{"nrhp_refnum":"10001103","name":"Harmony Grove Church","other_names":["Harmony Grove Methodist Episcopal Church"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"11455 E Locke Rd","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lockeford","county":"San Joaquin County","state":"CA","lat":38.14716990100004,"lon":-121.17633805599996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2011-01-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Exploration/Settlement","Religion","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story brick Methodist Episcopal church at 11455 East Locke Road, Lockeford, San Joaquin County, California. Its cornerstone was laid in 1859, it was completed in 1861 and remodeled in 1868.","why_significant":"The nomination argues significance under Criterion A at the local level for Early Settlement and Religion, as believed to be the oldest surviving Protestant church in California's Central Valley. Under Criterion C it is a rare example of the fusion of Greek and Gothic Revival styles, a vernacular interpretation reflecting local building practices.","narrative":"Harmony Grove Church is a one-story brick church on East Locke Road near Lockeford, San Joaquin County. Its cornerstone was laid in 1859 and the building was finished in 1861, with brick made locally by Chinese workers at a brickyard on Dr. D.J. Locke's ranch. John Brakeman supervised construction and James Tallmadge laid the brick. In 1868 the congregation, enlarged after a revival, had the roof raised and the windows and door changed to pointed Gothic forms, leaving features of both Greek and Gothic Revival on the building. Believed to be the oldest surviving Protestant church in California's Central Valley, it grew from a union Sunday School begun in 1854. Most of its congregation moved to a new Lockeford church in 1883, and funerals were held there as late as 1918. After a 1965 sale threatened demolition, residents campaigned to save it, and a restoration was completed in 1973. It is listed for its role in early settlement and religion and for its architecture.","period_of_significance":"1859-1918","architect_builder":"John Brakeman, contractor; James Tallmadge, builder and brick mason","architectural_style":"Greek Revival/Gothic Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Restored in 1973 and maintained by the San Joaquin County Parks and Recreation Department; used as a community hall and religious facility.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:29.79588-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/10001103.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/10001103/704050b2ea-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/10001103/704050b2ea-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Copperkey","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Harmony_Grove_Church_Front_View_2.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Copperkey</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Harmony_Grove_Church_Front_View_2.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123861385","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmony_Grove_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q65121142"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/san-joaquin-county/harmony-grove-church-10001103/"}