717 W. Main Street
Built between 1743 and 1745, Augustus Lutheran Church is known as the shrine of American Lutheranism. It was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1967. Henry Melchior Muhlenberg served as its pastor from 1742 until his death in 1787. The wrought-iron weathervanes atop the roof are exact replicas of the originals. During the Revolutionary War, the church was used by the Continental Army as a field hospital. Many members of the Muhlenberg family and other prominent local residents, including Governor Francis Shunk, are buried in the graveyard. The parsonage was constructed in the late 1830s and the brick church in 1852. Tours are available by appointment. Open to the public
Augustus Lutheran Church, 1887. A severe windstorm on February 16, 1860, destroyed part of the church roof and spurred talk of demolition, but Rev. William Augustus Muhlenberg—an Episcopal minister and great-grandson of the founder—helped raise funds to restore the building. In October of 1887, the First District Conference of the Pennsylvania Ministerium was held at Augustus to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the death of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg (October 7, 1787). This photograph records that gathering. (Courtesy of Augustus Lutheran Church.)