Political Quotes

“I rise today to mark a significant historical event in the community of Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. This month the Zion Lutheran Church in Hollidaysburg will mark its 200th anniversary. The rich history of Zion Lutheran is a testament to its founders and all of its congregants to this day. By 1803, population centers in the United States were expanding westward. As small groups of people started to settle west of the Allegheny Mountains for the first time, a small group of German immigrants, led by Pastor Frederick Haas, started the first congregation of Zion Lutheran Church in a log building in Frankstown, Pennsylvania, 200 years ago. While many of the original members were used to the grand cathedrals of Europe, and the new log building was certainly a different way to worship for many settlers, their desire to worship and develop community moved them to embrace their new surroundings. With the opening of the Pennsylvania Canal and the Allegheny Portage Railroad in 1830, Hollidaysburg flourished and became the county seat. As the town continued to grow, congregants needed a larger building to worship, and a new church opened its doors to the spiritual needs of the community in 1853. Today congregants of Zion Lutheran still make this building their center of spiritual community, and it also serves as a central feature of the historic section of the Hollidaysburg borough.”