Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church

In December, 1806, a group of German settlers from Berlin, Pennsylvania, led by Jacob and Michael Keffer, arrived in Vaughan Township, where they formed one of Upper Canada's earliest Lutheran congregations. Their first services were conducted by the Keffers, who served as lay readers, and by pastors from the nearby German settlement in Markham Township. While the parish records date from 1807, it was not until 1819 that the congregation commenced its first log church under the direction of the first regular pastor, the Rev. Johan D. Petersen. It was replaced by the present building in 1860. The following year this was the site of the founding of the Canada Synod of the Lutheran Church.