Saint Paul's Church has been an active witness serving the community of Burkittsville for more than two centuries.
The story of Saint Paul's Church begins with German families who migrated to the Middletown Valley from Pennsylvania in the mid-eighteenth century. These families brought with them varied spiritual traditions, including German Reformed (now United Church of Christ), German Baptist (today's Church of the Brethren), and Lutheran beliefs. These religious communities all have their origins in the Reformation and the teachings of reformers like Martin Luther and John Calvin.
In 1815, the Rev. John Martin Sackman (sometimes spelled Stockman) held the first recorded Lutheran worship services in Burkittsville, traveling here from northern Virginia. According to records from New Jerusalem Lutheran Church in Lovettsville where Rev. Sackman was pastor at the time, his insistence on conducting services in the German language caused some division between the older and younger members of his congregation, the latter of which wanted services to be held in English. All of the surviving records from our congregation are written in English.
The Rev. Abraham Reck succeeded Rev. Sackman in ministering to the Lutheran families in Burkittsville. He served as the Pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Middletown from 1829 until 1836. Rev. Reck was engaged in founding the Maryland Synod of the Lutheran Church and the United Lutheran Seminary at Gettysburg. He led services in private homes and in a cabinet shop owned by the Karn Family in Burkittsville. On at least one occasion, service was held in the barn of John Willard on the east end of Burkittsville, which was also the meeting place of the village's German Reformed congregation.
In 1815, the Rev. John Martin Sackman (sometimes spelled Stockman) held the first recorded Lutheran worship services in Burkittsville, traveling here from northern Virginia. According to records from New Jerusalem Lutheran Church in Lovettsville where Rev. Sackman was pastor at the time, his insistence on conducting services in the German language caused some division between the older and younger members of his congregation, the latter of which wanted services to be held in English. All of the surviving records from our congregation are written in English.
The Rev. Abraham Reck succeeded Rev. Sackman in ministering to the Lutheran families in Burkittsville. He served as the Pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Middletown from 1829 until 1836. Rev. Reck was engaged in founding the Maryland Synod of the Lutheran Church and the United Lutheran Seminary at Gettysburg. He led services in private homes and in a cabinet shop owned by the Karn Family in Burkittsville. On at least one occasion, service was held in the barn of John Willard on the east end of Burkittsville, which was also the meeting place of the village's German Reformed congregation.
The Union Church, now South Mountain Heritage Society.
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In 1829, the Lutheran congregation joined with their German Reformed neighbors in Burkittsville to built a Union Church, or a shared house of worship. The land for this church was deeded to the congregations by Burkittsville's founder Henry Burkitt. This was a common practice among early faith communities in the valley. For thirty years, the two churches worshiped in this shared space. They also shared the graveyard behind the church which is still known today as Burkittsville Union Cemetery. Once the new church was completed, articles of agreement were drawn up to govern the ownership and use of the shared house of worship. During the early years of the congregation's history, the Lutheran minister visited Burkittsville once a month to conduct service.
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Constructing the Present Saint Paul's
Until 1844, Saint Paul's Church was united with the Middletown Charge. From 1844 until 1858, the congregation was attached with the Jefferson Charge. Upon the appointment of the Rev. George A. Nixdorff in 1858, Saint Paul's became the center of its own charge. Soon after this change, the Lutherans resolved to build our own church and our half-ownership of the Union Church was sold to the Reformed congregation for $600.00.
Our present church building was constructed in 1859. A mason and carpenter named David Stoner from Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, received a contract from the church council to build a two-story brick structure with a sanctuary on the second floor and a lecture room beneath it. Today, we use the lecture room as a chapel.
Our present church building was constructed in 1859. A mason and carpenter named David Stoner from Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, received a contract from the church council to build a two-story brick structure with a sanctuary on the second floor and a lecture room beneath it. Today, we use the lecture room as a chapel.
