{"nrhp_refnum":"78002355","name":"Red Hill Church and School","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Durham Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Ottsville","county":"Bucks County","state":"PA","lat":40.46933070500006,"lon":-75.15721165999997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-05-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A stone church with stucco walls and a one-room stone schoolhouse across an inner court, located on Durham Road in Tinicum Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The church was built in 1766 and the school in 1843.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church is an excellent example of the earliest form of Protestant church architecture in the area. Its plain interior, with a central pulpit platform, is presented as a true picture of early Protestant worship centered on Bible reading and preaching. The land lies within the 1737 Walking Purchase, and the building was used by several congregations over time.","narrative":"Built of local stone and covered with stucco, the Red Hill Church was begun in 1766 on Durham Road in Tinicum Township, Bucks County. Its walls are 19 inches thick, and its floor boards lie over massive wood beams set directly in the earth. The one-room interior has a central aisle, two rows of pews, a central pulpit platform at the rear, and balconies on three sides supported by heavy square columns. An iron chandelier holding eight kerosene lamps hangs over the pulpit area. Across the inner court stands a one-story plastered stone schoolhouse built in 1843, with a cupola holding a bell. The church was shared by Presbyterian, Lutheran and Reformed congregations, and it was abandoned around 1920. It was restored and reopened for services in 1959. The church is regarded as an excellent example of early Protestant church architecture in the area, with a plain interior that reflects Reformation-era worship.","period_of_significance":"1766-1843","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"The church was restored and first services were held in it in 1959; the schoolhouse is currently used for community meetings.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:29.489533-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/78002355.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002355/c8bfd1246e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002355/c8bfd1246e-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"PattiParker","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Red_Hill_Church_Ottsville.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">PattiParker</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Red_Hill_Church_Ottsville.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71996863","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Hill_Church_and_School","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7304267"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/bucks-county/red-hill-church-and-school-78002355/"}