St. Stanislaus Institute
Also known as: St. Stanislaus Orphanage; Holy Child Church
Why it's listed
Sheatown, a village in Newport Township near Nanticoke, is the setting for this campus of brick, stucco and clay-block buildings erected between 1918 and 1939. The first building, the boys' dormitory, was dedicated on July 4, 1919, and housed 200 children in its first years. A girls' dormitory designed by Alexander Prawdzik followed in 1924, with a rectory and a laundry and boiler house added in 1939 along with the Holy Child chapel. The institution was founded by the Polish parishes of the Scranton Diocese, which raised funds to buy the land and build the orphanage for children who had lost parents to the influenza outbreak, mining accidents and wartime deaths. Children were schooled, cared for medically and housed until age sixteen. The Diocese closed the facility in 1972. The buildings are regarded as significant for their association with Catholic social welfare and the Polish community in the Wyoming Valley.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the campus is locally significant under Criterion A for its association with Catholic orphanage care in the Diocese of Scranton, serving Polish children for over sixty years. It documents the Polish parish community that founded the institution and the social welfare programs it ran, including schooling, medical clinics and residential care.
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 08001267, listed December 30, 2008. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 141 Old Newport St., Newport Township |
|---|---|
| County | Luzerne County |
| Listed | December 30, 2008 |
| Reference number | 08001267 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1918-1958 |
| Architect / builder | Alexander I. Prawdzik (architect, Girls Building); Construction Service Company, Inc. (builder, Girls Building); Ralph M. Herr (architect, chapel); A. Grosek Construction Company (builder, chapel) |
| Architectural style | Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival; Modern Movement |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Buildings A, B and D stand vacant; Building C is an active parish church; the former rectory is a private home. |
| Acreage | 4.1 |
| Coordinates | 41.19242, -76.01598 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
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 08001267.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7591702
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.