St. Peter's Kierch | |
---|---|
Religion | |
Affiliation | Evangelical Lutheran Church in America |
Region | Lower Susquehanna Synod |
Location | |
Location | 31 West High Street Middletown Pennsylvania United States |
Geographic coordinates | 40°12′04″N76°43′56″W / 40.201083°N 76.732278°W |
Architecture | |
Type | Georgian |
Groundbreaking | July 13, 1767 |
Completed | 1769 |
Specifications | |
Capacity | 225 |
Materials | Sandstone |
U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
Added to NRHP | June 17, 1983 |
NRHP Reference no. | 7301621 [1] |
Designated | February 28, 1969 [2] |
St. Peter's Kierch, also called the Old Kierch or St. Peter's Church, is a historic Lutheran church in Middletown, Dauphin County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Construction began in 1767 and it was dedicated by Henry Muhlenberg in 1769. St. Peter's Kierch was used regularly until 1879 when a large church was completed. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
St. Peter's Kierch is a 2½-story, Georgian-style church at the intersection of Union and High Streets in Middletown. [3] The church was constructed from red sandstone. Originally, galleries were located on the east, west and south sides with the wineglass pulpit on the north side. The bell tower was constructed 46 years after the rest of the church, on the west side, as it was not intended to be used an entrance. [4] The sides of the church have three windows reaching to the upper story. Each window has forty-four 9-by-12-inch (23 cm × 30 cm) panes of glass—eleven panes high, four across. [3]
On September 18, 1764, with the intent of constructing a Lutheran church, a plot of land was purchased by some local residents from George Fisher, founder of Middletown, for 7 shillings and 6 pence, along with an annual rent of one grain of wheat. [4] [5] [6]
The cornerstone of the church was laid on July 13, 1767 by James Burd. The church was dedicated by Henry Muhlenberg on September 12, 1769. The bell tower was constructed in 1813; the bell was cast in Philadelphia by Hedderly and Leverin and hung in 1815. [4] [7]
In 1876, the growth on the congregation led to the decision to build a new church several blocks south of the old one, at Spring and Union Streets. The last regular service was held at the Kierch on January 26, 1879. [4] It is still used, however, for "occasional services and funerals" as well as other special events. [4] [6] St. Peter's Kierch was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 17, 1973. [1]
The church has an adjacent cemetery, locally called "God's Acre", that has about 210 people buried who fought in the American Revolution.
Hummelstown is a borough in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,535 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Middletown is a borough in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, on the Susquehanna River, 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Harrisburg. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 9,550. It is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, was a German-born Lutheran clergyman and missionary. Born in Einbeck, Muhlenberg immigrated to the Province of Pennsylvania in response to demands from Lutherans for missionary work in the colony. Integral to the founding of the first Lutheran church body or denomination in North America, Muhlenberg is considered the patriarch of the Lutheran Church in the United States. Muhlenberg and his wife Anna Maria had a large family, several of whom had a significant impact on colonial life in North America as pastors, military officers, and politicians. His and Anna Maria's descendants continued to be active in Pennsylvania and national political life.
John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg was an American clergyman and military officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. A member of Pennsylvania's prominent Muhlenberg family political dynasty, he became a respected figure in the newly independent United States as a Lutheran minister and member of the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate.
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The Peter Muhlenberg Memorial is a public monument in Washington, D.C. It honors John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg, a Lutheran minister, Continental Army general, Federalist Era American politician, and member of the prominent Muhlenberg family. The memorial is located in a one-acre park bounded by Connecticut Avenue, Ellicott Street, and 36th Street NW on the eastern edge of Washington's Wakefield neighborhood. Designed by architect John Harbeson, it features at its center a bronze bust of Muhlenberg, sculpted by his descendant, Caroline M. Hufford. Completed in 1980, 52 years after its construction was authorized by Congress, attendees at the dedication ceremony included West German ambassador Peter Hermes.
The Henry Melchior Muhlenberg House, also known as the John J. Schrack House, is an historic home which is located in Trappe, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
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