St. Stephen's Old Stone Church

St. Stephen's Old Stone Church is a Protestant Episcopal Church located near the remains of the Bradys Bend Iron Company furnaces. In 1867, the company's trustees granted a parcel of land to each of six religious groups upon receiving $1.00. The church's parishioners took advantage of this offer and erected a small Gothic sanctuary for the original six congregations that were granted land. St. Stephen's was the only one to build a stone structure. The other five were of frame construction, and only one of them exists today.

The church is a one-story structure with a steeply pitched slate gable roof. Built of readily available native sandstone, the congregation wanted a permanent house of worship, believing their thriving iron industry would remain prosperous. Red brick exterior window casements and courses of brick around the building highlight the construction. Exterior dimensions measure 36 feet in width, 68 feet in length, and 10 feet to the uppermost peak of the roof. Interior dimensions measure 23 feet 4 inches in sidth, 60 feet in length, and 35 feet to the inside roof peak.

St Stephens has numerous Gothic characteristics. Buttresses support the masonry walls. An artistically crafted tracery window is located above the cusped doorway. Pointed arches on the top of four twin-lancet windows in each of the two side walls are placed high in the front and rear walls. A circular stained glass window in the gable's peak above the doorway contains the design of a descending dove with outspread wings. The wooden spine no longer exists.

The original interior plan was arranged for use as a conventional church sanctuary, with a chancel area in front and a chimney built inside the rear wall. Sconces were attached along both sides of the windows to provide light for nighttime use of the sanctuary.

The church was purchased in 1925 by Mr. Edward R. Dewey and designated as a facility to be made available for community meetings and social gatherings. At this time, alterations were made to adapt the building to these uses. Two dormers were built into each side of the roof, one of the side lancet windows was converted into an exit (although the upper portion of the windows still remains), and the steeple was removed. It is probable that the porch was also added to the front of the church until these other changes were made.

St. Stephen's is a fine, although somewhat altered, example of a rural Gothic-style church. The congregation was one of six to receive land from The Bradys Bend Iron Company in 1867. Of the six original grantees, The structure is the only stone church remaining from the period when the iron industry was thriving. The only other extant structure is of frame construction. In fact, of the eleven churches in Bradys Bend, St. Stephen's is the only stone church.

This little church is well-represented in the Gothic style. Its sandstone construction is replete with buttresses and a steeply pitched gable roof. Double lancet windows with pointed arches are found on the sides of the structure; triple windows with the same arches are located in the front and rear. An interesting variation is the use of brick to outline the windows and to trace courses around the building.

Land grants were given by the trustees of the Bradys Bend Iron Company for schools and churches to accommodate the needs of employees and their families. The company acquired possession of the Great Western Iron Works in 1844. Already on the property was a merchant mill for manufacturing iron nails and merchant iron. A second blast furnace was erected by the Brarlys Bend Company in 1845. Most important was the manufacture of strap iron rails and, later, T-rails. The Brady Bend Iron Company became one of the leading rail-road iron manufacturers in the state.

In 1867, one of these land grants went to the Episcopalian residents of the town. Many of these were immigrants from the British Isles, including Welsh, Cornish, and English workmen. These people wanted to raise their families in the religious traditions of their ancestors. They were quite willing to attempt to establish a congregation and build a house of worship.

The organization began under the direction of a missionary from the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburg, the Reverend B.F. Brown. The Chapter of Incorporation of St. Stephen's Church of Bradys Bend was submitted to a standing committee of the Diocese in 1867 and accepted in the same year. The church building was completed in 1868. St. Stephen's was the only stone church within a twenty-mile radius of the town.

In 1873, the furnace shut down due to the nation's financial panic. As workers left to look for jobs elsewhere, the congregation lost members. As a result of this loss, it later disbanded. The property returned to the ownership of the Bradys Bend Iron Company. Because of its enduring construction and position along a main road, St. Stephen's Church survived as a valued building, if not as a house of worship.

Mr. Edward W. Dewey purchased the Bradys Bend. Iron Company in 1901 and placed everything in the Dewey Trust Estate. The latest owner, the American Legion, purchased the property from Mr. Dewey's son.

Currently, St. Stephen's Church is not in use, and it is feared that the owner will sell the building to dismantle it for the stone and other valuable parts. Thus, there began a movement in the town to make it into a community center or to restore it to its historic spot connected with the iron manufacturing center. St. Stephen's Church may again be a focal point of civic pride and historical significance.