupboard on the second floor of the manse. Photographs Page (8-86) Continuation Sheet The Railway Chapel National Register of Historic Places United States Department of the Interior NPS Form 10-900-a from rear of sanctuary. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NAME : DATE OF 16TH DAY: DATE OF 45TH DAY: N PDIL: N PERIOD: N PROGRAM UNAPPROVED: COMMENT WAIVER: N V ACCEPT ABSTRACT/ SUMMARY COMMENTS: - DISCIPLINE DOCUMENTATION see attached comments I/N see attached SLR Y/N If a nomination is returned to the nominating authority, the TELEPHONE DATE REJECT RETURN MULTIPLE REVIEWER 3/05/09 4/07/09 4/18/09 RECOM./CRITERIA OTHER: Historic Places The National Register EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET Entered in DATE RECEIVED: nomination is no longer under consideration by the NPs.

NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR DATE OF WEEKLY LIST: REASONS FOR REVIEW: REQUEST: N STATE & COUNTY: OHIO, Tuscarawas SAMPLE: STOP # 12 ,f 20 1868 EXIT WE'RE CLOSED Sorry. 7.5 MINUTE SERIES (TOPOGRAPHIC) UHRICHSVILLE QUADRANGLE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY UHRICHSVILLE, OH SCALE 124800 1994 10 x,20" FTG. ENTRANCE SELTIONS 2x4s00 FULL TION $(up2x8) SCALE ELEVATION WEST DOVER.OHIO Tuscarawas County, QH DENNISON POVER, ONIO DENNISON FIRST PRESOYTERIAN CRURCH GRANT HEATING DUCT 215WALNUT 6011 MAR 05 2009 NAT. REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES National Park Service 2280 March 2, 2009 Ms. Jan Matthews, Associate Director and Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places 1201 "T" (Eye) Street, NW Washington DC 20005 Dear Ms. Matthews: Enclosed please find four (4) new National Register nominations for Ohio.

All appropriate NEW NOMINATION Old Enon Road Stone Arch Culvert Inglewood Historic District Wells, Harvey, House I am requesting a substantive review of the Old Enon Road Stone Arch Culvert. The Ohio Historic Preservation Office and the Ohio Historic Site Preservation Office concur that the property meets National Register Criteria and retains integrity. However, during the review of the nomination questions were raised regarding the impact of the changes to the approaches and the railing upon the overall integrity of the structure's significant features, namely the stone arch as the work of a local nineteenth century stonemason. We are seeking a substantive review to reaffirm our assessment of the integrity of the nominated property.

If you have questions or comments about these documents, please contact the National Register staff in the Ohio Historic Preservation Office at (614) 298-2000. Dr. William K. Laidlaw, Jr. State Historic Preservation Officer Ohio Historic Preservation Office 567 East Hudson Street, Columbus, Ohio 43211-1030 ph: 614.298.2000 fx: 614.298.2037 COUNTY Tuscarawas www.ohiohistory.org Enclosures Sincerely, HISTORY Cuyahoga Jackson Clark OHIO OHIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY National Register notification procedures have been followed for these new submissions. The Railway Chapel RECEIVED 2280