High German Evangelical Reformed Church

High German Evangelical Reformed Church
Zion United Church of Christ in Allentown, Pennsylvania, October 2011
High German Evangelical Reformed Church is located in Pennsylvania
High German Evangelical Reformed Church
High German Evangelical Reformed Church is located in the United States
High German Evangelical Reformed Church
Location622 West Hamilton Street, Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Area0.5 acres (0.20 ha)
Built1762
ArchitectLewis Jacoby
Architectural styleLate Gothic Revival
NRHP reference No.83002259
Added to NRHPJuly 28, 1983

The High German Evangelical Reformed Church, also known as Zion Reformed and Zion United Church of Christ, is an historic Evangelical and Reformed church, which is located at 622 West Hamilton Street in Allentown, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania.

This church played a key role during the American Revolution because it was the site chosen to hide and protect the Liberty Bell from seizure during the British Army's occupation of Philadelphia between September 1777 and June 1778.

Today, the church is also home to the Liberty Bell Museum, which was established to honor the role that Allentown and Lehigh Valley-area American patriots played in successfully guarding America's national symbol of freedom.

History

Initially built on its present-day site in Allentown, Pennsylvania as a log structure in 1762, the original High German Evangelical Reformed Church building was replaced in 1773 with a simple brick structure, which was designed in a vernacular federal style and erected a few yards north of the first log church's location.

Liberty Bell's hiding

In September 1777, as American patriots prepared for a British Army attack on the colonial capital of Philadelphia, the Liberty Bell and other bells in Philadelphia were ordered taken down and then hastily transported to present-day Allentown (then called Northampton Towne), where they were successfully hidden under the church's floor boards until June 1778 when the British abandoned Philadelphia.

In 1838, when Zion Reformed was enlarged, contractors may have incorporated the 1762 structure into the walls of the current building's boiler room. The building was then enlarged further between 1886 and 1888 via gothic revival-style improvements made by architect Lewis Jacoby.

In 1983, the church was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Liberty Bell Museum

The Liberty Bell Museum, which commemorates the Liberty Bell's hiding in 1777, is located in the church's basement and is open to visitors.

See also

40°36′08″N 75°28′13″W / 40.6023°N 75.4704°W / 40.6023; -75.4704


This page was last updated at 2023-12-10 12:06 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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