[1] Established in Boston, Massachusetts by Mary Baker Eddy in 1879, Christian Science would spread to Pennsylvania within ten years.

[3] Another notable member of the religion in Scranton was Col. Louis A. Watres, who had served as Lieutenant Governor in Pennsylvania.

Hanna and Watres designed and raised the funds to construct Scranton’s own First Church of Christ, Scientist.

Community suggestions for its use ranged from “a museum to a library annex to an art gallery to a performing arts center,” while others wanted “the city to acquire the building for an archive, a place to store the city’s hidden treasures.”[8] Lackawanna County purchased the former First Church of Christ, Scientist in April 1985 for use as a library.

[10] When construction began artifacts were discovered in the cornerstone of the building including bibles, a copy of The Christian Science Monitor, and other books.