Home
Skip to content
The Early Years of St. Joseph Catholic Church
- Jim Gerhart, December 2019 St. Joseph Catholic Church was founded in 1849, when a group of German parishioners from St. Mary’s Catholic Church convinced the Archdiocese of Philadelphia that a second Catholic church was needed in Lancaster to serve the growing German population on Cabbage Hill. The new church quickly became the spiritual, cultural, and social hub of the Hill, roles that it continues to fill today. Here, in honor of the church’s 170th anniversary, are nine factoids about the church’s early years, some of which may be familiar and others which may not. Lot purchase: The lot on which St. Joseph Church was built was purchased for $260 from Casper Hauck on January 8, 1850, by Bishop Francis Patrick Kenrick of the Diocese of Philadelphia, on behalf of “the German Catholics of the City of Lancaster”. The lot, which was on the southeast slope of Dinah’s Hill, was 137 feet wide and 191 feet long, and had no buildings…
The Early Years of St. Joseph Catholic Church
Jim Gerhart, December 2019 St. Joseph Catholic Church was founded in 1849, when a group of German parishioners from St. … Continue reading “The Early Years of St. Joseph Catholic Church”
The George Moser Family of Cabbage Hill
Jim Gerhart, November 2019 We are all familiar with stories of immigrants who arrived in America with nothing and ended … Continue reading “The George Moser Family of Cabbage Hill”