{"nrhp_refnum":"84003304","name":"St. Paul's Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"901 E. Lincoln Hwy.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Exton","county":"Chester County","state":"PA","lat":40.03304554700003,"lon":-75.59012593099999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-09-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"St. Paul's Church is an Episcopal church at 901 East Lincoln Highway in West Whiteland Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. The original stone-dashed church dates from 1828-29, and the building was substantially rebuilt with Gothic alterations in 1871-72.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church is significant under criterion C as an example of Gothic Revival architecture, noted for the restrained manner of its Gothic elements compared with other Gothic Revival churches in the Great Valley. It also stresses the congregation's role in local religious life, its founding by former Quakers, and its long relationship with the Church Farm School.","narrative":"Stone church at 901 East Lincoln Highway in West Whiteland Township, Chester County, begun in 1828 and consecrated by Bishop William White on May 28, 1829. The original one-story building was substantially rebuilt in 1871-72 with Gothic elements, including a chancel, pointed-arch openings, dressed stone trimming and a vestibule with bell tower and spire. The Gothic work is restrained, in contrast to the more elaborate Gothic Revival churches common in the Great Valley. The congregation was founded largely by former Quakers, many of them members of the Thomas and Jacob families, and it is the township's oldest religious congregation apart from Grove Methodist Church. The church also maintained a close relationship with the Church Farm School, founded in 1918 as a farm and industrial school for boys. The adjoining cemetery holds graves of early local families and is enclosed by a fieldstone wall built in 1843.","period_of_significance":"1820-39/1860-79","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Rural Gothic","criteria":["C"],"status_note":null,"vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:33.704555-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/84003304.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84003304/e5ee7a1a24-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84003304/e5ee7a1a24-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Pauls_1828.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Pauls_1828.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71992736","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Paul%27s_Episcopal_Church_(Exton,_Pennsylvania)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7591102"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/chester-county/st-pauls-church-84003304/"}