National Register of Historic Places

Forty Fort Meetinghouse

Forty Fort, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
Listed
November 3, 1988
Type
Building
Period
Early Republic
Ref No.
88002373

About this property

Forty Fort Meetinghouse is a historic meeting house at River Street and Wyoming Avenue in the Old Forty Fort Cemetery in Forty Fort, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1806–08 in a New England meeting house style with white clapboard siding and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. The first European settler in the area came from Connecticut in the late 18th century. In 1768 public lands were set aside in the area for churches by the Susquehanna Company, but because of the Yankee-Pennamite Wars and the American Revolution actual building of the churches was delayed by over 30 years. An unfinished meetinghouse nearby was destroyed after the Battle of Wyoming in 1778. Joseph Hitchcock of New Haven, Connecticut, who also designed the Old Ship Zion Church in Wilkes-Barre, designed the meetinghouse. It was the first completed church used for religious services in the area. It was a Union Church with both Congregationalist (now Presbyterians) and Methodists worshipping in the church. By 1837, both groups had built their own churches, and the meetinghouse has been used rarely since. In 1869, the Forty Fort Cemetery Association was created by the Pennsylvania state legislature and the Association still owns the church and cemetery. Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. PA-21, "Forty Fort Meetinghouse, River Street, Forty Fort, Luzerne County, PA", 4 photos, 9 measured drawings, 3 data pages, supplemental material

Location

Forty Fort, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
41.28463, -75.87137

Categories

ARCHITECTURERELIGION
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Forty Fort Meetinghouse

This page lists Forty Fort Meetinghouse. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Forty Fort Meetinghouse report
Or see a real report first

Nearby Historic Sites

Denison House
Early Republic
1.1 mi
Swetland Homestead
Industrial
1.5 mi
Bridge in City of Wilkes-Barre
Industrial
1.7 mi
St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church and School Building
Industrial
1.8 mi
Wyoming Monument
Early Republic
1.9 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Wyoming Valley Jul 3 1778
1778Revolutionary War
2.1 mi
Battle of Wyoming Valley Massacre
1778Revolutionary War
2.2 mi
Wyoming Valley Massacre
1778Revolutionary War
2.7 mi
Wyoming Valley Aftermath - Battle at Wyoming
1778Revolutionary War
2.7 mi
Wyoming Valley — Fort Wyoming Skirmishes
1778Revolutionary War
2.8 mi

Questions about this property

When was Forty Fort Meetinghouse listed on the National Register?

Forty Fort Meetinghouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 3, 1988.

What type of historic resource is Forty Fort Meetinghouse?

Forty Fort Meetinghouse is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Forty Fort Meetinghouse?

The period of significance for Forty Fort Meetinghouse is recorded as the early_republic era.

Can I research the history near Forty Fort Meetinghouse?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Forty Fort Meetinghouse will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in Luzerne County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Luzerne County.

Explore LuzerneCounty ›

More historic places in Pennsylvania

Browse all historic places in Pennsylvania.

View Pennsylvaniahistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

Pennsylvania history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

Pennsylvaniahistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near Forty Fort Meetinghouse will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.

Research your locationView a free sample report