Director of Church Relations Albert Gesler III and Rev. Timothy Spence mark the dedication of Greenville Hall as a Lutheran historic site.

GREENVILLE, PA —On Thursday, June 12, Thiel College’s original college building, Greenville Hall, was dedicated

as an official Lutheran historic site by the Lutheran Historical Society of the Mid-Atlantic (LHSMA).

The dedication, which took place during the Northwestern Pennsylvania Synod Assembly, featured an invocation by the Reverend Timothy A. Spence, past president of the LHSMA and chair of the group’s Historic Sites Recognition Committee, who also spoke about the significance of the historic designation.

Albert Gesler III, director of church relations, spoke about the historical background of the building.  

Gesler and Spence cut a ribbon on the front steps of Greenville Hall and revealed a new plaque marking the historic designation.

The Lutheran Historical Society of the Mid-Atlantic’s mission is to document the rich history of Lutheranism in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia and Washington, D.C. As part of those efforts, the group identifies and marks sites important to Lutheran history. Sites are chosen if they have had a significant role in defining Lutheranism or are associated with Lutherans or Lutheranism and had had an important part in an event of state, local, national or international importance.

Greenville Hall, which was built in 1872 by the citizens of Greenville, was chosen because of its association with Thiel College, which has played a significant role in Lutheran education in western Pennsylvania. The building was nominated by the Tri-Synod Archives Committee because of the close relationship between the synods of West Virginia, Western Maryland and Northwestern and Southwestern Pennsylvania and the College. It is only the second site in Pennsylvania chosen for the honor.

Another brief ceremony will mark the dedication on Thursday, June 19 at 5:30 p.m. during the Southwest Pennsylvania Synod Assembly on Thiel’s campus.

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