Once upon a time in America, it was fairly common for churches to have a bowling alley in their basements. They were most common in the Midwest and parts of the Northeast. And why not? They provided a place for young people to meet and have fun, a wholesome activity for families, and were an alternative to parishoners hanging out in gambling dens. Some were a way to get around local liquor laws, since Christian denominations vary widely in their stances on drinking.
The first church bowling alleys were built in the 1860s and served as community gathering places for German immigrants. The trend peaked during the 1940s and '50s, when bowling was something everyone did. But those basement alleys were mostly dismantled in the 1980s and '90s. That means that the less than 200 that remain are mostly time capsules of retro design and ambience. Messy Nessy Chic takes us through the history of church basement bowling, and shares a list of quite a few that you can still visit today.
(Image credit: Chris Yunker)
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