St. Peter Roman Catholic Church
Elizabethtown, Lancaster County, PA
Built in 1799 and 1834.
Above: St. Peter Roman Catholic Church, One St. Peter’s Place, Elizabethtown, PA. The building is constructed of local Triassic sandstone.
Above: The original 1799 sandstone building in the front has Federal-era architectural details. The 1834 sandstone addition in the rear is Gothic Revival, with pointed-arch windows. The top of the bell tower is a replacement.
The 1799 Original Federal Design
compared to
The 1834 Gothic Revival Addition:
Above: The 1799 Federal-era windows have jack arches of yellowish-brown sandstone. These arches contrast with the surrounding rubble sandstone of the walls.
Above: The 1834 windows have Gothic Revival arches of reddish-brown sandstone, in contrast with the wall’s rubble stone.
History in Churches and Cemeteries
of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania:
St. Peter Roman Catholic Church - Founded 1752
Prior to 1742 - Itinerant Jesuit priests held mass in Catholic homes in the area.
1742 - Possible log chapel built on farm of Henry Eckenroth southeast of town. Called Donegal Mission of the Assumption of the Blessed V. Mary.
1752 - Parish formally organized.
1799 - Stone church built and named for St. Peter.
1834 - Large addition built to rear of stone church.
Source: Churches and Cemeteries of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, A. Hunter Rineer, 1993, page 165. LancasterHistory
Founded in 1750s by Father Farmer
A German Jesuit Missionary:
Above: Father Farmer (Father Ferdinand Steinmeyer) Image source: AmericanCatholicHistory
Above: The University of Pennsylvania’s first campus, as it appeared when Father Farmer was a trustee at that school. Image source: UPenn Archives
St. Peter Church in Elizabethtown was founded by Father Ferdinand Steinmeyer, a Jesuit missionary from Germany. He changed his surname to Farmer after arriving in America in 1752
Father Farmer’s first mission in America was at Lancaster. He remained here until 1758, when he was transferred to Philadelphia to minister to the Germans at St. Joseph's Church. In 1779 he was appointed one of the first trustees for the University of Pennsylvania.
Description in Our Present Past (1985)
By the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County:
“St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church, Cherry Alley, behind post office; 1799; two story, three bay stone church with 1832 [1834] five bay transept and chancel addition; wooden box cornice; flat stone arches over stained glass windows; Gothic arches; steeple with bracketed cornice; may be the oldest active Catholic congregation in Lancaster County;” Our Present Past, page 167, Historic Preservation Trust, 1985.
The 1834 Addition
An Early Use of Gothic Revival Design:
Above: Gothic Revival pointed-arch door in the 1834 addition.
Above: Gothic Revival arched window in the 1834 window.
Historical Society Plaques:
Above: Plaques on the church’s front facade. Left: Elizabethtown Historical Society, Right: Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County.
The Church’s Building Stone
Triassic Sandstone:
Above: Triassic sandstone of the New Oxford Formation is the typical local building stone at Elizabethtown. Image based on PaGEODE map.
The 1879 Bell Tower:
Above: This bell tower was added in 1879, along with stained-glass windows. Image source: eBay
Above: The 1879 bell tower: Image source: Henry Kauffman, LancasterHistory
In 1999 St. Peter Catholic Church constructed a new church in Elizabethtown. Today the historic stone church continues to be used for mass and other activities.