St. James Lutheran Church - Hellam, PA
N 40° 00.248 W 076° 36.426
18T E 362823 N 4429452
This part of the Lincoln Hwy is known as E. Market St., but its history is unmistakable as well its link to this historic highway. As the German population grew along this road, the church was erected to meet that need, & then the Highway was built.
Waymark Code: WM710F
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 08/16/2009
Views: 7
I was hoping to find this church listed in The Lincoln Highway: Pennsylvania Traveler's Guide by Brian Butko but was unable to locate it. It seems everything was listed. This distinguished old church witnessed the construction of the Pennsylvania section of the historic Lincoln Highway which occurred between 1913 &1928. A large German population, this Lutheran church is a natural reflection of this immigration wave.
The church is beautiful and located on a very historic section of Hellam/Hallam. The arched light over the off-centered front door, the gorgeous church bell open and with its wrap-around porch and the towering spire with its weathervane like top all lend the grace and beauty that makes this church a Lincoln Highway attraction.
A large gray stone bears the 1894 date along with an inscription which reads "Evan. Luth. Church Hellam 1984". It is made of some kind of hewn white stone and is set into a stone foundation. At 115 years of age, the church is still a very important part of this historic community.
From the Church website:
"Although St. James, the congregation, is over 260 years old, St. James, the building, is just 110 years old. On Sunday, September 23, 1894, St James was dedicated and the dedication was followed with a week of services in which different pastors from York participated.
The twentieth century brought changes to the church building. A picture of Luther was removed from the pulpit, probably before 1920, and a painting of Christ in Gethsemane by local artist, Wayne Crumling, placed on the wall.
The pipe organ was added to the church in 1936 during the pastorate of Glenn T. Hafer. Even though the 30’s were Depression years and money was very tight, there were many in the congregation who unselfishly sought to place an organ into the church. To that end, they collected nickels, dimes, quarters, fifty cent pieces, and an occasional dollar. By 1936, enough money was collected and F. J. Furst of York was commissioned to design and build an organ. A variety of parts were used, both old and new, including a Model T starter. The cost of the organ at that time was $1,050.00.
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