Augustus Lutheran Church - Trappe, PA - Dated Buildings and Cornerstones on Waymarking.com

The original 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. In 1853 a second, much larger brick church was built nearby in 1852, with the original's name. To distinguish between the two this church is known locally as the Brick Church.

The early Romanesque Revival style was popular among Germany immigrants, a style they called Rundbogenstil ("Round-arched style"). The Romanesque Revival style church has a symmetrical façade with a gable roof and a central rounded arch entrance flanked by a pair of tall and narrow Romanesque arch windows. A third smaller window of the same style is located above the entrance. Below the apex of the gable end is a round louvered window. Between the entrance and the small window is a dated plaque which is inscribed:

Rising from the roof is a five stage steeple. The lower stage is a square tower, then an octagonal belfry with rounded louvered windows. Next a short tapered octagonal tower below a second belfry with louvered windows and on top a tapered octagonal spire topped by a cross.

The southeast side of the church is seven bays deep. Each bay has a tall Romanesque arch window on the upper level and small shuttered windows on the lower level. The fifth bay has an one door entrance.The northwest side abuts the Muhlenburg Center building built in 1960.

When logging a visit to a waymark in this category, please provide one or more photos taken by yourself, and note down your impressions and any background information you may have.