St Petri Lutheran Church Eden Valley

Prominently located beside the curve of the road to the north of the township is the beautiful stone church of St. Petri which bears testimony to the migration northward from Hahndorf of the early German settlers.

Built in 1868, this was the first place of worship for the Eden Valley Lutheran congregation. In 1892 the walls were raised two feet, a ceiling of matchboard and gothic windows were installed and the thatched roof was replaced with iron. It was a Lutheran School from 1872 to 1916 and is now used as the church hall.

With the growth of the congregation a bigger church was needed, so in 1912 the new church was built using local stone, at a cost of £1,080. A new pulpit, altar, lectern and baptismal font were purchased in 1938, and a pipe organ was installed.

The organ was purchased in Germany by Theo Geyer around the turn of the century. It was built by the famous German firm of August Laukhuff of Weilersheim, and was probably one of their factory room models. Apparently it remained in Theo Geyer's home for many years until he finally managed to sell it to St. Petri, Eden Valley in 1938. It is an exceptionally fine example of turn-of-the-century German organ building.

The church is maintained by the members of the congregation, and is much admired by visitors and locals alike.