Zion Lehigh Evangelical Lutheran Church - Alburtis, PA - Lutheran Churches on Waymarking.com

This church has a cool history:

Zion's Lehigh Church 1745

The history of Zion Lehigh Church extends from the early days of settlements in the Lehigh Valley. The beginnings of the congregation are obscure, and even the name of the congregation is not clear. For a time the congregation was known as the Church of the Holy Trinity. No date or reason for the name change can be found.

Most histories state that services were held in private homes in 1745, with worshippers using their Bibles, catechisms, or other religious materials that they had brought along from their old country, Germany.

When settlers first arrived, they immediately set aside a certain tract of land as a proper place for the establishment of a church, and all new arrivals were prevented from settling thereon. As more settlers arrived, it no longer seemed feasible to hold services in private homes, so in 1749 it was decided to get a title to the land that had been set aside for the church.

LEGEND OF THE ORIGINAL PURCHASE:

The story of how this title was obtained has been told and retold. The following is the Reverend Melville Schmoyer's account:

"Accordingly, a committee consisting of Matthias Eigner and Michael Knappenberger who represented the Lutheran side and John Butz and Jacob Long as representatives for the Reformed were selected, who were to journey to Philadelphia and secure title from the Penns to the hitherto pre-empted tract.

Said committee arranged among themselves that in the evening of a fixed date they would set out on their mission from a determined place. However, the Reformed portion of the Committee had determined to secure the property solely for themselves, and instead of waiting for the appointed time to come, set out on the quest at noon of the day.

It was not until nightfall that the Lutheran Committee-men got wind of the trickery, and naturally wroth at the duplicity of their colleagues, they saddled their best horses and rode all night.

The Reformed members at eventide, feeling secure that it would be safe to put up at some hotel (alleged to have been the White Swan in the present Mt. Airy, Philadelphia) and still be able to obtain their object. Thus while Butz and Long lay wrapped in slumber, certain of securing their prize, it was that Eigner and Knappenberger rode swiftly past the hotel, reaching Philadelphia early in the morning and stabling their horses, denied themselves breakfast and, as soon as the State House was opened were on hand with their request, which was acceded to.

Gratified with their achievement the two left the State House having in their possession perpetual title to the land for the Lutheran Congregation on the Little Lehigh. On the street they met the Reformed members of the Committee and twitted them with "TOO LATE! TOO LATE! The bird which you expected to catch we have already caged." The sore vexation of the Reformed may readily be imagined; nevertheless they had sought to entrap others and were caught in their own snare. As a sort of salve to their wounded pride, we find that the church established at Long Swamp for a long time had been solely given to the conducting of Reformed services."

Active Church: Yes School on property: No Date Built: 01/01/1746 Service Times: 6:15, 8, 10:30 Website: [Web Link]

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