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From the 290th Anniversary and the 190th Anniversary of the present building Commemoration Book (1700-1990) Transcribed by Vicki Koller Hartman If you have any information to contribute to the building of this page please email Vicki Hartman to submit your information. |
St. Peter's German Reformed Church is located South of Moselem Creek and West
of the orebeds. on a fine, elevated site. Its white painted bell tower can be seen from
many vintage points, several miles away. The lighted tower, at night, serves as a beacon
for this historic church.
The first church, we are told, was built of logs. According to our oldest document,
the "Kirchenrecht" of 1809. that would have been the year 1700. In his book, "Eight-
eenth Century Reformed Church Schools," by Livingood (1930) he states that the first
union church was built. However, we now know that this is not true. St. Peter's German
Reformed Church has always been a Reformed church, just as Moselem Church has
always been a Lutheran church. In the mid eighteen-hundreds Lutherans were allowed
free use of the building and for seven years a Lutheran Minister, The Rev. Gottleib
Ieager, was at St. Peter's, as well as the Reformed minister. The Rev. J. Sassaman
Herman. In 1863. due to a church dispute, the Lutherans and some of the Reformed
members left St. Peter's and went to Becker's St. Peter's Church which was built
several yards away. This congregation, we are told by historians, was never as strong
as those in other localities in this part of the country.
Historians say that the second church was built in 1762, others say 1764.1 have not found evidence of this in my search thus far. The only thing I found was the land Warrant of 1765. It states that the land included "a house of worship thereon." Was this the one built in 1700 or was one built in 1764? I have not found it in my research. The third (second) church was built in 1809 and was constructed of stone. Caretakers of the cemetery say that you can see the foundation of this church, near the Mertz plot. In 1890 the present edifice was built. For information on the building, see the translation of the "Kirchenrecht" of the 1890 church . This edifice is built of brick. This church has sometimes been called the Reformed Congregation at Moselem. Other names for St. Peter's Church are: De Peter's Kirch (1764); The German Reformed Congregation of St. Peter's (1765); Die Peter's Kirch (1794); Die Peter's Kerch (1796): Die St. Peter Kirch (1809); Die Deutsche Reformirt St. Peter's Kirche (1809); Die Peter Kirche (1821); Die St, Peter'sKirche (1860) and St. Peter's Reformed Congregation (1896). In 1897 it was known as St. Peter's Church Society. In 1934 it was called St. Peter's Evangelical and Reformed Church and in 1957, by the merging of the Congregational Christian Churches and the Evangelical and Reformed churches, it was called St. Peter's United Church of Christ. According to Morton Montgomery, in his "History of Berks County" (1886), a log church was first built in 1762 to "accommodate such persons in Richmond Township and the adjoining country as entertained the faith of the Reformed Church." The Moselem Church having been built for the use of Lutherans only. In 1809 the present stone edifice was built and in essential features remains as it was put up. In 1840 the church was supplied by an organ. The logs of the old church were used in building a school house, where church schools were taught and later other schools were maintained. The congregation, never as strong as in other localities in that part of the country, has been greatly diminished by the building of another church in the immediate locality in 1866, this having arisen from a church difficulty. Dr. Irwin Hoch Delong suggests that there is a possibility that a Reformed Church may have been located here in 1702. However this is the stone marking the grave of John Glaus(Glas)who was born in 1709 and died in 1775.The earliest record of a burial, Delong noted, was that of Anna Margretha Hentzell(1698-1771). She was married, according to the tombstone, for thirty-one years and had one daughter with John Hentzell. She died in Mitschwester. ("An Early Eighteenth Century Reformed Church") No further records of St. Peter's Church support the date of 1700 (except the "Kirchenrecht" of 1809) on the cornerstone. The stone might have been carried to this point by denominational Zealots from an earlier location in Europe or America. Or a group of early German settlers might have established themselves here well in advance of the other settlers and actually put up a small building. Both possibilities seem unlikely, suggests Dr. Delong, because many pioneer groups met in private homes until enough families were established in a community to warrant a separate structure for worship purposed.* This church has been identified with the development of the community from the very beginning. It is older than the village of Molltown, Pa., exact age uncertain. It was originally built by members of the German Reformed Church and has always belonged to this denomination. Worship alternated among the Lutheran and Reformed in the building. This was discontinued in 1863, when a rift developed within the bodies that resulted in the erection of the adjacent Becker's St. Peter's Church, a union church. The present church was built in 1890. It has a cornerstone which bears this date and another preserved from the preceding building which bears the dates: 1700,1762 and 1809. It is the 1700 date that has especially intrigued church historians. It is exceedingly difficult for any historian to believe a church could have been erected on this site in 1700 or 1702. Those dates are no less than twenty-five years earlier than the known arrival of German settlers to Berks County and thirty-two years earlier than the known white settlements in Richmond Township. Livingood dismisses the matter blandly by suggesting that instead of 1702,1762 was intended, but we have official records which extend farther back than 1762, such as the land warrant. The Rev. Henry Goetschy reports he preached at Misellem (St. Peter's) in 1736. The church warrant was signed by John Penn, this making it an original proprietary warrant and definitely establishes the existence of a building as early as 1758, however the fact that quit rent was paid back only to 1758 does not indicate that there was no earlier church building. The seven years statute of limitations would have prevented collections beyond that date since the warrant was taken out in 1765. 
On the other hand there are no land warrants for this area as early as 1702. The land
on the North side of the hill was settled first, by Quakers. Quakers were originally
established there- Moses Starr may have moved in the Moselem area as early as 1720.
Other land warrants in the Moselem valley were originally granted to such families as
the Huttons, Parvins, Starrs and Hockleys. The earliest warrant to be taken out on the
South side of the hill seems to have been that of Adam Sidmond Koon in 1735. Koon
evidently had moved upon his land, however, as early as 1731. Richard Lundy, a real
estate speculator from New Jersey, took out his warrant in 1738. This land extended,
in its furthermost corner, to a point where Molltown, Pa. is now located. Frederick
DeLaplank's orchard and graveyard are mentioned in a road dispute, which took place
as early as 1748.
Michael and John Moll made their first land purchase in this locality about 1770. The original Moll estate was established upon the land which had been purchased from the Penns by Adam Sidmond Koon in 1735. |
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