The collection is open for research.
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Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Floyd and Wythe County Lutheran Churches Collection, Ms2009-077, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
The Floyd and Wythe County Church Collection was purchased by Special Collections in 2009.
The processing, arrangement, and description of the Floyd and Wythe County Churches Collection commenced and was completed in May 2009.
The Zion Envangelical Lutheran Church—formerly known as the Zion Lutheran Church—in Crockett, Wythe County, Virginia, was founded in 1791. The church was established by a group of German Lutherans, led by Rev. John Stanger. As a result, many of the surviving documents from the church's early days are in German. The first church, an old log building, was dedicated in 1794 by Reverand John Stanger (Lutheran) and Reverend Daniel Repass (Reformed). The old log building was replaced in 1856 with a more contemporary frame building. In 1939, the frame church was replaced with a brick building which is still used today.
The Zion Lutheran Church of Floyd, Viginia, was founded 1791. Like the church in Wythe County, the church in Floyd was also founded by German and German-American settlers who created early records in German. The Zion Lutheran Church was not formally organized until 1813, when the congregation began using a log schoolhouse (built prior to 1809) as a church building. To fit the growing numbers, a new log structure was built in 1838, followed by a third construction in 1861. The most recent building, erected in 1898, is used today.
This collection contains two photographs (1940), a newspaper article (1946), and an index card with notes from the article (n.d.) relating to the Zion Lutheran Church near Crockett, Virginia. The photographs depict the fourth church building and the "old improvised pulpit" noted in the article. The photograph of the tree pulpit was placed on the same page with a photograph of the Zion Lutheran Church in Floyd, Virginia, suggesting a possible connection between the two congregations.
The collection also contains a photograph (1923) and a mailer (1916) from the Zion Lutheran Church in Floyd, Virginia. The photograph shows the the fourth and current church building. The mailer, a plea for financial support from church members who have moved away, proposes to give former members "the opportunity of contributing something to the work of the Kingdom through [their] old home church."
The collection is arranged by subject matter.
The guide to the Floyd and Wythe County Lutheran Churches Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 (https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/).