Palatine Evangelical Lutheran Church

Palatine Evangelical Lutheran Church. Revolutionary War Heritage Trail. This is one of the oldest churches in the Mohawk Valley. Lutheran Palatine Germans built it in 1770 using limestone taken from the creek nearby. The construction cost $155,000 in 2008 dollars with funding donated primarily by the Wagner, Nellis, Reber and Hess families. The spire was funded entirely by six members of the Nellis family, who also gave the gilded bronze rooster on top., In October 1780 British Loyalist John Johnson led 875 troops in a devastating raid across the Schoharie and Mohawk Valleys. They burned all the farms along this road. Legend has it that the Indians were ready to set the church on fire as well, but a British officer stopped them. He had promised his good friend, Henry Nellis, to protect the church., Hendrick W.(Henry) Nellis donated the land for this church. He and his son Robert remained loyal to the British government and fled to Canada. Henry served in the British army throughout the Revolution. His church may have been spared, but he never returned to the Mohawk Valley. He settled in Canada with many other Loyalists from this area., The Nellis family experience was typical of the Mohawk Valley, where often the American Revolution was a civil war that divided families and neighbors. Today descendants from both sides of the American border gather here to celebrate their faith and their common heritage., When the church was restored for its centennial in 1870, workmen found a rare thirteen star American flag in the building, now on display.