Musings in Ohio: exploring the Winegardener Chapel.
A journey into the Mountain State had been long overdue. After traversing much of West Virginia in search of abandoned residences, schools, and hospitals several years ago, I felt compelled to undertake a more comprehensive return visit. While not an obscenely distant destination from my current residence in Cincinnati, Ohio, the majority of my previous trips to the state had been to embark on backpacking excursions through the wildernesses and national forests that blanket the region. Exploring derelict buildings had seemed like a secondary mission or a side trip undertaken only when time permitted. Furthermore, there existed an abundance of abandonments closer to my abode.
However, this perspective shifted upon obtaining legal access to Sweet Springs Resort, situated on the border with Virginia. Any length or difficulty of the drive would be worth the opportunity to visit such a remarkable site.
I departed Cincinnati in the company of Robert Stevens of Urbanized, with the goal of embracing frugality. We planned to camp, sustain ourselves with dehydrated food provisions, and embrace a thrifty approach. Our initial destination was Wheeling, West Virginia, and we opted to traverse the back roads, aiming to experience as much of rural Ohio as possible. Driving along Zane’s Trace – now known as U.S. Route 22 – we passed through community after community, farm after farm, traversing Circleville and Lancaster before entering the Appalachian foothills, where not only the terrain became more varied but also the architectural landscape.
East of Lancaster, we stopped at Rushville, Ohio, to investigate a potential school, only to realize that it remained operational. However, while exploring the town of a few hundred residents, we chanced upon the Winegardener Chapel, erected in 1887. We paused to capture photographs in the blazing afternoon sun, and much to our surprise, the church owner conveniently resided in the adjacent residence and was more than happy to grant us access to the interior.
While not the most elaborate or impressive, the chapel’s interior possessed a certain photogenic quality and beauty. Stained glass windows imbued the space with a fresh, colorful appearance, and ornaments from a wedding hosted there several years prior hung from the rafters. At one point, the owner had attempted to convert the church into a lofty residence, but those plans were never fulfilled.
After spending an hour at the Winegardener Chapel, we continued eastward and spent the night photographing the eerily deserted Wheeling skyline. It was there that we encountered the abandoned Bellaire Interstate Toll Bridge over the Ohio River, which has been closed since 1991.
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Add Yours →I was on Google earth & saw this church. I had to know if it was abandoned. It was so beautiful I hated to think it was sitting there rotting. Your article popped up when I searched it. Nice to n know somebody still owns it & im not the only one that liked the church.