The Fate of Allegheny Chapel

 

The Fate of Allegheny Chapel

The Allegheney Chapel, once a prominent religious landmark in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, faced a decline in membership and ultimately met an unfortunate end. The sources indicate that the chapel was abandoned and slated for demolition.

• Declining Membership: By the time the source was written, the Allegheney Chapel only had 11 remaining members. Of these, only 4 were landowners, and the rest were preparing to relocate from the mountain.

• Shared Use and Abandonment by Methodists: The chapel was unusual in that it served two denominations: the German Baptist Brethren and the Methodists. However, the Methodists had stopped using the building for several years prior to the source being written.

• Decision to Demolish: Due to the small and dwindling congregation, and the Methodists' withdrawal from using the chapel, the decision was made to demolish the structure in the spring.

• Division of Materials: The plan was to divide the building materials equally between the two denominations after the demolition.

  • Methodist Plans: The Methodists intended to use their share of the lumber to construct classrooms for the Arbovale church.
  • Brethren Uncertainty: The Brethren had not yet decided how they would utilize their portion of the materials, but one possibility was to build a new church to accommodate some of their members who belonged to the Boyer congregation.

The Allegheney Chapel, once a symbol of religious unity in a challenging environment, ultimately succumbed to the pressures of dwindling membership and changing community dynamics. The decision to dismantle it marked the end of an era for the chapel and its congregation.