Peace Church

This historic 2 ½-story limestone church building was built in 1798 and located at the northwest corner of East Trindle Road and St. Johns Church Road in Hampden Township, Cumberland County. It is Georgian architecture and was built as a Reformed Lutheran church and is also known as Die Frieden Kirche, Initially, it was built by the Reformed Church congregation which then consolidated together in 1806 and was used as a church until 1866. 

It was reportedly built by Martin Rupp who also built the nearby historic Johannes Eberly House also located in Hampden Township, and It was recognized and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. However, in History of Cumberland County by P.A. Durand  & J. Friese Richard, 1866), the builders were listed as including both Martin Rupp and Thomas Anderson and, it also listed a member of the vestry of the church congregation as John Wormley, the founder of the Wormleysburg in Cumberland County. 

In 1807 Conrad Doll of Lancaster, PA, a cabinetmaker and organ builder, built a pipe organ in a Chippendale case and installed it which remains today. The organ had been restored and rebuilt in the mid 1970’s. 

It is currently owned by the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission and open to the public for tours, weddings, and other events under the management of Friends of Peace Church and can seat up to 150 persons. However, in early 2020, the Commission announced that it wants to transfer ownership of the church to either a local government or non-profit organization, or in lieu of such conveyance, an outright sale on the open market.

Civil War

Peace Church played a role during in the Civil War. After Confederate General Robert E. Lee set his military sights on the capture and seizure of Harrisburg, under the command of Brigadier General Albert G. Jenkins his brigade completed the capture and occupation of Chambersburg, Shippensburg, Carlisle, and Mechanicsburg. They then moved northward toward Harrisburg, Peace Church and the area around it became part of a two-day occupation by Confederate troops. 

After the family of John Rupp, grandson of Jonas Rupp who built the stone residence structure at 5115 Trindle Road (which still stands today), fled to Lancaster County from the pending Confederate invasion, General Jenkins used the house for his temporary headquarters just west of Peace Church.

His brigade occupied the area including Peace Church and, on June 28 and 29, 1863, the church was set up with artillery by General Jenkins and local residents were even held at the church to ensure that nearby Union troops would not be warned of the intended attack upon nearby Sporting Hill.  The Confederates fired upon Union troops from the church.

On June 30, the Skirmish at Sporting Hill around the Eberly (McCormick) farmhouse became the farthest northern point that the Confederates reached in the war and the advance on the State Capital ended and the Jenkins and his brigade retreated toward Carlisle and onto Gettysburg where, the next day the famous Battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3) began. 

Written by Don Paul Shearer