Saint Paul's Serves as a Field Hospital
On the evening of September 14, 1862, wounded soldiers from the United States and Confederate armies were carried into the sanctuary as well as the Sunday School chapel on the first floor as Saint Paul's became one of a dozen field hospitals in and around Burkittsville. The soldiers were wounded in the Battle of South Mountain which was part of the Maryland Campaign and a prelude to the Battles of Harpers Ferry and Antietam, fought on September 15 and 17, 1862, respectively. Soldiers were housed in Saint Paul's Church through Christmas of 1862 and the army relinquished the building back to the congregation on January 31, 1863. Members of the congregation helped the soldiers by preparing and delivering meals and supplying fuel to keep the church heated.
An Era of Growth for Saint Paul's
Burkittsville grew and evolved in the midst of industrial and economic developments in the late-19th century. Local farmers and business owners relied on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal for receiving goods and sending out products. This formed a connection between Burkittsville and the town of Knoxville. Ministers from Saint Paul's were involved in establishing the Payne's Hill Church located between Knoxville and Weverton along the Potomac River in the 1850s. This congregation moved into Knoxville in 1873 and constructed a stone building which was named Trinity Lutheran Church. Until its closure in the 1990s, Trinity Church remained a part of Saint Paul's Parish. An oil painting depicting Christ praying in the Garden of Gethsemane which hung over the altar in Trinity Church is now displayed above the choir loft in Saint Paul's. Saint Paul's Church was also involved in establishing Luther Chapel Lutheran Church in Petersville in 1873.
In 1876, Saint Paul's contracted Burkittsville architect and builder Singleton Albaugh to construct our parsonage. This two-story brick house designed in Italianate style is still owned by Saint Paul's and now used as a rental property. Two years later, Albaugh was again employed by the church to built our present narthex, bell tower, and spire, which were modeled after Saint John's Lutheran Church in Hagerstown. Renovations to the sanctuary of Saint Paul's in 1896 included the installation of the decorative pressed metal ceiling that still spans the nave of the church today.
In 1876, Saint Paul's contracted Burkittsville architect and builder Singleton Albaugh to construct our parsonage. This two-story brick house designed in Italianate style is still owned by Saint Paul's and now used as a rental property. Two years later, Albaugh was again employed by the church to built our present narthex, bell tower, and spire, which were modeled after Saint John's Lutheran Church in Hagerstown. Renovations to the sanctuary of Saint Paul's in 1896 included the installation of the decorative pressed metal ceiling that still spans the nave of the church today.
The Burkittsville Female Seminary
At the end of the Civil War, Rev. William C. Wire, then pastor of St. Paul's, started holding classes in his house on West Main Street for young women in Burkittsville. In the spring of 1867, he received a charter from the Maryland General Assembly which established the Burkittsville Female Seminary. The school soon moved from Rev. Wire's house to a three-story brick structure designed for the use of the seminary with assembly rooms on the ground floor, two floors of dormitory rooms for boarding students, a library, refectory, and apartments for teachers. Women attending the seminary received what we would today consider a liberal arts education, taking courses in subjects including math, English, science, history, writing, and religious studies. They also had the option to take art and music courses and foreign languages. The advent of public education in the early-1870s created a growing demand for teachers. A number of the women who graduated from the seminary applied their education to become teachers, including Mollie Hightman, who taught in Burkittsville's own public elementary school. Difficulty in raising enough funds to support the school led to its closure in 1885.
Saint Paul's in the 20th Century
Further changes to the sanctuary were made in 1914 when our present pews and altar were installed. A pulpit and lectern from this era also survive today in our chapel. At the same time, an acetylene gas lighting plant and radiators heated by steam were installed throughout the church. Saint Paul's also acquired our Parish Hall in 1914, purchasing the building from the Board of School Commissioners of Frederick County. The Parish Hall was originally constructed in 1877 on the site of Burkittsville's original one room schoolhouse. The 1877 structure had two classrooms and served as Burkittsville's public elementary school until 1914 when a three-room school was built on the east end of the village (today, this building is the Burkittsville Ruritan Club). Saint Paul's purchased the old school, removed the wall dividing the two classrooms to make a single hall where meetings and meals could be enjoyed by the congregation and community. Over time, the Parish Hall has served as a meeting place for the municipal government, a polling place, and the first meeting space for the Burkittsville Ruritan Club which was organized in 1953.
