My 8th great-grandparents John Nicholas Blankenbaker and his wife, Appelonia Käfer were part of the Second Germanna Colony, which came to Virginia in 1717. I visited the Germanna Colony Visitor Center last month, and a few weeks ago we were on a trip to visit friends and were able to stop by and see the Hebron Lutheran Church, which the members of the colony started in 1740 after moving to the area.
It is the oldest church building in continuous use as a Lutheran church in the U.S and one of four surviving wooden churches from Virginia’s colonial period.
I wasn’t able to go inside, as we were just passing through and I hand’t called ahead. It was still so nice to see the area that they lived in though – picturesque farms and rolling hills. It’s hard for me to believe that just one generation later, my ancestors decided to move on to Kentucky. Really, I can’t imagine anyone wanting to leave this area!! It belongs on a puzzle or a calendar or something. 🙂
One pleasant surprise was the fact that the church was on the corner of Hebron Church Rd and BLANKENBAKER RD. Their name lives on in the area. 🙂
