The 1820 Kern House

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Two North Main Street, Nazareth, Pennsylvania

History of the Kern House

The Kern House was built by Andrew Gottfried Kern, a Moravian carpenter, as his original home.  Only the stone portion of the house is original construction.  Kern's workshop and lumberyard were located a short distance away.  The house is one of the few examples of an early 19th century home which still exists in Nazareth.

Gottfried Kern was born in Nazareth in 1793, the son of Anna Maria and John Michael Kern, a potter whose shop was located on South Main Street where the present Nazareth National Bank stands.  He married Catharine Louisa Levering in 1819, and he built the stone house in 1820 for her.  Together, they had eight children.  She died in 1837, and later that year he married Sarah Lichtenthaeler, with whom he had four more children.  He died in 1874 and is buried in the Nazareth Moravian Cemetery.

Gottfried Kern was an active member of the Moravian Church.  He also was interested in history, and his biography notes that he "made many researches of importance".  He was a founding member of the the Moravian Historical Society.  It is most appropriate that his house will be used by the society to further the study of history.

During the late 19th century the Victorian-era porches at the front door and on the north side were added to the house.  Around 1900 the frame addition was added to the east, probably for a new kitchen.  Between 1904 and 1912 an entry porch was added on the north side of that addition.