Third and Queen, Pe Ell, Washington. County/parish: Lewis.
Added to the National Register of Historic Places September 02, 1987. NRIS 87001456.
1 contributing building.
Holy Cross Polish National Catholic Church was a historic Polish National Catholic Church (PNCC) at Third and Queen in Pe Ell, Washington. The parish was the first PNCC church organized and constructed in Washington state, and was one of a few of such type in the Western United States. The structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
The Polish-American community in the town started a new congregation after feeling an original Catholic church was no longer meeting their cultural needs. Organized, constructed, and dedicated in 1916, the church was in the architectural style of Late Gothic Revival and featured two symmetrical bell towers at the main entrance, Gothic windows, a barrel vault ceiling, and hand-carved altarpieces.
The congregation, historically small but open to any person of Polish or Lithuanian ancestry, weathered declining membership, funding, and a closure during the Great Depression. Reopening under Episcopal ministry in the late 1930s, the church remained active as a Polish cultural parish but a repeat decline of membership began in the 1960s. By the late 1980s, attendance was sparse, and despite a brief increase the following decade, the church waned further. The last liturgical services were held at the turn of the 21st century.
Items within the church were sold during the 2000s to help raise funds to maintain the structure. Continuing funding difficulties and declining membership led the building to fall into decay. The church, despite some opposition and remaining in a mostly unaltered state, was demolished in full by March 2010. Holy Cross Polish National Catholic Church was the last remaining Polish National Catholic church in the state.
(read more...)National Park Service documentation: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75612816