Zion Lutheran Church – York’s Forgotten Treasure (Part 1 of 3)
NOTE: This story was originally published on March 20, 2011, and was located on the archived Preserving York website. It has been republished here for your enjoyment, and may have been edited for content and clarity from its original form.
York, Pennsylvania is home to some of the most historic and beautiful churches in the area, and the attention they receive is well deserved. Unfortunately, some city churches do not fare so well and are glanced over without a second thought. Once such church is the former Zion Lutheran Church, which sits quietly along North Duke Street.
Tucked away behind the Yorktowne Hotel and Christ Lutheran Church, this former place of worship was active for 145 years. As attendance began to dwindle to less than 50 people each Sunday, the congregation chose to build a new facility in Manchester Township, where attendance quickly grew.
This is part 1 of a 3 part blog series about the history of the facility, the reasons behind my interest in the property, and what the future holds for this aging treasure.
Zion Lutheran Church – circa. 1880 (before the addition of tower and vestibule)
- Oct. 19, 1847: An ”English-speaking” congregation broke away from Christ Lutheran Church, which sits along S. George Street in York, and formed its first constitution.
- Christ Lutheran gives this newly formed congregation land to build a new church. This land sits directly behind Christ Lutheran and contained a cemetery.
- 1850: Construction begins on the new church facility, and is built over the existing cemetery.
- Aug. 25, 1850: The cornerstone is laid for the church.
- Jul. 13, 1851: Church is dedicated during early pastorate of Rev. Charles A. Martin, MD and named Zion.
- 1869-70: An addition of 22′ is made to the rear of the facility.
- 1886-87: The entire church is remodeled, and the tower and vestibule is constructed
- Fall 1916: A 2nd-floor addition is built to the rear of the facility.
- Feb. 1940: The congregation votes to erect a new building to the rear of the church. This would house a gymnasium, two classrooms, a large kitchen, pastor’s study, and a rear stairway.
- Mar. 1941: A cornerstone is laid for the new addition. This contains an engraved copper box with a York Dispatch and The Gazette and Daily of Sept. 13, 1941, Lutheran (newsletter or magazine) of July 2, 1941 (includes an article about the previous decade of the church), as well as other items.
- Nov. 1995: Congregation holds last service in the Duke Street facility
- End of 1995: Zion Lutheran Church facility on S. Duke Street is decommissioned as a place of worship.
At some point after the decommissioning of the church facility, the congregation chose to sell the property to the Government of York County. In 1998, the County began discussing options for remodeling the courthouse facility on E. Market Street. These options included the demolition of the Zion Lutheran Church building, so the land could be used for courthouse expansion.
Part 2 of this story will detail the interest I have in Zion Lutheran Church, early visits I made to the property, and some secrets contained within the church.
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„O Herr, unser Vater, unsere jungen Patrioten, Götzen unseres Herzens, zieh in die Schlacht – sei ihnen nahe! Mit ihnen – im Geiste – verlassen wir auch den süßen Frieden unserer geliebten Kamine, um den Feind zu schlagen. „O Herr, unser Gott, hilf uns, ihre Soldaten mit unseren Granaten in blutige Stücke zu reißen; hilf uns, ihre lächelnden Felder mit den blassen Gestalten ihrer toten Patrioten zu bedecken; hilf uns, den Donner der Kanonen mit den Schreien ihrer Verwundeten zu übertönen, die sich vor Schmerz winden; hilf uns, ihre bescheidenen Häuser durch einen Feuersturm zu verwüsten; hilf uns, die Herzen ihrer harmlosen Witwen mit vergeblicher Trauer zu zerdrücken; Helfen Sie uns, sie ohne Dach und mit ihren kleinen Kindern dazu zu bringen, ohne Freunde in Lumpen, Hunger und Durst durch die Wüsten ihres verlassenen Landes zu wandern, sich mit den Sonnenflammen des Sommers und den eisigen Winden des Winters zu vergnügen, gebrochen im Geiste, erschöpft von der Mühsal, flehentlich Du hast die Zuflucht des Grabes gesucht und es verleugnet – „Um unseretwillen, die wir Dich anbeten, Herr, zerstöre ihre Hoffnungen, vernichte ihr Leben, verlängere ihre bittere Pilgerreise, mache ihre Schritte schwer, tränkt ihren Weg mit ihren Tränen, beflecke den weißen Schnee mit dem Blut ihrer verwundeten Füße! „Wir bitten Ihn im Geiste der Liebe darum, der die Quelle der Liebe ist und der immer treue Zuflucht und Freund aller ist, die in Not geraten sind und mit demütigen und zerknirschten Herzen Seine Hilfe suchen. Amen.”