National Register of Historic Places

St. Paul's Reformed Church

Startown, Catawba County, North Carolina
Listed
June 20, 1990
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
90000860

About this property

St. Paul's Reformed Church is a historic church located at Startown, Catawba County, North Carolina. St. Paul's Reformed Church dates its beginning to 1759. In that year, a German Reformed congregation and a Lutheran congregation, worshipping in the same building, called their first pastor: the Rev. James Martin, a Swiss Reformed pastor. These German immigrants who made up the two congregations had arrived in this country seeking religious freedom and economic relief. The historic St. Paul's Church building was built in 1818 and is the oldest church structure west of the Catawba River. This Reformed/Lutheran, union-church arrangement continued until 1904 when the Reformed congregation decided to relocate a few miles away to the Startown Community to be closer to the homes of its members. In Startown the Reformed congregation constructed a Victorian / Late Gothic Revival-style, one room church building. At this point in its history, St. Paul's was part of a four-church charge. In 1937 The Reformed Church joined with the Evangelical Synod to form the Evangelical and Reformed Church. The Startown congregation was then referred to as St. Paul's E&R Church. In 1974, the congregation relocated again, one-half mile from the 1904 church, and built a new facility. The two-church arrangement continued with Bethel Church until 1978 when the St. Paul's congregation began supporting a full-time pastor on its own. Two of the former buildings used by St. Paul's still stand today: the one constructed in the early 1800s (Old Conover-Startown Road, Newton) and the Victorian-style structure (Startown Road and Dove Street, Newton). Both of these older buildings are registered historic landmarks. The St. Paul's Reformed Church at Startown was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

Location

Startown, Catawba County, North Carolina
35.64794, -81.26779

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Wilfong-Wilson Farm
Listed
1.5 mi
Bost-Burris House
Industrial
1.7 mi
Rudisill-Wilson House
Industrial
2.3 mi
Weidner Rock House
Industrial
2.4 mi
St. Paul's Church and Cemetery
Industrial
2.4 mi

Nearby Battles

Stoneman's Raid — Newton NC
1865Civil War
2.9 mi
Battle of Ramseur's Mill
1780Revolutionary War
5.8 mi
Battle of Ramsour's Mill Jun 20 1780
1780Revolutionary War
7.2 mi
Battle of Graham's Fort
1780Revolutionary War
11.2 mi
Battle of Ramsour's Mill
1780Revolutionary War
11.9 mi

Questions about this property

When was St. Paul's Reformed Church listed on the National Register?

St. Paul's Reformed Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 20, 1990.

What type of historic resource is St. Paul's Reformed Church?

St. Paul's Reformed Church is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for St. Paul's Reformed Church?

The period of significance for St. Paul's Reformed Church is recorded as the industrial era.

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