History of Corinth Reformed Church

Corinth 1887		Corinth 1933		Corinth 2010

Among the first settlers in the vicinity of Hickory Tavern in the mid nineteenth century were Adolphus L. Shuford and Henry W. Link, loyal members of the German Reformed Church. In 1860, these men sought the services of Dr. Jeremiah Ingold, pastor of the Grace Charge, to begin Reformed worship services in their town.

During the warm months, Dr. Ingold led services in an outdoor shelter. In the winter, he preached in the home of Henry Link (now the 1859 Cafe). In 1868, Dr. Ingold established Hickory's first school, the Free Academy. The Academy also became host to Reformed worship services that year, because the outdoor stand burned. The Academy also hosted worship services by many other denominations, as well as entertainment shows. Corinth in 1887

On May 22, 1869, twenty-two charter members founded Corinth Reformed Church. Later they built a church structure in what is now Robinson Park, which served as their home from 1874 to 1887. A brick church at the corner of the present Second Street and Trade Avenue NW was Corinth's meeting place from 1888 to 1910. Under the leadership of Pastor Joseph Murphy, the congregation built a larger facility on the corner of Second Street and First Avenue, NW, where the church assembled from 1910 to 1959. The current Gothic structure on Sixteenth Avenue, NW was built on land donated by Shuford Mills, and was completed in 1959.

Corinth owns a proud heritage of strong community leadership, musical excellence, mission and service initiative, and denominational involvement. Five members of the church have become ordained ministers: Dr. Walter W. Rowe, Dr. Robert V. Moss, Jr. (who served as President of Lancaster Theological Seminary and of the United Church of Christ), Dr. D. Lee Jessup, Jr., Dr. Anne Abernethy Wepner, John Bigelow, and Jon Bailey.

Corinth Reformed Church became Corinth Evangelical and Reformed Church in 1934 when two national church bodies merged which both had German backgrounds. In 1957, the United Church of Christ came into being. In recent years, Corinth has restored the name "Reformed" into its formal name to reflect our GermanReformed heritage.

For more information about the heritage of Corinth, including our connection to the Arts and Science Center and Patrick Beaver library (we own the SALT block!) and how we came to have "Boy Scout Troop 1," call, write, or visit the church office and ask for the 125th Anniversary Booklet.

We also have available a 2009 booklet, "50th Anniversary of the Building," which relates stories about the construction and maintenance of our current facility, which opened in 1959.  The booklet is available at no charge in various literature racks or from the church office.