{"nrhp_refnum":"88002373","name":"Forty Fort Meetinghouse","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"River St. and Wyoming Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Forty Fort","county":"Luzerne County","state":"PA","lat":41.284634296000036,"lon":-75.87137095999998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1988-11-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"The Forty Fort Meeting House is a wood frame New England-style meeting house within the Old Forty Fort Cemetery in the Borough of Forty Fort, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1807-1808 to a design by Joseph Hitchcock of New Haven, Connecticut.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is a rare surviving example of New England-influenced meeting house architecture in northeastern Pennsylvania and is exceptionally well preserved from an early period of Wyoming Valley settlement. It also represents the long-delayed establishment of organized religion in the area, shared by Congregationalist/Presbyterian and Methodist congregations.","narrative":"Built in 1807-1808 to a design by Joseph Hitchcock of New Haven, Connecticut, the Forty Fort Meeting House is a white clapboard, wood frame building standing on a stone foundation in the Old Forty Fort Cemetery in the Borough of Forty Fort, Luzerne County. It measures fifty feet by forty feet, with its main entrance on the long south side, and its interior holds a raised pulpit, enclosed pews, and a surrounding gallery supported by four turned wooden columns. The interior was completed in the winter of 1807-08 under Gideon Underwood. Built for two congregations, the Congregationalist/Presbyterians and the Methodists, it was a rare outcome after decades of delay caused by conflicting land claims, Indian attacks, and the Revolution. Its interior remains largely unaltered, and it is regarded as the least altered example of New England-influenced church architecture in the immediate area. The building is still used, albeit sporadically, for worship and community events.","period_of_significance":"1807-1808","architect_builder":"Joseph Hitchcock (architect); Gideon Underwood (interior design)","architectural_style":"New England Meeting House","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"The building is kept in excellent condition and is still used, albeit sporadically, for community worship services and other activities.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:37.858853-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/88002373.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88002373/0d24f5c9a3-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88002373/0d24f5c9a3-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"John Jennings","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Forty_Fort_Meetinghouse.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">John Jennings</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Forty_Fort_Meetinghouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71995610","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forty_Fort_Meetinghouse","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5472967"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/luzerne-county/forty-fort-meetinghouse-88002373/"}