In Lower Macungie, most early settlers were Lutheran and Reformed, with a few Moravians, and religious observances were first held privately in homes or with itinerant pastors. Lehigh (Zion's) Lutheran Church on today's Spring Creek Road was built in 1750 as the first church building in Lower Macungie and became a Union church for Lutheran and Reformed congregations in 1843, while other nearby churches such as St. Paul's in Trexlertown and Jerusalem Western Salisbury also served as Union churches. Protestant Christian worship remained the community's religious center in one form or another until recently. Education began with private schools in the 1700s, and after Pennsylvania made schooling free in the mid-1800s, one-room public schools were built throughout each township so children would not have to walk more than about two miles from home. Students of all ages learned reading, spelling, writing, and arithmetic together, with older children often helping younger ones. The school year grew from five months to six in 1888 and eventually to nine months by 1922, with a holiday during potato-picking season. Instruction was mostly in the Pennsylvania Dutch dialect, and although teaching in English was increasingly encouraged, it was not required until 1911. In 1951, the Lower Macungie Township School District and several neighboring districts merged to form what became the East Penn School District.