Furthermore as Lutherans they were mercilessly persecuted because of their religion. He promised each one a large tract of land, an amount of money to help them get started, a food supply and a shelter for the first winter. In addition there would be tracts of land set aside for school and churches.

Much to the German's dismay, a good many of these promises were not kept. The first winter was one of untold hardships, struggling for the barest needs - food, clothing, and shelter. To add to this they were harrassed by the Indians who pillaged their meager supplies, destroyed their homes and wiped out whole families. These people from Germany were of great strength of character overcoming unbelievable hardships. The whole history of this settlement was achieved through their courage and religious beliefs. The settling of Waldoborough, history says, was largely done by the Lutherans under the guidance of Waldo.

The first meetinghouse at Broad Bay was a small box-like room, plain with no frills. Later in 1772, this meetinghouse was abandoned. A larger church was built further up the river on the east side. During the winter of 1794, a group of Lutherans, dismayed at the growing influence of the English in the community, dismantled the church, transferring it across the river on the ice to the west side. Using sleds they took it piece by piece up the steep slope to the present site. This land was an original grant given by General Waldo to the settlers for a school or church. Here in the spring of 1795 it was reassembled. The interior was plain, the walls unpainted and rows of wooden seats around the three walls. At a later date the walls were first plastered then painted a soft grey while the wooden seats were replaced with wooden box pews. A graceful wine-shaped pulpit with a wooden, square-shaped sounding board was overhead.

At a still later date, there were two more additiions, a wood stove and a parlor organ. The box pews were bought by families who were given a deed similar to a property deed.

Colorful, but unlettered pastors served in the pulpit until 1795 when the Reverend Friedrich Augustus Rodolphus Benedictus Ritz of the University of Halle, Germany, became the first regularly ordained minister. At his death, the Reverend Johannes Wilhelm Starman was installed in 1819 as the last minister of the church. He was an able pastor, but the parish slowly declined in number. This was due to the fact that the older Germans successfully insisted that the word should be preached in German. Meanwhile, the second generation became bi-lingual and the third generation no longer spoke or understood the German language. The language factor sealed the fate of the ancient parish.

The church is now maintained as a local memorial by the German Protestant Society. This lovely spot on the side of the hill with the simple yellow church and its burial ground speak eloquently of the past. The meetinghouse is quiet — peaceful with a strength and dignity derived from those who hewed its beams from the neighboring forests.

Waldoboro no longer teems with the industry of yesterday, but it is by no means a "sleeping" town. There are small businesses coming into the community. Waldoboro is a delightful village in which to spend one's summer, or in which to retire. The river is now used for boating. Those original settlers must rest peacefully, happy in the knowledge of what they accomplished.

You will find a visit to 'THE OLD GERMAN CHURCH' in Waldoboro most interesting and inspiring.