Replica landmark opens in Nevada for weddings, ceremonies in Amargosa

A rural Nevada hotel-casino has opened a space to those seeking a place to hold weddings and other ceremonies; at the same breath, those partaking in events at the new space have an opportunity to connect with Nevada’s history.

Nevada businessman Jim Marsh was joined by over two dozen people from the Amargosa Valley and areas beyond at his Longstreet Inn Casino &RV Resort at 4400 S. Highway 373 to celebrate the property’s newest addition on Oct. 28: The Chapel at Longstreet. The new structure is set to house weddings and other ceremonies.

The chapel is a replica of a Catholic church that was built in 1874 in Belmont, then the county seat of Nye County during a mining boom in the area. In 1906, the structure was moved to Manhattan, Nevada, as mining interests had shifted toward that area; the church stands there today.

Marsh, on the steps of his new chapel and re-creation of this church, talked about the history of the structure and his other initiatives to bring the chapel to life at Longstreet before the crowd was led into the church for a service led by Sherry Donegan of the Church of Amargosa.

This isn’t the first time Marsh has worked to bring this church to life in Nye County.

Marsh is also responsible for bringing what is known as the Church of Belmont to fruition in northern Nye County.

That church, also a replica of the 19th-century Catholic church, came together in the early 2000s. He used specs from the original structure in Manhattan to produce the now two replicas.

The church in Belmont had its first service in 2001 on Easter Sunday, which was officiated by Rev. Ken Curtis of Tonopah, according to information at the Belmont site.

“It’s been a real addition in the community, and I hope to do the same thing for Amargosa Valley,” Marsh said in a prior interview with a reporter from the Pahrump Valley Times.

The specifications are from the original structure, but Marsh said he also did modernize the Chapel at Longstreet by adding such attributes as heating and cooling in the building.

During the presentation of the chapel, Donegan blessed the chapel before entering the structure with those interested in attending the first church service to be held at the location.

Donegan stood in front of the filled pews during the sermon with her back toward the Funeral Mountains to the west.

The chapel sits on the back side of the Longstreet, close to a large pond and waterfall at the property. Longstreet also sits near Death Valley National Park and Ash Meadows National Refuge.

Donegan was just recently licensed as a wedding officiator and conducted her first wedding at the chapel in October, which was also the first wedding to be held at the new chapel as well, she added.

The addition of the chapel in Amargosa Valley adds to the many antiques housed at the property. Marsh has been building his collection for years with several pieces at Longstreet, including an antique piano and a combine, both from the early 20th century, along with a list of other items.

The items have been well received by visitors to the property in the past.

Curt Thompson, general manager at the Longstreet Inn, said the antique pieces are photographed quite frequently by the hotel-casino’s European clientele who don’t often get to see such things in their home region.

Other development could also come to the region.

Thompson said negotiations are in process with fuel companies to try and get a gas station built in front of the Longstreet. The closest station is 17 miles away from the hotel-casino, he added.

Book an event

Those interested in booking their ceremony at the Longstreet’s chapel should plan to spend $150 for the daily rental fee.

Reservations and payments can be done through the Longstreet’s front desk; tours of the chapel are provided, said Thompson.

The Longstreet allows those who book the space to bring their own officiants. The Longstreet’s Colorado Room is also available as a space for a reception. Cost depends on the guest’s requirements, Thompson said in an October interview with a reporter from the Pahrump Valley Times.

“We will allow them to bring in their food and will charge a rental for setup, or we can prepare catered banquets for up to 120 people,” he said during the interview.

For more information, contact the Longstreet Inn at 775-372-1777.

Contact reporter Jeffrey Meehan at jmeehan@pvtimes.com