A Brief History of Heidelberg
For more than a hundred years after the first
Europeans settled In Heidelberg Township, which at first also
included the area that is now Washington Township and Slatington,
Heidelberg Church was the only church in that area. The early
history of the people of Heidelberg Church and the history of
the people of that area as a whole are therefore
almost as one.
No one knows definitely when the first immigrant
settled in the area or who that person was. Also,
no one knows exactly when Heidelberg Church had its beginning.
Ancestors were much too occupied with clearing forests,
getting a roof over their heads, and just staying
alive to give any thoughts to documenting some of the
things we would now like to know about this area.
A few things are certain, however. Following
the precedent set by William Penn in his treaty with the native inhabitants
in 1682, his heirs and successors tried to keep peace with the
Indians. As time went on, additional lands were purchased when the
lands first purchased became filled with settlers. The land south
of the Lehigh Mountain had become completely occupied, and on
October 11,1736, a purchase was made which included
all the land south of the Blue Mountain. Heidelberg was therefore
legally opened for settlement In 1736. By June, 1752, a sufficient
number of people had located here to form the area into a
township. Sometime between those two dates, 1736 and 1752,
groups of settlers got together in meetings which were the
beginning of our two Heidelberg congregations (Heidelberg
Lutheran and Heidelberg United Church of Christ congregations). 1740
is a most likely date. There is an exact date as to when the
first church was built, the year 1744, but of course there had t
o be some organization earlier than that. The earliest
document is an agreement between the Reformed and the Lutheran
congregations dated March 25,1745.
The first church at Heidelberg was built
14 years before the congregations owned the land. That sounds
veiy careless, but when one understands the process of obtaining land
that has never been occupied by anyone else, except perhaps some
nomadic Indians, It was not so odd. A prospective buyer selected a
tract of land that was not yet occupied, then went
to the land office for a land warrant to have it surveyed. After
it was surveyed, the buyer got a draft or map. But he did not
fully own the land until he made a trip to the land office, made
another payment, and got a patent or original deed for the land.
The first church building, erected In 1744, was
destroyed by fire in 1757. Some say Indians burned the church. Others
say this is probably just a story. However, in 1757 there
were two major Indian attacks In the Heidelberg area—one at
Trout Creek between Emerald and Slatedale, and one at Lochland
on the western edge of Heidelberg Township. Twenty-five people
were killed In these attacks. Some were members of the congregations.
Two companies of soldiers were enlisted by the government to protect
the settlers. One of the company commanders was Nicholas Wetherhold,
a member of Heidelberg Church.
Growth of populations in the area after the
Revolutionary War meant that the church also had to grow physically
to meet the needs of more people. The building was completely
rebuilt two more times: In 1787 and in 1849. From 1757 until 1951,
classes were conducted In schoolhouses in the church premises.
The present-day Fellowship Hall served as a schoolroom from 1882
until the consolidation of the Northwestern Lehigh
School District in 1951.From 1959 to 1962,a building project to
increase classroom space was under way. The old schoolhouse was
connected to the church with an addition to the west end of the
building, and a narthex and porch were added to the front of the church.
This is the current structure.
Outreach to the community is evident in Heidelberg's
handbell program. Started In 1978, the choirs rings 6 octaves of
Malmark handbells for the church as well as civic groups, weddings,
banquets, hospitals and nursing homes. In 1988 the Concert handbell
choir was filmed by PBS, along with four other groups, in the
“Masteringers Concert.” On December 22,1989, the
Concert choir was invited to entertain visitors to the White House
during the seasonal candlelight tours.
The most important aspect of church involvement
in the community is in the opportunity for weekly worship.
In July, 1988, the congregations voted to each
have a service every Sunday instead of on alternate Sundays.
Heidelberg Church remains as the only church In Heidelberg Township.
The Heidelberg Lutheran Congregation shares the present-day
facilities with the Heidelberg United Church of Christ. We hold
weekly Lutheran services. In addition,
we support a joint Sunday School and music program as well as special
services from time to time in conjunction with the
United Church of Christ congregation.
Additionally, we share pastoral and administrative
resources with Holy Trinity Lutheran Church,
Slatedale, which makes up the Heidelberg-Slatedale Lutheran Parish.
Along with Holy Trinity, we are
a member congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America, one of 799 "multi-point parishes."
