Coleman Church History

        The "Coleman's Church" is a relatively older little known church located to the northeast of Gratz in Lykens Township.   The earliest history is found in a warrant for a tract of land, "in trust to John M. Stine and Peter Coleman for purposes of a  schoolhouse and Burrying Ground."  A warrant was issued by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on November 19, 1834,  and patented to them on January 23, 1849.  The stated cost for the patent purchase of the 16 acres, 32 perches, "and  allowance" was $3.66.

        Tradition tells us that a log school house was erected on the property before the first frame church was built.  Sunday  school and other services are thought to have been  held in the log school house.

       The Evangelical Lutheran and Reformed congregations of St. Matthew's formally organized on Whit Sunday, 1857.   This union was specifically agreed upon for the purpose of building a church.  The building was completed in 1858 and was  located just south and adjacent to the old part of the cemetery.  It was situated on one acre and 97 perches of land.   Architecturally, the first building was similar to the present one with exception of having no basement.

        The roof of the structure was a simple gable extending in a north and south direction.  The frame structure had one and  one/half inch tongue and groove flooring, weatherboard siding with white paint, and two-foot wooden shingles on the roof.   On the south side of the church was a vestibule with attached belfry and bell.  A door on the west side of the vestibule  provided the entry to the building.  Three windows were located on both the east and west sides with two small windows on  the north side located to each side of the pulpit.  As seen here, we also see that a window was located to each  side of the vestibule with a third window being in the vestibule itself.  This third, south side window appears to be shuttered  on the picture.  The windows were of the nine-over-six variety.

        The interior of the church was finished with wooden lath and hair plaster.  There was no gallery in the small country  structure.  An elevated pulpit was found on the north wall with seating on either side for choir members.  The communion rail  extended the width of the church in front of the pulpit with a stove for heating located in the center of the church.  The pews  extended in an east-west direction from a center aisle.

        The first structure served the congregation until the new one was built.  Construction began in 1919, and the dedication  took place in 1923.  Since the old church was no longer needed, it was torn down.  The land for this second church was  donated by the heirs of Daniel E. Schwalm, a Coleman descendant.  It is one acre and 9 perches in size.  The necessary  lumber, material, time, and monies were donated by members of the congregation.  John S. Deibert was the contractor and  builder of the present structure now known as St. Matthew's "Coleman's" Church.  Presently  few in number, the  congregational members remain active in many phases of church life.