| Travel back in time and visit historic Zion's Reformed United Church of Christ. In 1773, a stone church measuring 38' by 48' stood on the site of the current church building in a small village then known as Northampton. On September 11, 1777, the British forces defeated Washington during the Battle of Brandywine. This left the city of Philadelphia open to invasion. At a meeting of the Executive Council in Philadelphia it was decided to send the Liberty Bell and another bell from the State House, which is now known as Independence Hall, to a safe hiding place. Along with the bells of the State House, the chimes and tower bell of Christ Church, and the two bells of St. Peter's church, were sent to a remote settlement to prevent the British from melting them for cannon. A train of 700 wagons, accompanied by 200 cavalrymen, transported the bells along with military supplies to the Lehigh Valley. |
The Council announced that the bell had been buried in the waters of the
nearby Delaware River, which some people still think today. Proof of the
movement was found in an entry in the diary of the Moravian Church of Bethlehem.
Written under the date of September 24,1777:
"The bells from Philadelphia brought in wagons. The wagon with the State House bell broke down here, so it had to be unloaded. The other bells went on."In reality there were other plans for the bells. Hidden in the wagon of a farmer returning from Philadelphia the Liberty Bell was brought to Zion's Church by John Jacob Mickley and Frederick Leaser. Once all of the bells arrived they were hidden by the pastor, Reverend Abraham Blumer beneth the floor boards of the church. There they stayed until the the British left Philadelphia in the later part of 1778, when they were returned to their rightful places. Now jump ahead in time to the year 1958 |
 
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