National Register of Historic Places
Alleghany Mennonite Meetinghouse
Brecknock Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania
The record
- Listed
- June 6, 2009
- Type
- Building
- Address
- 39 Horning Rd., Brecknock Township
- County
- Berks
- State
- Pennsylvania
- Contributing resources
- 1 building, 1 site
- Coordinates
- 40.23330, -75.97161
- Reference number
- 09000384
The story
Written by AI from this property's National Register nomination and the record above; every sentence is checked against its sources before it appears here. Corrections: privacy@treealive.com
The Alleghany Mennonite Meetinghouse is a one-story building at 39 Horning Rd. in Brecknock Township, Berks County, built in 1855 in a Pennsylvania German meetinghouse style.
Why it's listed
It was listed in the National Register in 2009 under criteria A, B, C and D, with local-level significance in architecture. Its period of significance is 1855, reflecting the year the meetinghouse was built.
Physical character
The walls and foundation are sandstone, and the roof is red cedar shingles, replaced in 1997. The rectangular building has a gambrel roof and gable roof, paneled entrance doors and shuttered windows. A chimney was removed in 1990, and the remaining chimneys were removed in 1997. Privies were added in 1950, a well was drilled and hand pump installed in 2001, and the woodwork was repainted in 2005.
Historical context
In 1745, Jacob Bauman obtained a land warrant for the property; the meetinghouse was built in 1855 by volunteer Mennonite Society members and neighbors. Regular services continued until 1954, and an annual outdoor Bible school ran from 1950 to 1970. From 1970 to 1977 the building saw occasional use by friends, and an annual outdoor service was held in 1977. In 1994, the Alleghany Mennonite Historical Association formed to oversee the property.