Germantown Meetinghouse
Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Built here in 1770 - the first meetinghouse of the Church of the Brethren in the nation. Founded in Germany in 1708, the denomination was entirely transplanted to America by 1750 due to religious persecution. Many early Brethren leaders are buried in the cemetery.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Built in 1770, this was the first meetinghouse in the nation for the Church of the Brethren, a German pietist denomination born in 1708. Facing harsh religious persecution at home, virtually the entire church pulled up roots and resettled in America by 1750, seeking the freedom of worship that Pennsylvania promised. Many of the movement's earliest American leaders rest in the cemetery here.
Why it matters
The meetinghouse embodies the promise that drew countless dissenting faiths to colonial Pennsylvania—religious liberty—and marks the American beginning of a denomination that fled persecution to find it.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- African American Museum in Philadelphia6.9 mi away · 701 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- National Constitution Center6.9 mi away · 525 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Independence Visitor Center7.0 mi away · 599 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Betsy Ross House7.1 mi away · 239 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Illadelph Glass Gallery7.1 mi away · 68 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Museum of Illusions Philadelphia7.1 mi away · 401 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
Attractions
- Discovery Center at East Park Reservoir4.7 mi away
- Pennsylvania Railroad, Connecting Railway Bridge5.1 mi away
- Philadelphia Zoo5.4 mi away
- Harbison's Dairy Milk Bottle5.5 mi away
- Rocky Steps5.9 mi away
- Philly Gun Range6.3 mi away · North Percy Street
Food & drink
- Independence Mall Cafe7.0 mi away · 50 North Independence Mall East, Philadelphia
- Burger King7.1 mi away
- Dunkin'7.1 mi away · 634 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
- La Colombe Coffee Roasters7.1 mi away
- Philly Pretzel Factory7.1 mi away
- Time & Peace7.1 mi away · 36 South 7th Street, Philadelphia, PA
Places to stay
- Days Inn Philadelphia Convention Center - Philadelphia6.6 mi away · 1227 Race Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Four Points by Sheraton Philadelphia City Center6.6 mi away · 1201 Race Street, Philadelphia
- Clarion Suites Philadelphia6.7 mi away · 1010 Race Street, Philadelphia
- Sleep Inn Center City6.8 mi away · 1020 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Home2 Suites by Hilton Philadelphia - Convention Center, PA6.8 mi away · 1200 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- The Notary Hotel6.8 mi away · 21 North Juniper Street, Philadelphia
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Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
First Brethren Baptism in America, 1723
Philadelphia, PA
On Christmas Day 1723, a small band of German immigrants gathered at the water's edge in Germantown and performed the first American baptisms of the Church of the Brethren, a pietist movement born in Schwarzenau, Germany, in 1708. Fleeing religious persecution in the Old World, these settlers had found in Pennsylvania the freedom to practice their faith — including their signature rite of full-immersion adult baptism. That winter service planted one of the earliest peace-church congregations in the American colonies.
Christopher Saur (1693-1758)
Philadelphia, PA · est. 2009
Christopher Saur was a pioneering printer in colonial Pennsylvania who in 1743 produced the first Bible printed in a European language in America — a German edition for the region's growing immigrant community. From his press came the most widely read German-language newspaper of the day, and he used it to champion German causes and aid fellow newcomers with his money and influence. His shop was a cornerstone of German-American life in the colonies.
Kelpius Community
Philadelphia, PA · est. 2004
In 1694 the German mystic Johannes Kelpius led a band of learned followers to the banks of the Wissahickon, drawn by William Penn's promise of religious liberty. Known as the "Hermits of the Wissahickon," they wrote poetry and music, studied the stars and plants, built one of the colonies' early pipe organs, and waited for the millennium they believed near. Notably tolerant for their age, they welcomed people of every background, including Native Americans, until the community faded after Kelpius's death in 1708.
Johannes Kelpius, Hermit of the Wissahickon
Philadelphia, PA
In 1694 a band of German mystics led by the young scholar Johannes Kelpius crossed the Atlantic and settled along the Wissahickon Creek near Philadelphia, awaiting what they believed would be the dawn of a new spiritual age. Learned in theology, astronomy, and music, Kelpius lived as a hermit — tradition holds he used a cave near this spot for prayer and meditation — until his death in 1708. Much later, in 1961, Rosicrucians of the AMORC order erected this memorial, claiming him as a forerunner of their movement.