History:

The founding of St. Paul's Church is a Direct result of a colonization project undertaken by the Theodore De Company, Of Antwerp. The leading partner in this firm, and an outstanding figure in the early years of the congregation and colony, was George F. Gerding. In the early 1840's he and his company purchased five sailing vessels previously used as cargo ships, and converted them into passenger ships. Far-reaching plans were laid for the colonization of East Tennessee. Over 200,000 acres of land were bought by the company, with the intention that Morgan, Scott, Fentress, and Cumberland Counties be settles solidly with German, Swiss, and French immigrants.