St. Peter's Church in the Great Valley
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St. Peter's Church in the Great Valley
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St. Peter's Church in the Great Valley, April 2010
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| Location | South of Phoenixville off Pennsylvania Route 423, East Whiteland Township, Pennsylvania |
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| Coordinates | 40°4′5″N 75°31′33″W / 40.06806°N 75.52583°WCoordinates: 40°4′5″N 75°31′33″W / 40.06806°N 75.52583°W |
| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1744 |
| Architectural style | Colonial |
| NRHP reference # | 77001155 |
| Added to NRHP | November 21, 1977 |
St. Peter's Church in the Great Valley is a historic Episcopal church. It was first began as a missionary parish of the Church of England before the Revolutionary War. The church is located in Malvern and near Phoenixville, East Whiteland Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. A more detailed history of the church is on their website.
The current stone church building was constructed in 1744 to replace an earlier wooden building. The original building was a stone structure with a medium pitched gable roof measuring 47 feet by 28 feet. A two-story addition was built in 1856, and the 1 1/2-story Parish House added in 1901. The building was renovated in the 1940s under the direction of R. Brognard Okie. During the American Revolution, the church was used as a hospital by both British and American forces. By local tradition, after the nearby Battle of Paoli in 1777 the British army, recognizing St. Peter’s as part of the Church of England, oversaw the burial of a British officer (believed to be Captain William Wolfe, commander of the Light Company of the British 40th Regiment of Foot), at least two other unidentified British soldiers, and at least five unidentified American soldiers killed in the battle. The British and American men are buried side by side along the old west wall of the churchyard. Several small American and British flags are traditionally kept at the graves out of respect for the soldiers from both armies.
The growing congregation built "the Barn" designed in a style reminiscent of the original Welsh barns in the area.
St. Peter's Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.
Sheep trim the grass in the graveyard.
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Wikipedia