AREA HISTORY: St. Paul’s Lutheran and Reformed, West Manchester Township, York County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Kathy Francis Copyright 2005. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/york/ _______________________________________________ History of York County, Pennsylvania. John Gibson, Historical Editor. Chicago: F. A. Battey Publishing Co., 1886. _______________________________________________ ST. PAUL’S LUTHERAN AND REFORMED CHURCH – Page 622 This church is locally known in this township as Wolf’s Church, after Peter Wolf, an early settler. In 1762 two and one-half acres were purchased from Adam Ziegler for £5 6s. 5d. for church property. In 1763 a congregation was organized by Rev. Nicholas Hornell, then pastor of the First Lutheran Church at York, and a frame church was built. About twenty-five years later this building was enlarged and remodeled. In 1855 the present large and commodious church was built; while the Lutheran congregation was under the pastoral care of Rev. C. J. Deininger, and the Reformed under Rev. D. Ziegler. The ministers present at the corner-stone laying of the present church, were Revs. A. G. Deininger, A. Burg and J. O. Miller; at the consecration were Revs. A. H. Lochman, A. G. Deininger and J. Bossler. The successive pastors of the Lutheran congregation were Revs. Hornell, Bager, N. Kurtz, Jacob Goering, J. G. Schmucker, J. Oswald, A. G. Deininger and C. J. Deininger. Rev. Leeser has lately succeeded to the pastorate. Rev. Deininger ministered to the congregation here from 1846 to 1885, the time of his death, during which period, in connection with his preaching, he baptized 1,010 infants, thirty-nine adults, officiated at 275 funerals and confirmed 611 persons – all connected with the Lutheran congregation of this church. The present Lutheran membership is 400. The Reformed congregation was first served by the pastors from York, including Revs. Lischy, Geistweite and others. Of later date Revs. D. Ziegler, W. Kehm, Jacob Ziegler, and I. S. Weisz succeeded each other in the order named. The Reformed membership is about 300. The church is located in a rich agricultural region, about five miles west of York, one-third of a mile south of the “old five mile house” originally owned by Peter Wolf, on the York & Gettysburg Turnpike. The attendance at Wolf’s Church is very large, and it has for 120 years been a central point of interest in this township.