OF AVASHINGTON COUNTY, AIARYLAND.
 

461
 

CHAPTER XXXIl
 

PAUL'S    REFORAIED    CHURCH,

CLEARSPRING.—*Among the oldest of
the institutions of this section of the State
is St. Paul's Reformed Church, known in
the early church annals as the "Conococheague
Congregation," and commonly known in our day
as "The Stone Church on the AVestern Pike." Early
in the eighteenth century, immigrants holding the
Reformed faith settled here. Far from home, and
surrounded by hardships and perils, they had a
lively sense of dependence upon God, and held
divine services as well and as often as they could
without a spiritual leader.

The earliest authentic history dates from May
9, 1748. On this day the Rev. Alichael Schlatter,
sent out by the Reformed Church of Holland at
the eai'nest solicitation of the Church in Germany
and Reformed colonists in Penns3dvania, arrived
from Frederick, Md., preached, administered both
sacraments and ordained elders and deacons. He
speaks at length of this visit in his diary. He
visited Frederick during the year before, and at-
that time refers to the Conococheague congrega¬
tion in a manner whicli shows that he is already
acquainted with it.

He writes that the people are of Swiss and
German origin. Among the family names of that
time we find Seibert, Kershner, Seller and Price.
I'he missionary notes that "Here in this region
there are very fruitful fields for grain and pas¬
ture; they produce Turkish corn almost without
any manure, among which are stalks ten and more
feet long; and grass exceeding fine."    He traveled
 

many miles through forests by Indian trails, which
were the only roads. Such indications of civil¬
ization as he saw were the result of painful toil
amid tr3dng hardship. Again he writes, ''In this
neighborhood there are still many Indians, who
are well disposed and very obliging and are not
disinchned towards Christians when they are not
made drunk by strong drink." But the settlers
had prepared themselves, against the worst by
building block-houses; one where Gov. Sharpe af¬
terward erected what is known as Fort Frederick,
and one on the west side of the Conococheague
creek, about a half mile south of where the AVest¬
ern Pike now crosses. This latter one was used
for public worship. It was here that the Rev. or
Domine Schlatter gathered, the congregation, and
here they worshipped regularly thereafter until
1797, a period of fifty 3'ears.

There were few ministers, and although some
were brought from the fatherland, it was difficult to
supply all the charges organized by the missionary.
Therefore it was not until 1753 that a regular cler¬
gyman, the Rev. Theodore Frankenfeld, was in¬
stalled. The charge then consisted of three con¬
gregations: at Frederick, Aid., where he resided,
at Conewago (between Littlestown and Hanover,
Pa.,) and the"Conocosheague." This arrangement
continued until 1759, when the Coneyvago congre¬
gation was connected with that of York, Pa. In
spite of this great territory which he covered, we
learn from the minutes of Synod that "Domine
Frankenfeld rejoices with thanksgiving to God
over them."    Each congregation had its own day
 

♦Contributed by Rev. Frederick "Wm. Bald.