e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia Online

St. John's Chapel

Churches Section 9 of 12

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St. John's Chapel, located near the Sweet Springs resort in Monroe County, is one of the oldest Roman Catholic churches in West Virginia. The chapel was built around 1859 by the Lewis family, wealthy landowners in the area. It was built in the Greek Revival style and is near the grave of Virginia Governor John Floyd, whose daughter, Letitia, converted to Catholicism and helped establish the church.

St. John's Chapel served several different groups: Irish immigrants who worked at the nearby resort and on the railroad, wealthy Catholic landowners like the Lewises, and Black workers who lived on the nearby Lynnside estate.

Church activity decreased after the Civil War.

The building was restored and rededicated in 1983. It was later added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.