The original, 117-year-old blueprints of a historic Tamaqua church have been found inside a similar church in a neighboring town.

The two blueprints from 1900 of Bethany Evangelical Congregational Church were discovered recently inside the Evangelical Congregational Church in Mahanoy City. The schematics are shedding light on the original appearance of the brick building and how the Tamaqua church evolved over the years.The Mahanoy City church is similar in design to Bethany, which has undergone a few physical changes over the years."The floor plan isn't like this anymore," says Kyle Whitley, 27. He said later renovations became more obvious after looking at the architectural drawing."The (west side) wall was built out to accommodate the organ," he said.The drawings show that the church also had been adorned with additional towers on the east side, but those design elements were removed in later years.Those extra towers appear on vintage images maintained by the Tamaqua Historical Society.The main blueprint is marked "Plans for the United Evangelical Congregational Church, Tamaqua, scale 1/8 inch to 1 foot. Front elevation and right side elevation."An additional blueprint shows the configuration and measurements of the trusses.Bethany Church began in 1891 when some members of Salem Church split away to form their own congregation under the Rev. W.W. Yost.According to early records, the group was led by several pastors in the early years and worshipped in the United Brethren Church from until 1891 when they moved to Odd Fellows Hall.The present building was dedicated on Sunday, Dec. 2, 1900, and records suggest the original cost was $11,631.The church also built a parsonage next door in 1904 at a cost of $4,500.In 1922, Bethany became part of the Evangelical Congregational Church.It's unclear why the blueprints were stored inside the Mahanoy City church.Whitley, a member of the Tamaqua Historical Society, said he will digitize the drawings and furnish a copy to the society museum.The originals will be displayed somewhere inside the church.Whitley is the son of church pastor the Rev. Kevin Roberts and wife Danette.