The arrival of Rev. Dr. Henry "Harry" Clayton Erdman in 1915 marked the beginning of the longest pastorate in Saint Paul's history. Dr. Erdman remained at Saint Paul's for 33 years until his retirement in 1948. Early in his ministry, Dr. Erdman led the congregation to acquire our pipe organ. Members of the congregation subscribed $750 to the cost of the new instrument and Dr. Erdman wrote to Andrew Carnegie to secure a matching grant. The M.P. Moller Company of Hagerstown installed the instrument at a cost of $1,500 in early-1916.
During the pastorate of the Rev. Martin Zirkle, beginning in 1948, several improvements were made to Saint Paul's. In 1950, a kitchen was built onto the north side of the Parish Hall. The original stone sidewalk in front of the church was replaced with a level concrete walk and retaining wall in 1953. Then in 1957, ground was broken for a two story education annex which was designed by Frederick architect Charles S. Bowers and built by Lloyd Culler. The Sunday School began using the new annex in the spring of 1958.
The sanctuary of Saint Paul's Church was renovated into its present Colonial Revival appearance in 1964 during the pastorate of the Rev. John L. Barnes. The church was rewired and new lights installed, and in the chapel, a new floor was laid. The Newcomer Organ Company of Washington, D.C., was hired to rebuilt and expand the pipe organ, which was relocated to a newly-built chamber behind the altar. A new console was installed and the organ converted to electro-pneumatic action.
The arrival of Rev. Dr. Henry "Harry" Clayton Erdman in 1915 marked the beginning of the longest pastorate in Saint Paul's history. Dr. Erdman remained at Saint Paul's for 33 years until his retirement in 1948. Early in his ministry, Dr. Erdman led the congregation to acquire our pipe organ. Members of the congregation subscribed $750 to the cost of the new instrument and Dr. Erdman wrote to Andrew Carnegie to secure a matching grant. The M.P. Moller Company of Hagerstown installed the instrument at a cost of $1,500 in early-1916.
During the pastorate of the Rev. Martin Zirkle, beginning in 1948, several improvements were made to Saint Paul's. In 1950, a kitchen was built onto the north side of the Parish Hall. The original stone sidewalk in front of the church was replaced with a level concrete walk and retaining wall in 1953. Then in 1957, ground was broken for a two story education annex which was designed by Frederick architect Charles S. Bowers and built by Lloyd Culler. The Sunday School began using the new annex in the spring of 1958.
The sanctuary of Saint Paul's Church was renovated into its present Colonial Revival appearance in 1964 during the pastorate of the Rev. John L. Barnes. The church was rewired and new lights installed, and in the chapel, a new floor was laid. The Newcomer Organ Company of Washington, D.C., was hired to rebuilt and expand the pipe organ, which was relocated to a newly-built chamber behind the altar. A new console was installed and the organ converted to electro-pneumatic action.
Saint Paul's in the 21st Century
The congregation at Saint Paul's has remained dedicated to reimaging how we can best serve our community as Burkittsville and our surrounding area continue to evolve. For much of the latter half of the 20th century, Saint Paul's was part of a parish with Trinity Lutheran Church in Knoxville and Braddock Lutheran Church in Braddock Heights. In 2019, Saint Paul's formed a new parish relationship with Bethany Lutheran Church in Brunswick, known as South Mountain Shared Ministry. This new cooperative ministry has enabled our church to grow our fellowship and outreach initiatives while continuing to honor the long history of Saint Paul's in the Burkittsville community.
Sources:
Wentz, Rev. Dr. Abdel Ross. History of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Maryland of the United Lutheran Church in America 1820-1920. Harrisburg: Evangelical Press, 1920, 329-333.
Williams, Thomas J.C., and McKinsley, Folger. History of Frederick County, Maryland. Hagerstown: LR. Titsworth and Company, 1910, 504-505
Wentz, Rev. Dr. Abdel Ross. History of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Maryland of the United Lutheran Church in America 1820-1920. Harrisburg: Evangelical Press, 1920, 329-333.
