St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
Columbia, Lancaster County, PA
Built in 1927
St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, 616 Locust St, Columbia, PA.
History in Churches and Cemeteries
of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania:
St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
1881 - Organized out of First English Lutheran Church. The first church was built on the present site.
1903 - St. James’ Mission Church Sunday School, now St. James’ Evangelical Lutheran Church, organized out of this congregation.
1927 - Present church built.
Source: Churches and Cemeteries of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, A. Hunter Rineer, 1993, page 73. LancasterHistory
St John’s was designed in a Gothic Revival style. The primary building stone is Chickies quartzite from the former Green Tree quarry near Quarryville. The building’s trim is Indiana Limestone.
This Church in the 1932 Book
Building Stones of Pennsylvania:
Above: Image source: Building Stones of Pennsylvania, Ralph W. Stone, 1932, page 184.
Above: Image source: Building Stones of Pennsylvania, Ralph W. Stone, 1932, page 183.
The Church’s Building Stone
Chickies Quartzite quarried near Quarryville:
Above: This Chickies quartzite reveals some of the oblique / diagonal ends described in 1932 by Geologist Ralph W. Stone: “In the churches done in natural face random ashlar a noticeable feature is that many blocks have oblique, rather than square ends.” (See text above.) Masons pointed this stone with white ribbon joints.
The Green Tree Quarry
Source of the Building Stone:
Above: The former Green Tree Quarry provided the Chickies quartize for this church. Traces of this abandoned quarry survive at this site near the Bart Township maintenance building east of Quarryville. This rural community had other quarries also, including a limestone quarry southeast of this location.
The Quarry on a 1940 Aerial Photo
Near the Presbyterian Churches:
Above: This 1940 photo shows the quarry located east of the Middle Octorara Presbyterian Church. Across the road from this church is the Octorara Covenanter Presbyterian Church. Image source: Lancaster County PA GIS Hub.
The Quarry on a Geology Map
Showing the Chickies Quartzite Bedrock:
Above: Image source: PaGEODE (icons and colors added).
Chickies Quartzite Building Stone
It’s the same stone as Chickies Rock.
Above:The Chickies Formation bedrock is named for Chickies Rock, north of Columbia. overlooking the Susquehanna River. Image source: Uncovering PA