Evangelical Congregational Church 1847 - 1966 Worcester "Dutchie" (Dunkard) Church Jim Thompson To view slides from a brief PowerPoint presentation about the church, click here. Building: The church was built on land donated by local residents, Christian & Sarah Wanner, (see page 405 in the Worcester Book for additional information) who lived directly across the road in the old farm house. Henry Frick, an original member, owned a local quarry and donated the stone. The structure of the church was common to the period, although few examples in the area remain today, as many were torn down and replaced by larger buildings during the Victorian period. The building and land are now owned by the Worcester Historical Society. Thanks to a number of generous donations to the Worcester Historical Society, the "Dutchie" Church has undergone a complete renovation during 2006-2007. This includes a new chimney, roof, exterior and interior paint, and a thorough cleaning of the floor. The best known example of preserved Dunkard architecture is at the Antietam National Battlefield. For pictures and a history of the Antietam Dunkard Church, please refer to: www.nps.gov/archive/anti/Dunker.htm. Point of Interest: Note on the exterior, left hand corner of the building, there is a medallion. This is a “US Coast and Geodetic Survey” seal, which was placed on the building in 1942 and used as a surveying bench mark. This means the building can never be torn down. As a further point of interest, the “Geodetic Survey” dates back to Thomas Jefferson who, in 1807, commissioned the group to survey the coasts of the United States. It is also responsible for aligning the grave markers in Arlington National Cemetery. An additional point of interest is the Red Oak in the woods behind the cemetery, which was recognized as one of the "ancient trees," found as #8 on page 335 in the Worcester Book. Cemetery: The oldest gravestone appears to be 1832, although some may be older, but are unreadable. The most recent graves are those of Elmer W. Kreamer, 1871 to 1954, and Haddie D. Kreamer, 1870 to 1961. This is one of the oldest German Dunkard churches which still has a cemetery. The cemetery is under perpetual care; a recent inventory of all the graves has been undertaken, and a plot plan of the graves is posted in the church. Click here to see cemetery records. Underground Railroad: There is strong evidence that the church was used as a "station" on the Underground Railroad to assist slaves to escape to Canada. The Dunkards were a pacifist group which strongly supported the abolitionist movement. Although there are no existing artifacts we are aware of, the trapdoor near the altar leads to a crawl space beneath the church which was further connected to a tunnel leading towards the cemetery. Jacob Albright: The Evangelical Association, which built this church, was a German form of Methodism. It was founded by Jacob Albright, who was born near Pottstown in 1759. In his youth, he worked as a brick and tile maker in Lancaster County. Although baptized a Lutheran, he later found the Methodist Church more to his liking. He became an itinerant preacher, and traveled extensively in the German counties found in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and the Shenandoah Valley. A council of Albright's followers was held in 1803, and a conference in 1807 established the group as the "Newly Formed Methodist Church." In 1809, the name "Albrights" was chosen. For more information concerning Jacob Albright, please refer to Albright College in Reading, and www.albright.edu/150/lifeandtimes.html. Who were the Dunkards? This movement began in Germany in the early eighteenth century. The peace treaty that ended the Thirty Years War (1618 –1648) recognized three state churches. Dissenters were persecuted and forced to meet in communities where some degree of tolerance prevailed. In 1708, the denomination was formed with the baptism of eight believers by full immersion. The name Dunkard derives from this method of baptism. However, they were more commonly known as the German Baptist Brethren. In 1908, the official name became Church of the Brethren. One misnomer concerning the Germans is that they were all "Plain People" or "Sect People" (members of the Dunkard, Mennonite or Amish sects). While it is true that the first sizable influx of Germans were Mennonites, these so-called "Sect People" were a minority. The large majority, as many as 90 percent, of the Germans that came to the New World were known as the "Church People," members of the Lutheran, Methodist, and Reformed Church. Dunkards practiced modesty in their dress and general lifestyle. Other Christian principles which the Dunkards stressed were: pacifism- members both North and South refused military service; the brotherhood of man, including opposition to slavery; and temperance -- total abstinence from alcohol. A typical Dunkard church service supported their belief in simplicity. Hymns were sung with no musical accompaniment from organ, piano, or other instruments. The congregation was divided, with men seated on one side and women on the other. The churches were plain, with no stained glass windows, steeple, or crosses.