St. Mary's and St. Anthony's churches, Fern Street between School and Main Streets


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History of Freeland, Pa.
Freeland, then and now - Churches and other buildings


What's on this page:

  • Gallery of old postcards and modern photographs showing churches and other buildings
On related pages:

MAPPING THE PRESENT ONTO THE PAST

 Here Charlie Gallagher provides more modern views of sites originally captured in old photographic postcards. He walked around Freeland recently, looking for the spots where a number of these old postcard views of Freeland streets were photographed from. Once he felt that he was in the right spots, he made new photographs of the same general views, 100+ years. Most of the old postcards are mine, and a few of the older views were provided courtesy of John Zubach.


CHURCHES AND OTHER BUILDINGS:

St. Luke's, Main Street, looking east St. Luke's, Main Street, looking east










View at left: This is the corner of Main and Washington Streets, looking east toward the Public Park. The original St. Luke's Church is on the left, and the Cottage Hotel is on the right. St. Luke's was the first church built in Freeland, built in 1876-1877. The wooden structure was replaced by the current stone church in 1924.


St. Luke's, Main Street, looking east St. Luke's, Main Street, looking east










View at left: This is Bethel Baptist Church, at the corner of Walnut and Ridge Streets. This fine old postcard view comes to us courtesy of Captain Clint.


St. John's Reformed United Church of Christ, at Washington and Chestnut Streets St. John's Reformed United Church of Christ, at Washington and Chestnut Streets










View at left: St. John's Reformed United Church of Christ, at Washington and Chestnut Streets. The congregation was founded in 1882 and this wooden church was built in the late 1880s by members of the reformed faith who had previously been part of St. Luke's congregation. The newer brick church was built on the same spot and dedicated in 1934.




Polish and Slovak churches, Ridge Street below Luzerne Street Polish and Slovak churches, Ridge Street below Luzerne Street










View at left: This postcard shows St. Casimir's and St. John Nepomucene's Churches in the 1890s or very early 1900s. St. Casimir's initial wooden church was built in 1886 and replaced on the same site by the current structure in 1934. St. John's initial wooden church was built in 1892 and replaced by the current stone structure in 1915, according to the cornerstone. The new church was built a few blocks away on Vine Street, between Luzerne and South Streets. Both wooden churches are shown in the view at left, in this postcard looking down an unpaved Ridge Street from just above Luzerne Street. The original St. John's Nepomucene was used as a church hall for many years, but was finally torn down. The site is now an empty lot.


St. Mary's and St. Anthony's churches, Fern Street between School and Main Streets St. Mary's and St. Anthony's churches, Fern Street between School and Main Streets










View at left: The first St. Mary's Church was built in 1887, on the site of the center church in the postcard, and the current church was built at the top of the hill in 1907. The middle church building in this photograph is a renovation of the first church building, and would later be the site of St. Mary's School. St. Anthony's Church was first built as a wooden church in 1901, and later rebuilt as a brick structure in 1940.


Park United Methodist Church, on Main Street next to the Public Park Park United Methodist Church, on Main Street next to the Public Park










View at left: Park United Methodist Church was built at its current location at Main Street next to the Public Park in 1895, replacing an earlier church built on Birkbeck Street in 1874, called the Trinity Methodist Church in South Heberton (between Upper Lehigh and Freeland). This is a somewhat oblique view looking east along Main Street toward the Public Park, with the church on the right at the end of the street.


Presbyterian Church, on Front Street between Washington and Pine Streets Presbyterian Church, on Front Street between Washington and Pine Streets










View at left: The first Presbyterian Church building in Freeland was a wooden church dedicated in 1894, moved from Eckley. The building was remodeled to the current brick structure in 1916. Many members of the Eckley, Upper Lehigh and Sandy Run Presbyterian churches joined the Freeland church as their own churches were abandoned due to decline in those communities. This postcard shows the first of the two Freeland church buildings, looking down Front Street toward the Public Park.


Girls Loyalty Club, later Ss. Peter & Paul's Eastern Greek Catholic Church, at Walnut and School Streets Ss. Peter & Paul's Eastern Greek Catholic Church, formerly the Girls Loyalty Club, at Walnut and School Streets










View at left: This building was built to house Sophia Coxe's Girls' Loyalty Club, a school for local girls. She died in 1926, and in the 1930s the building was given in her honor to be used as Ss. Peter & Paul's Eastern Greek Catholic Church, dedicated in 1938. The colonial revival-style building was modified to meet the needs of the parish.


Mining & Mechanical Institute, Centre Street below Carbon Street Mining & Mechanical Institute, Centre Street below Carbon Street










View at left: The Mining & Mechanical Institute (MMI) was first opened in Drifton in 1879. After a devastating fire in 1888, the school reopened in temporary quarters in the Birkbeck Block on Centre Street just above Main Street, in 1893. A new school building, shown at left, was completed in late 1902. According to the 11th edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, MMI was modelled after the German Steigerschulen, with elementary and secondary departments and a night school for workmen. The school was gradually transformed into a college preparatory school, and was recently renovated and expanded.


Freeland Hall and the De Pierro Brothers' Restaurant, Centre and Front Streets Freeland Hall and the De Pierro Brothers' Restaurant, Centre and Front Streets












View at left: The De Pierro Brothers' Restaurant, run by Salvatore and Rocco F. De Pierro, was located at the corner of Front and Centre Streets. The building next door was Freeland Hall, which had Joseph Neuberger's store on its first floor, and spaces for meetings upstairs. This old photo came from John Zubach.



See also the related page of views for north/south streets.

See also the related page of views for east/west streets.


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Site contructed by C. Tancin.
The URL for this page is: http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/ct0u/frldstreets-then-now.html