High German Evangelical Reformed Church
High German Evangelical Reformed Church | |
Location | 620 West Hamilton Street, Allentown, Pennsylvania |
---|---|
Area | 0.5 acres (0.20 ha) |
Built | 1762 |
Architect | Jacoby,Lewis |
Architectural style | Late Gothic Revival |
NRHP reference No. | 83002259[1] |
Added to NRHP | July 28, 1983 |
High German Evangelical Reformed Church, also known as Zion Reformed and Zion United Church of Christ, is a historic Evangelical and Reformed church at 620 Hamilton Street in Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.
A log structure was built on the site in 1762. A simple brick church, said to be in the vernacular Federal style, was built a few yards north of the log church in 1773. In 1777, while the British occupied Philadelphia, this church was used to hide the Liberty Bell as well as the chimes from Philadelphia's Christ Church. This clandestine act of patriotism prevented the British from melting down these treasures for use as ammunition.[2] In 1838 the church was enlarged and may have incorporated the 1762 structure into the building, inside the walls of the current boiler room. The building was doubled in size in from 1886 to 1888 in the Gothic Revival style, to the designs of architect Lewis Jacoby.[3]
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.[1] The Liberty Bell Museum, a local attraction commemorating the hiding of the Liberty Bell, is located inside the church.
See also
References
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ Bloom, Ken; Wolbers, Marian (1984). Allentown A Pictorial History (Special ed.). Norfolk, VA: The Donning Company/Publishers. pp. 18–19.
- ^ "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania" (Searchable database). CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Note: This includes Theodore J. Mabus (June 1982). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: The High German Evangelical Reformed Church" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-03-04.
External links
40°36′08″N 75°28′13″W / 40.6023°N 75.4704°W
- Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania
- Gothic Revival churches in Pennsylvania
- Churches completed in 1888
- Churches in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania
- United Church of Christ churches in Pennsylvania
- History of Allentown, Pennsylvania
- Buildings and structures in Allentown, Pennsylvania
- National Register of Historic Places in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania
- Pennsylvania Registered Historic Place stubs
- Pennsylvania church stubs