America's Tiniest Churches

If you're looking for something a little different for this year's vacation, why not take a tour of the United State's tiniest churches?

From New York to Texas, there are little churches scattered all across America where travelers can stop for worship and prayer.

In Oneida, New York, Cross Island Chapel, which perches on a wooden platform in a pond, is 28.68 square feet. It was built in 1989 and is non-denominational. This tiny church seats only two people. It is only accessible by boat and is open to the public by request.

New Jersey has its small church in Winslow. Located on private property, the unofficial church seats eight. The owner, a Catholic landscaper, keeps a manger scene inside.

New Hampshire's tiny church is in Woodstock. The 11 ft. by 11 ft. church sits on a rock and holds about a dozen people.

Iowa boasts three tiny churches. One is located in Elk Horn. The church, Morning Star Chapel, is 6 feet by 8 feet. Built in 1951 by Charles Johann Walensky, the chapel is on the property of the Danish Immigrant Museum.

In Festina, Iowa, St. Anthony of Padua Chapel has a 40 ft. steeple and seats eight. The interior is 12 feet by 16 feet.

The Chapel of Memories is in Waukon, Iowa and is a part of a tourist attraction featuring old buildings and antique clocks. It measures approximately 6 ft. by 6 ft.

In Nashville, Illinois the Traveler's Chapel is conveniently located next to a convenience store off of Highway 127.

Atwood, Michigan has a 12 ft. by 8 ft. chapel called the Wayside Chapel. Owned by the Christian Reformed Church, it is intended as a rest area for weary travelers.

Heading south, we find a tiny church in Crestview Hills, Kentucky on the grounds of Thomas More College. Monte Casino was built in 1878. With a ceiling eight feet high and and interior 6 by 9 feet, it was moved to its present location in 1965. It was named the "Smallest Church in the World" by Ripley's Believe it or Not in 1922.

In Conway, South Carolina is another Traveler's Chapel, a 12 by 24 ft. white church with a red door, picket fence and winding path. The chapel seats twelve.

Madonna Chapel in Bayou Goula-Plaquemine, Louisiana, was built in 1903 by a poor sugar farmer, Anthony Guillo. It is 8 ft. by 8 ft. and holds five chairs.

The "World's Smallest Active Catholic Church" is in Warrenton, texas. St. Martin's Church measures 12 ft. by 16 ft. and was built in 1915.

This is just a sampling of the tiny churches that dot the landscape across the United States. For a more complete listing and contact information for each church, see the resource listed below.