Old St. Luke's Church
Scott Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Oldest Episcopal Church in southwestern Pennsylvania, founded after the French & Indian War by veteran Maj. William Lea on his land grant. Francis Reno was the first vicar. Church members included Gen. John Neville, the unpopular tax collector in 1794 Whiskey Rebellion that disrupted the area and unsettled the congregation. Renewed interest in 1852 led to this stone church, with its 1823 English Pipe organ, the first brought over the Alleghenies.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
After the French and Indian War, veteran Maj. William Lea founded this congregation on his land grant, making it the oldest Episcopal church in southwestern Pennsylvania, with Francis Reno as first vicar. Its members included Gen. John Neville, the deeply unpopular federal tax collector whose office helped spark the 1794 Whiskey Rebellion that convulsed the surrounding country. A revival of interest in 1852 produced the stone church that stands today, home to an 1823 English pipe organ said to be the first carried over the Alleghenies.
Why it matters
Old St. Luke's ties together the frontier settlement that followed the French and Indian War and the Whiskey Rebellion, the young republic's first great test of federal taxing power.
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Related people
- · William Lea
- · Francis Reno
- · John Neville
Related events
- · Whiskey Rebellion
Themes & tags
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