Pioneer Gothic Church
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Pioneer Gothic Church | |
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| Location | 201 N. Franklin St., Dwight, Illinois |
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| Coordinates | 41°5′43″N 88°25′34″W / 41.09528°N 88.42611°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1857 |
| NRHP reference No. | 83000325[1] |
| Added to NRHP | July 28, 1983 |
The Pioneer Gothic Church is located in the village of Dwight, Illinois, United States. The building is a rare example of an extant wood framed Carpenter Gothic church in the state of Illinois. The building was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
The Pioneer Gothic Church was built by a Presbyterian congregation in the village of Dwight, Illinois, United States, in Livingston County, in 1857.[2][3] In 1860, Prince Edward of Wales visited Dwight on a hunting expedition for wild birds and attended a church service at the Pioneer Gothic Church.[3] Between 1869 and 1891 Dwight experienced four major fires, all of which the wooden church survived.[2] The building served as a church and a township hall for Dwight Township, it is operated by the Dwight Historical Society.[4]
Architecture
The Pioneer Gothic Church is an example of wooden framed, Carpenter Gothic church building. It is an example of a rare type of building, as wood was scarce and fire frequent on the prairie that covered parts of early Illinois.[2] Though Gothic Revival style is most often associated with masonry buildings and large cathedrals wooden buildings in the style reflect the skill of the builder.[4] The Dwight Pioneer Gothic Church uses board and batten siding, more often affiliated with barns, that emphasizes the vertical nature of the building. The chamfered corners on the towers and the window pediments further reinforces this characteristic.[4]
