The High German Evangelical Reformed Church, also known as Zion Reformed and Zion United Church of Christ, is an historic Evangelical and Reformed

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

, which is located at 622 West Hamilton Street in Allentown, Pennsylvania in the

Lehigh Valley The Lehigh Valley (), known colloquially as The Valley, is a geographic region formed by the Lehigh River in Lehigh County and Northampton County in eastern Pennsylvania. It is a component valley of the Great Appalachian Valley bound to the no ...

region of eastern

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. This church played a key role during the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

because it was the site chosen to hide and protect the Liberty Bell from seizure during the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

's occupation of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

between September 1777 and June 1778. Today, the church is also home to the

Liberty Bell Museum The Liberty Bell Museum (also the Liberty Bell Shrine Museum) is a non-profit organization and museum located in Zion's United Church of Christ (formerly Zion's Reformed Church) in Allentown, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern P ...

, which was established to honor the role that Allentown and Lehigh Valley-area

American patriots Patriots, also known as Revolutionaries, Continentals, Rebels, or American Whigs, were the colonists of the Thirteen Colonies who rejected British rule during the American Revolution, and declared the United States of America an independent n ...

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 A vernacular or vernacular language is in contrast with a "standard language". It refers to the language or dialect that is spoken by people that are inhabiting a particular country or region. The vernacular is typically the native language, n ...

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

attack on the colonial capital of

, the Liberty Bell and other bells in Philadelphia were ordered taken down and then hastily transported to present-day

Allentown Allentown may refer to several places in the United States and topics related to them: *Allentown, California, now called Toadtown, California *Allentown, Georgia, a town in Wilkinson County *Allentown, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Taze ...

(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. ''Note:'' This includes In 1983, the church was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

Liberty Bell Museum

The

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

References

External links

Official websiteOfficial Liberty Bell Museum website
{{coord, 40.6023, -75.4704, region:US-PA_type:landmark, display=title 1777 in the United States Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Gothic Revival church buildings in Pennsylvania Churches completed in 1888 Churches in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania United Church of Christ churches in Pennsylvania History of Allentown, Pennsylvania Buildings and structures in Allentown, Pennsylvania National Register of Historic Places in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania in the American Revolution

History

Liberty Bell's hiding

Liberty Bell Museum

See also

References

External links