Zoar in Tuscarawas County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Zoar Meeting House
Photographed By J. J. Prats, August 23, 2019
1. Zoar Meeting House Marker
Designed by their leader, Joseph M. Bimeler, the Meeting House is the second house of worship used by the Society of Separatists of Zoar. Men and women entered through separate front doors: men used the right door and women the left. Bimeler and his successors gave “discourses” (not sermons) from a table located between the doors. The Meeting House has been in continuous use since it was built in 1853 and as of 201l houses the Zoar United Church of Christ.
The Zoar Separatists were so called because they left the established Lutheran church in their native southeastern Germany. As Pietists, their faith was based on the Bible and centered on a mystical and direct relationship with God. They also believed in Christ’s imminent return to earth and in individual spiritual rebirth, the Wiedergeburt. Worship services included the singing of hymns, accompanied by musical instruments and, after 1873, an organ that is still in use in 2011. The dissolution of the Society in 1898 also ended the Separatists’ religious practices.
Erected 2011 by Zoar Community Association and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 22-79.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Churches & Religion
this page online
Location. 40° 36.909′ N, 81° 25.331′ W. Marker is in Zoar, Ohio, in Tuscarawas County. Marker is at the intersection of Main Street (Ohio Route 212) and 5th Street, on the right when traveling north on Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 198 Main St, Zoar OH 44697, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Oldest Building in Zoar (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Zoar Garden (about 400 feet away); Zoar Village (about 600 feet away); Zoar Historic District (about 700 feet away); Zoar Town Hall / Zoar and The Ohio & Erie Canal (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Zoar Hotel (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Cow Barn Foundation (approx. 0.2 miles away); Welcome To Zoar (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Zoar.
Also see . . . Meeting House — 1853. (Submitted on November 18, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.)
Photographed By J. J. Prats, August 23, 2019
2. Zoar Meeting House Marker Reverse
Photographed By J. J. Prats, August 23, 2019
3. Zoar Meeting House Marker
Photographed By J. J. Prats, August 23, 2019
4. Zoar Meeting House, Now Zoar United Church of Christ
Credits. This page was last revised on June 21, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 18, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 200 times since then and 13 times this year. Last updated on June 7, 2023, by Grant & Mary Ann Fish of Galloway, Ohio. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 18, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
