Endangered Treasures

As we endeavor to preserve the past, the Yorktown Historical Society has identified buildings which have unique historical and/or architectural features. The "stone chapel" is a prime example.

(Click on thumbnail photos to view full-sized pictures.)

The lovely Normandy-style chapel sits empty at the intersection of East Main Street and Route 6, on the border of the hamlets of Shrub Oak and Mohegan Lake. Once the home of St. George's Roman Catholic congregation, and later of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parish, the beautiful building has been unused for more than 15 years.

Erected in 1913 by the LaFarge family, the chapel was designed by the architectural firm of George Heins, the designer of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City.

In 1980, during the fund-raising drive for the current St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church on East Main Street in Shrub Oak, letters were written to the North County News urging preservation of the chapel. Click on the following links to read these letters and learn more about the chapel.

• A Plea to the Parishioners of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
• Church Bell or Wrecker's Ball for Seton?
• Plans to Turn Church into Eatery Unveiled
• The History Behind Two Historic Structures in Yorktown