The Historical Society of the Phoenixville Area is sponsoring a tour of the Churches of the North Side of Phoenixville on Thursday, July 29th from 5:30-7:30 P.M. The Holy Trinity Parish on Dayton Street is the first stop on the tour, which will progress eventually to St. Mary of the Assumption Parish and then to St. Mary’s Cemetery and the House of Bernard McKernan, among other important historic sites. HSPA will enlighten the public concerning the many different cultural backgrounds reflected in the churches, including Irish, Polish, Slovakian and Ukrainian heritages. Architecture of the early houses from the 1840s-1850s and human interest stories of Tunnel Hill will also be emphasized.
Holy Trinity Church, built in 1903, is a Polish-American parish that prides itself in its heritage. They will have a history display for the public of rare photos and artifacts. A main feature is the hand-carved wood alter from Poland. The second stop, the Dayton Street Public School is one of the first public schools in Phoenixville, which began admitting students in the1840s. Another stop on the tour, St. Mary of the Assumption Parish, is an Irish-American parish, which also warmly welcomed Italians in the middle of the Nineteenth century. Built in 1840, St. Mary’s was Phoenixville’s first Catholic church, and one of the first in the region. It was built by hand by Irish immigrants with their own money. These immigrants that came to Phoenixville to build the Black Rock Tunnel and Schuylkill Canal. The fourth stop, St. Mary’s cemetery, holds Civil War soldier’s graves that were killed at Gettysburg and Antietam. Also the first priest of the St. Mary’s rests there. St. Mary’s school, which dates back to the mid-19th century, is also included in the tour.
The house of Bernard McKernan., who was the last survivor of the famous Charge of the Light Brigade, is a high point of the walk. The Charge occurred during the Crimean War of 1854 where the proud Irish Mc Kernan fought with the British Light Brigade Cavalry. He came to Phoenixville to work in the Phoenix Iron Company and was buried in Black Rock Cemetery, which is part of St. Mary’s Church holdings.
Bottled water will be provided at the start of the tour. Refreshments at the conclusion of the tour will be at the Foundry Building on Main Street. Tours will be available there as well for those interested. For more information, visit the Historical Society’s website at: http://www.hspa-pa.org/
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