St. Thomas the Apostle Church (Glen Mills)

Photo taken in 2017 of the Old St. Thomas' Church built in 1856

St. Thomas the Apostle Church is a Roman Catholic church built in 1856 in Glen Mills, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located at 430 Valleybrook Road. It is the oldest Roman Catholic parish in Pennsylvania[1] and is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

History

St. Thomas the Apostle Church began as a Roman Catholic mission in Delaware County in 1730 in Concord Township at the home of the Thomas Willcox family.[2][3] In 1837, Saint Mary's Chapel was built as part of the new Willcox mansion. The mansion was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 as part of the Ivy Mills Historic District.

Eventually the size of the congregation was sufficient to warrant the construction of a church.[4] The cost of the new church was carried chiefly by James M. Willcox, the then proprietor of Ivy Mills.[5] A tract of land was purchased from Nicholas F. Walter on August 26, 1852.[6] The St. Thomas' church was completed in 1856. The cornerstone was dedicated by Bishop St. John Neumann. In 1957, an elementary school and convent were built. In 1991, a newer, larger church was built next to the original St. Thomas' Church.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Friends of Old St. Thomas Website". www.friendsofoldstthomas.org. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  2. ↑ Jordan, John W. (1912). A History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania and Its People. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company. p. 394. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  3. ↑ Records of the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia (Vol. VI ed.). Philadelphia: The American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia. 1895. p. 460. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  4. ↑ "National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Ivy Mills Historic District" (PDF). dot7.state.pa.us. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  5. ↑ Ashmeade, Henry Graham (1884). History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania (PDF). Philadelphia: L.H. Everts & Co. p. 492. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
  6. ↑ Jordan, John W. (1912). A History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania and Its People. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company. p. 415. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  7. ↑ "Friends of Old St. Thomas Church Website". www.friendsofoldstthomas.org. Retrieved 30 June 2017.


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