St. John's Luthern Church- Wytheville, Virginia
Posted by: 
UberHOKIE
N 36° 57.687 W 081° 06.059
17S E 491010 N 4090600
Fantastic site. There is the church, cemetery and original home of the first pastor.
Waymark Code: WM3NGH
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 04/24/2008
Views: 17
The historic St. John Lutheran Church spawned a half-dozen other churches in and around Wytheville between 1851 and 1915, many of them still around. The first St. John building was constructed in 1800. The existing one in Wytheville was dedicated in 1854 and has been preserved, along with the nearby Flohr House, the home of the Rev. George Daniel Flohr (1763-1826), the church's first pastor.
Source: Roanoke Times & World News
St. John Lutheran Church, formally organized in 1799, is an important Wythe County historical landmark located at the intersection of Interstate 81 and U.S. Routes 21/52. Thecongregation came into being as a result of the migration of German settlers into the western part of the county following the Revolutionary War. At its inception the new mission was yoked with sister Lutheran congregations organized in Wythe County before 1800 - St. Paul Church (1776), Zion Church (1791) and Kimberlin Church (1797). St. John Church was served for years (1798-99) by the Rev. Bernhard Willy, a Reformed pastor from the Shenendoah Valley. He was responsible for organizing the Lutheran churches of Wythe County under a common constitution.
In 1799, George Daniel Flohr, a native of Germany who came to America as a schoolmaster, arrived in Wythe County as a licensed minister after receiving training at Hebron Lutheran Church, Madison, Virginia. Father Flohr, as he was affectionately known, was called to be the first pastor of St. John Church where he served until his death in 1826. He also served as pastor of St. Paul and Kimberlin Lutheran Churches near Rural Retreat and Ebenezer Lutheran Church in Smyth County. His extended parish included the New River Settlement in Montgomery County and Lewisburg in Greenbrier County (West Virginia). The influence of Father Flohr on the Church and the community in Southwest Virginia is immeasurable.
Copied from information board on front of building (Pictured)
Active Church: No
School on property: No
Date Built: 01/01/1854
Website: [Web Link]
Service Times: Not listed
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