Tacony Baptist Church, 1884
4715 Disston Street, Philadelphia PA 19135
(north side between Hegerman Street and Vandike Street)
© Harry C. Silcox, Ed.D.,
Workshop of the World (Oliver Evans Press,
1990).
One of the most unusual
church buildings in the United States is the Tacony
Baptist Church. It reflects the importance of the Disston
Saw Works to the community and the constructive use of
industrial waste at the turn of the century. Built in
1884, the church added a wing in 1915 built from the
discarded grindstones from the Disston Saw Works. The
stones were trimmed so that they no longer look like
grindstones, but two round grindstones set in the
sidewalk remind churchgoers why it is the Grindstone
Church. The bell in the church was cast in 1860 in
Philadelphia. Used at Logan Square in 1864 to raise money
for hospitalized soldiers of the Civil War, it was bought
by Henry Disston to be used at his Front and Laurel
Street factory. The bell was brought to Tacony when the
Laurel Street plant closed and sat in the yard until it
was loaned to the church in 1915. It has called the
faithful to worship since then. The church remains the
only known sandstone church structure built of industrial
by-products in America. 1
1 "Tacony"
pamphlet
available in the Tacony Collection, Tacony Public
Library, (n.d.).
Update May
2007 (by
Torben Jenk):
Survives in good shape. The
signboard in front states, "Founded Dec. 4, 1882," while
the date stone on the sandstone entrance reads,
"1915."