The High German Evangelical Reformed Church, also known as Zion Reformed and Zion United Church of Christ, is an historic Evangelical and Reformed church, which is located at 622 West Hamilton Street in

Allentown, Pennsylvania Allentown (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Allenschteddel'', ''Allenschtadt'', or ''Ellsdaun'') is a city in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The city has a population of 125,845 as of the 2020 United ...

in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. This church played a key role during the American Revolution because it was the site chosen to hide and protect the

Liberty Bell The Liberty Bell, previously called the State House Bell or Old State House Bell, is an iconic symbol of American independence, located in Philadelphia. Originally placed in the steeple of the Pennsylvania State House (now renamed Independence ...

from seizure during the British Army's occupation of Philadelphia 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 Pe ...

, which was established to honor the role that Allentown and Lehigh Valley-area American patriots played in successfully guarding America's national symbol of freedom.

History

Initially built on its present-day site in

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

federal style Federal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the newly founded United States between 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815, which was heavily based on the works of Andrea Palladio with several inn ...

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 British Army attack on the colonial capital of Philadelphia, the

and other bells in Philadelphia were ordered taken down and then hastily transported to present-day Allentown (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 Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

-style improvements made by architect Lewis Jacoby. ''Note:'' This includes In 1983, the church was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

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