{"nrhp_refnum":"74001729","name":"Lutheran Theological Seminary-Old Dorm","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Seminary Ridge, Lutheran Theological Seminary campus","address_restricted":false,"city":"Gettysburg","county":"Adams County","state":"PA","lat":39.83216719600006,"lon":-77.24429689599998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-05-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Military","Religion"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"The Old Dorm building of the Lutheran Theological Seminary, a substantial rectangular brick Federal-style building on Seminary Ridge west of Gettysburg, Adams County, Pennsylvania. It was completed and first occupied in 1832.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building was the first in the United States erected and maintained for Lutheran theological education. It served as an observation point and hospital during the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863, and it was a prominent landmark that could be seen for miles.","narrative":"Seminary Ridge west of Gettysburg holds a brick building of Federal design, 100 feet by 40 feet, with a basement and three stories. Plans were drawn by Nicholas Pierce of Chambersburg, and the building was completed and first occupied in 1832, six years after the Lutheran Theological Seminary was founded. Samuel Simon Schmucker, the seminary's first organizer, professor and president, prompted its construction. The building held lecture rooms, a library, an assembly room and dormitory space. It is regarded as the first building in the United States erected and maintained for Lutheran theological education. During the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863, it was used first by Union generals Buford and Reynolds, then as a Confederate signal station under Lee's aides. It was filled with the dead and dying, struck by cannon fire, and afterward became a hospital for soldiers of both armies. Its cupola was rebuilt after a 1913 lightning strike, and the Peace Portico was added that year.","period_of_significance":"1832-1961","architect_builder":"Nicholas Pierce (architect); Wm. J. Cook (carpenter foreman)","architectural_style":"Federal","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"In use as the home of the Adams County Historical Society since 1961.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:31.063641-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/74001729.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001729/503d0e6991-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74001729/503d0e6991-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gburg_Seminary_NE.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gburg_Seminary_NE.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"66000642","name":"Gettysburg National Military Park","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/pennsylvania/gettysburg-national-military-park-66000642/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71995657","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schmucker_Hall","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7431849"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/adams-county/lutheran-theological-seminary-old-dorm-74001729/"}