By WALTER AULT

UPPER SALFORD — There is a parcel of land in a beautiful setting in Upper Salford Township that, while physically small, is nevertheless large in importance due to its rich history.

This rural plot also has much historical significance because it has not just one, but two very old and well-known structures: the 1732 Gemeinhaus, a log building; and just a few feet away, the Old Goschenhoppen Reformed Church, built in the mid-19th Century. The two buildings are located at 2029 Church Road, near the village of Woxall.

Visiting these historical structures, learning how they came into existence and how they have served the local congregation over so many years is a thrilling and thoroughly enlightening experience for any local history buff.

It all began, according to Old Goschenhoppen Reformed Church documents, in the early 18th Century, when newly arrived Lutheran immigrants, looking for a place to worship, joined with the already established Reformed Congregation in the area.

The earliest recorded religious service for the two groups took place on Oct. 12, 1727. The pivotal year for the two congregations, however, was 1732, the year, the documents point out, “the William Penn family sold 38 acres of land to two pastors, one Lutheran, one Reformed, for eight pounds, four shillings and three pence ($23.34).” Also, 1732 was the year the Gemeinhaus (community house) was built. This small, plain log structure (80 by 46 feet) ultimately served its parishioners as a church, a public house, a school house and as a residence for the schoolmaster. According to present pastor of the Old Goschenhoppen Church, Rev. William Gaydos, the Gemeinhaus is thought to be the oldest church meetinghouse in Pennsylvania, as well as one of the oldest remaining examples of German architecture in the state.

The Gemeinhaus had religious services for a relatively short time, due to the construction of a larger stone church in 1746. Once the new church was completed the Gemeinhaus was used primarily as a school.

The 1746 church lasted for more than 100 years, eventually replaced by a much more modern and larger church, the present structure, which was built in 1848.

“The congregation was getting bigger and the people wanted a new building,’ said Rev. Gaydos. “The old church was rather small and very plain,” Rev. Gaydos continued. “It had no steeple, no stained glass windows. It was more like a meetinghouse than a church.

“There is a reason for that simplicity,” Rev. Gaydos added. “It was like that because people at that time were rebelling against things about Catholicism, including its extravagance.”

The present stone and stucco church was built partially on the side of the 1746 church. According to the church literature, the new two-level structure had a sanctuary on the ground floor and a balcony on three sides. The balconies, the documents continued, were for seating the men and boys, while the women sat in the center. Of course, the church is different now, due to a few renovations over the years. One particularly interesting aspect of the church now is that religious services are held on the second floor.

“The new church was more modern and more like other churches of its day,” Rev. Gaydos said, adding that some material from the 1746 church “was incorporated into the new one” -- explaining why the church date stone has two dates, 1744 (the year construction started on the first stone church), and 1848.

In any case, visiting the two present structures is truly a lesson in history. The log Gemeinhaus, in particular, has some very unusual and interesting features, such as a huge open hearth, the original desks used by school children -- you can see where the boys did a lot of carving with their pen knives -- and the original lectern (pulpit) from the present church. Also in the Gemeinhaus is a display case exhibiting old pottery shards, old roof tile fragments, rusted old implements and a selection of old bibles.

The present church also has much to offer a visitor, such as beautiful stained glass windows, beautiful woodwork, an 1837 organ and a bell in the church tower weighing 537 pounds.

“There is a lot of sentiment attached to these buildings,” said Rev. Gaydos. “They are costly to maintain, but are so unique and so important that they are surely worth the effort.”