Zion Lutheran Church (Rockwell, North Carolina) Explained

Zion Lutheran Church
Coordinates:35.5278°N -80.45°W
Built:1794
Added:January 20, 1972
Refnum:72000991

Zion Lutheran Church, also known as Organ Church, is a historic Lutheran church located near Rockwell, Rowan County, North Carolina. It was built in 1794, and is a two-story, stone building. A large bell tower was added about 1900; it is topped by a heavy octagonal spire with a weathervane. A Sunday School addition was built on the rear of the church in 1929.[1]

An earlier wooden structure commonly known as the "Hickory Church" (circa mid-1750s)[2] was shared with Grace Church on the plantation of Jacob Fulenwiler, the current site of St. Peter's Lutheran Church. When Fulenwiler died in 1771, both churches moved to Grace Church's current location, with Organ Church moving to its own site in 1774.[3]

Organ Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: John B. Wells, III. Zion Lutheran Church. National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory . June 1971. pdf . North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office . 2015-02-01.
  2. http://www.gracelowerstonechurch.org/#/About/Our%20Story Grace Evangelical and Reformed Church website
  3. News: Grace Lower Stone Church to celebrate 225th anniversary. Salisbury Post. July 29, 2020. July 29, 2020.