1892 - Holy Trinity Memorial Evangelical Lutheran Church - Sharpsburg, MD - Dated Buildings and Cornerstones on Waymarking.com

The granite (or some other type of similar stone) cornerstone may be found at the bottom of the 2-story bell tower on the left or southwest corner of the church, 3.5 feet off the ground, facing East Main Street. The cornerstone is set into the brick, the dominant building material of this late 19th century church. The cornerstone reads: Holy Trinity, Memorial Evang. Luth. Church (those last four words arched) 1892. The stone is gray, worn and a little hard to read after 119 years of weathering (it faces the south).

This church was built after the Battle of Antietam so it lacks that aspect of Civil War history that many religious institutions bear, but, it is still a contributing structure to the local historic district. I did manage to find a narration of the building:

The Holy Trinity Lutheran Church is a south-facing, one-story-and-tower, three bay, brick, freestanding, ecclesiastical structure resting on a stone foundation. Built in a simplified, yet robust Gothic Revival style, it is set directly at the public-right-of-way on a corner lot. The church exhibits characteristics that are typical of German Gothic churches and are thus reminiscent of the church's religious heritage. Among these features are the simple decorative brickwork, the squat form, and the two front towers of similar yet different design and size.

The original building, located a half a block away from this site was damaged during the Battle of Antietam. Its cupola was used as a lookout Tower. The building was used as a field hospital. In April 1863 it was torn own. In 1869, a second church was built at the same site. By 1890, the congregation was too big for the church and the rest is history. In 1893, the new church was completed (this church) and rededicated as the Holy Trinity Memorial Evangelical Lutheran Church in memory of the soldiers that died in the Battle of Antietam.

Prior experience makes me about 99.99% sure this building is a contributing structure but as the nomination form has yet to be digitized on the Focus site, I do not have the necessary documentation to prove this as a fact.

I was particularly fond of the bell towers, especially the larger one. The bell tower projects from the front facade, yet it is aligned with the side elevation located at Church Street. It is clearly defined on four sides and has similar decorative features as the east bay: a lancet window at the ground floor, brick buttressing, and the crenelated parapet at the top. However, it stands much higher than the east bay and also features round windows in each face, paired lancet openings in each face of the belfry, and brick corbelling near the parapet. (citation below)

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