Williams, Thomas J.C., and McKinsley, Folger. History of Frederick County, Maryland. Hagerstown: LR. Titsworth and Company, 1910, 504-505
Art and Architecture of St. Paul's Church:
Our congregation is blessed to worship in a historic and beautiful space. When St. Paul's Church was constructed in 1859, it was decorated in the popular Greek Revival style. Two important elements of the original decoration survive inside the sanctuary. Surrounding the altar area in the chancel are two pilasters which support a pediment, decorated with dentils (small wooden blocks resembling teeth) and a carved cornice. The gallery which spans the rear of the sanctuary also dates from 1859 and is supported by two Doric order columns. The railing also sports dentils which run the entire length of the gallery. The present exterior appearance of St. Paul's Church largely dates from the mid-1870s when the narthex, bell tower, and spire were built. This part of the building introduces Federal and Romanesque architecture and was modeled after St. John's Lutheran Church on South Potomac Street in Hagerstown, Maryland.
There are many signs of the architectural evolution of St. Paul's Church to be found inside. The sanctuary was redecorated a various periods in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, reflecting the change in taste from the austere Greek Revival to the highly decorative Victorian Era. The pressed metal ceiling in the sanctuary was installed in 1896 and contains various natural decorations including roses, a traditional symbol of the Virgin Mary as well as Lutheranism, and seashells, a symbol of the sacrament of Holy Baptism. The pews on the main floor of the sanctuary were installed in the early-1900s and have ends decorated with incised Gothic arches and applied scroll work. In the gallery, eight of the original 1859 pews survive and reveal a much plainer design, each end having a single panel and capped by a wooden scroll. Another important survivor from the Victorian Era are the eight windows in the sanctuary and the nine found throughout the narthex and bell tower. All of these windows are examples of grisaille stained glass, a method of decorating glass windows which originated in twelfth century France. Each pane was imprinted with a pattern using paint containing iron oxide which produced the warm brown color of the designs. There are three patterns repeated throughout the windows.
There are two notable works of art displayed in the sanctuary and the chapel. Above the choir loft is an oil painting of Christ praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. The portrait originally hung over the altar in Trinity Lutheran Church in Knoxville and was brought to St. Paul's for preservation after Trinity closed. Over the altar in the Sunday School chapel is a fresco of Christ surrounded by children, painted in 1944 by noted Frederick artist Helen Leona Smith. There is a tradition that the children in the portrait were modeled after children in Burkittsville and Smith incorporated a mountain in the background which closely resembles Lamb's Knoll and South Mountain as they appear in the Burkittsville area.
We invite you to explore our historic church when attending worship services at 11:15 am each Sunday!
There are many signs of the architectural evolution of St. Paul's Church to be found inside. The sanctuary was redecorated a various periods in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, reflecting the change in taste from the austere Greek Revival to the highly decorative Victorian Era. The pressed metal ceiling in the sanctuary was installed in 1896 and contains various natural decorations including roses, a traditional symbol of the Virgin Mary as well as Lutheranism, and seashells, a symbol of the sacrament of Holy Baptism. The pews on the main floor of the sanctuary were installed in the early-1900s and have ends decorated with incised Gothic arches and applied scroll work. In the gallery, eight of the original 1859 pews survive and reveal a much plainer design, each end having a single panel and capped by a wooden scroll. Another important survivor from the Victorian Era are the eight windows in the sanctuary and the nine found throughout the narthex and bell tower. All of these windows are examples of grisaille stained glass, a method of decorating glass windows which originated in twelfth century France. Each pane was imprinted with a pattern using paint containing iron oxide which produced the warm brown color of the designs. There are three patterns repeated throughout the windows.
There are two notable works of art displayed in the sanctuary and the chapel. Above the choir loft is an oil painting of Christ praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. The portrait originally hung over the altar in Trinity Lutheran Church in Knoxville and was brought to St. Paul's for preservation after Trinity closed. Over the altar in the Sunday School chapel is a fresco of Christ surrounded by children, painted in 1944 by noted Frederick artist Helen Leona Smith. There is a tradition that the children in the portrait were modeled after children in Burkittsville and Smith incorporated a mountain in the background which closely resembles Lamb's Knoll and South Mountain as they appear in the Burkittsville area.
We invite you to explore our historic church when attending worship services at 11:15 am each Sunday!
