Augustus Lutheran Church - Trappe, PA
Posted by: 
neoc1
N 40° 12.111 W 075° 28.796
18T E 459153 N 4450271
The early Pennsylvania German rural style Augustus Lutheran Church, a.k.a. Old Trappe Church, is located at 717 W. Main Street in Trappe, PA.
Waymark Code: WM1796W
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 01/06/2023
Views: 0
Augustus Lutheran Church is the oldest existing Lutheran church building in the United States. It was built in 1743 by Heinrich Melchior Muhlenburg in the early Pennsylvania German rural style. The church was dedicated in September 1745.
A Pennsylvania Historical Marker at the entrance to the grounds of the church is inscribed:
AUGUSTUS LUTHERAN
CHURCH
-·-
Oldest unchanged Lutheran
church in America. Built
in 1743 by Dr. Henry
Melchior Muhlenberg, who
died in 1787 and is buried in the graveyard.
PENNSYLVANIA HISTORICAL AND MUSEUM COMMISSION
The two story high sandstone building has a gambrel roof which tapers to three sides on the south side. A projecting fieldstone entrance pavilion at the middle of the west side has a rounded arch opening and is covered by a gable roof. On the main block are a pair of 4 by 5 pane windows with white shutters flanking the entrance on the lower level. The two matching windows on the upper level do not have shutters.
The north gable end has projecting auxiliary entrance with a rounded arch opening and covered by a gable roof. Windows on the lower level and upper match those front of the church. A fifth 2 by 2 pane window is located at the attic level. The south end has three sections with a large 4 by 8 pane window with white shutters at the lower level and a 2 by 2 pane window at the upper level on all three sections.
The church is still used for services during the summer and on Christmas Eve.