{"nrhp_refnum":"72000094","name":"Zion Lutheran Church","other_names":["The Lutheran Church of Middle Smithfield,Inc. 1866"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Off River Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"East Stroudsburg","county":"Monroe County","state":"PA","lat":41.04058060300008,"lon":-75.03816688399996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1972-11-09","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small one-story brick church in East Stroudsburg area, Monroe County, Pennsylvania, in a modified Greek Revival style, erected in 1851 according to the datestone in the gable.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church is significant as a well-preserved example of mid-nineteenth century rural church architecture and construction. It also cites the congregation's roots in Lutheran services held in Smithfield from 1749 to 1754, and the decorated fraktur title page of its first church record.","narrative":"A small one-story brick church built in 1851 in a modified Greek Revival style, according to the datestone in its gable. Church records give the cost of construction as $1,603.04. The bricks were made by members of the congregation, and the slate roof came from Slateford in Northampton County. The plain interior holds one rectangular room with a balcony, an altar space and painted wooden pews, and the flooring, molded trim and pews appear to be original. The building sits on a steep hill above a small basement and overlooks the Delaware River. The congregation traces its roots to Lutheran services held in Smithfield between 1749 and 1754 by Catechist Rudolph Henry Schrenck, whose work was praised in reports to the missionary society at the University of Halle. The first church record, from a book beginning in 1798, has a hand-drawn decorated title page in German, a fraktur piece. The building is valued as a well-preserved example of mid-nineteenth century rural church construction.","period_of_significance":"1851","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Modified Greek Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Described as in fair condition, with bracing through bolts added; the original site is retained.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:29.813752-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/72000094.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72000094/7915230173-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/72000094/7915230173-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"National Park Service","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Zion_Lutheran_Church_DWG_NPS.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">National Park Service</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Zion_Lutheran_Church_DWG_NPS.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71995363","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zion_Lutheran_Church_(East_Stroudsburg,_Pennsylvania)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16904544"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/monroe-county/zion-lutheran-church-72000094/"}