St. Thomas the Apostle Church (Glen Mills)

St. Thomas the Apostle Church is a Catholic parish in Glen Mills, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Its historic church, located at 430 Valleybrook Road, was built in 1856.

Photo taken in 2017 of the Old St. Thomas' Church built in 1856

It was the first parish in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and the oldest in the state of Pennsylvania.[1]

History

St. Thomas the Apostle Church began as a Catholic mission in Delaware County, Pennsylvania in 1730 in Concord Township at the home of the Thomas Willcox family.[2][3] In 1837, Saint Mary's Chapel was built as part of the new Willcox mansion. The mansion was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 as part of the Ivy Mills Historic District.

A tract of land was purchased from Nicholas F. Walter for the construction of a church on August 26, 1852.[4] [5] The cost of the new church was carried chiefly by the proprietor of Ivy Mills, James M. Willcox.[6] Construction was completed in 1856 and the cornerstone was dedicated by Bishop St.John Neumann. In 1957, an elementary school and convent were built. In 1991, a larger church was built next to the original St. Thomas' Church.[1]

Notable burials
  • "St.Thomas the Apostle Church". stparishgm.org. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  • "Thomas Willcox Family". Retrieved 30 June 2017.

References
  1. "Friends of Old St. Thomas Website". www.friendsofoldstthomas.org. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  2. Jordan, John W. (1912). A History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania and Its People. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company. p. 394. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  3. Records of the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia (Vol. VI ed.). Philadelphia: The American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia. 1895. p. 460. Retrieved 1 July 2017.
  4. Jordan, John W. (1912). A History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania and Its People. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company. p. 415. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  5. "National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Ivy Mills Historic District" (PDF). dot7.state.pa.us. Retrieved 30 June 2017.
  6. Ashmeade, Henry Graham (1884). History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: L.H. Everts & Co. p. 492. Retrieved 2 July 2017.

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