Brooke County proudly holds title to the oldest stone chapel west of the Alleghany Mountains. Amid the center hub of Pittsburgh PA and Wheeling WV is the small city and county seat of Brooke County, Wellsburg WV.
On the halfway point of the first road into Wellsburg from Washington, PA is Pierce Run. Just a few miles from the first turnpike tunnel, west of the Alleghany Mountains on Pierce Run in Wellsburg WV sits Stone Chapel Church. It happens to be the oldest remaining stone chapel west of the Alleghanies.
This chapel is preserved and maintained by local volunteers for the common cause of preserving the building. And the significant fact that Christianity’s contribution played a big part in the settlement of America.
The first thing our fore-fathers did was build and dedicate their stone monument to God through this church and others built like it throughout the United States. This was to remind our children of the covenant made by our fathers to God.
After more than two-hundred years of weather on the exposed Northwest wall we feared the corner wall would collapse. With stone masonry becoming a lost art, the youngest stone mason to assist and guide us is in his late seventies. We had the help of several strong young men and cleaned the mud from the inside two stone wall, replaced in location and secured the mortar.
The door is open every Sunday at 12 p.m. Everyone is welcome to come by and visit to admire the original work and recent upkeep that has been done. The Stone Chapel Preservation Society’s wish is for it to be admired and appreciated in the way it was intended. Everyone is also welcome to come in and pray and the altar is open as well.