St. Stephen's Church
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
Built of native sandstone near the remains of the Bradys Bend Iron Company furnaces in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, St. Stephen's Protestant Episcopal Church is a one-story Gothic church with a steeply pitched slate gable roof, buttresses, twin-lancet side windows and red brick window surrounds and courses. The Bradys Bend Iron Company granted the land in 1867 to each of six religious groups for a payment of one dollar, and the Episcopal congregation, largely made up of Welsh, Cornish and English immigrant workers, completed the stone building in 1868. Of the six original grantees, St. Stephen's was the only one to build in stone, and it is the only surviving stone church from the iron boom era in the town. The congregation declined after the furnace closed in the 1873 financial panic. Later alterations for community use included dormers and the removal of the steeple. The building is significant for its architecture and its link to the company town's religious and industrial past.
Significance in brief: The church is one of six congregations to receive land from the Bradys Bend Iron Company in 1867 and is the only one of those original grantees built of stone that survives from the iron-industry period. It is considered a fine, somewhat altered example of rural Gothic style, with buttresses, lancet windows and brick trim. The nomination also ties it to the town's iron-making history and its immigrant congregation.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 80003408, listed June 30, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | PA 68, Bradys Bend |
|---|---|
| County | Armstrong County |
| Listed | June 30, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80003408 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1867-1868 |
| Architectural style | Gothic |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Religion |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Not in use at the time of the nomination; a movement was underway to convert it to a community center or restore it as a historic site. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 40.99459, -79.63064 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Religious properties are listed for their architectural or historical significance, not their religious use. Listing is honorary and does not restrict the congregation's use of the building. The federal rehabilitation credit is generally unavailable unless part of the building is income-producing; some state programmes and preservation grants do cover religious buildings. Federal funding or permits trigger Section 106 review.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 80003408.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16899627
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.