St. James Lutheran Church, also known as Straw Church, is a historic church built in 1834 and located at 1213
U.S. Route 22
U.S. Route 22 (US 22) is a west–east route and is one of the original United States highways of 1926, running from Cincinnati, Ohio, at US 27, US 42, US 127, and US 52 to Newark, New Jersey, at U.S. Route 1/9 in the Newark Airport Intercha ...
in
Pohatcong Township,
Warren County, New Jersey
Warren County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was 109,632, representing an increase of 940 (0.9%) from the 108,692 residents counted at the 2010 census. The county bord ...
. St. James Lutheran Cemetery is located across the street in
Greenwich Township. The church and cemetery were added as a
historic district 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 ...
on October 24, 2016 for their significance in architecture and exploration/settlement. The adjoining building, Fellowship Hall, and the schoolhouse by the cemetery entrance are not part of this listing.
[ With accompanying 37 photos.] The one-room brick schoolhouse, built 1858, is listed separately on the state register.
History
The congregation was founded as a union church of
German Lutheran and
German Reformed Protestant settlers. By tradition, the first church was called Straw Church, a log building with a straw thatched roof, built in the cemetery area. Christian Streit preached here and at the nearby Lutheran church in
Easton, Pennsylvania
Easton is a city in, and the county seat of, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city's population was 28,127 as of the 2020 census. Easton is located at the confluence of the Lehigh River, a river that joins the Delaware R ...
.
The second church was built with stone starting in June 1790. The third church, the current building, was built with brick and has a cornerstone dated May 1, 1834.
[
The first regular, resident pastor, starting in 1769, was John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg, eldest son of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, considered the patriarch of American Lutheranism.]
Description
The church is a brick building designed with Federal architecture style and featuring Flemish bond
Brickwork is masonry produced by a bricklayer, using bricks and mortar. Typically, rows of bricks called ''courses'' are laid on top of one another to build up a structure such as a brick wall.
Bricks may be differentiated from blocks by siz ...
on the front. The wooden cupola was added in 1960. It is the third church building at this location.
Gallery
File:St. James Lutheran Church, Pohatcong Township, NJ - church and fellowship hall.jpg, Fellowship Hall and Church
File:St. James Lutheran Cemetery, Greenwich Township, NJ - entrance sign.jpg, One-room schoolhouse, built 1858, by entrance to cemetery
File:St. James Lutheran Cemetery, Greenwich Township, NJ - looking west.jpg, Cemetery and Church
File:David Metz, St. James Lutheran Cemetery, NJ.jpg, Headstone for David Metz, dated 1771
File:Peter Heintz, 1777, obverse, St. James Lutheran Cemetery, NJ.jpg, Obverse of headstone for Peter Heintz, dated 1777
See also
* German Palatines
Palatines (german: Pfälzer), also known as the Palatine Dutch, are the people and princes of Palatinates ( Holy Roman principalities) of the Holy Roman Empire. The Palatine diaspora includes the Pennsylvania Dutch and New York Dutch.
In 1709 ...
* List of Lutheran churches in the United States
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint James Lutheran Church, Pohatcong, Township
Pohatcong Township, New Jersey
Greenwich Township, Warren County, New Jersey
Lutheran churches in New Jersey
Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey
Cemeteries on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey
Churches completed in 1834
1834 establishments in New Jersey
Churches in Warren County, New Jersey
National Register of Historic Places in Warren County, New Jersey
New Jersey Register of Historic Places
Brick buildings and structures in New Jersey
Brick churches
Religious organizations established in 1760
1760 establishments in New Jersey
Federal architecture in New Jersey