Zion Lutheran Church
Spring City, PA

As Chester County's oldest Lutheran church, Zion boasts a fascinating and inspirational history rooted in the pre-Revolutionary War era. Initially nurtured by Henry Melchior Muehlenberg, patriarch of the Lutheran Church in America, the congregation was among the first established in Pennsylvania.

Originally known as Zion's Lutheran Church, the congregation of early German settlers migrated to northern Chester County from Montgomery County. The church represented Muehlenberg's effort to establish a preaching point on the western banks of the Schuylkill River.

Although northern Chester County Lutherans retained their membership in the Augustus Church at Trappe, the initial development of an early congregation had begun by 1743. However, the prohibitive distance and perilous travel made the journey particularly difficult for the aged and infirm. Consequently, Muehlenberg visited frequently on horseback, often at risk to his own safety, to baptize, preach and bring communion to the faithful.

A simple log building, a joint effort of the Lutherans and Reformed, served as the first structure. Dating to 1751, the log cabin housed worship services for both groups. In 1762, the Lutherans purchased the building and maintained sole ownership.

Muehlenberg himself preached the sermon and laid the cornerstone when the congregation began work on a new church in 1774. It was completed and dedicated in 1775. The following year saw the purchase of 50 acres of land on which to construct a parsonage. Hence, Zion emerged among the first churches in the county to own a residence for its pastor.

Zion's Church assumed an important role in history when, during the Revolutionary War, the church pews were removed from the building in order to convert it to a hospital for American soldiers injured in the Battle of Brandywine. During the American army's encampment over the winter of 1777-78, the church was again used as a hospital. General George Washington visited the sick and wounded soldiers housed in the church building.

Erected in 1861, the third and current church building has served the congregation from the time of its construction to the present. The church's interior was refurbished in 1993.