{"nrhp_refnum":"79002220","name":"Zion Lutheran Church and Graveyard","other_names":["Zion Lutheran Church Parish House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Rosanna St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Hummelstown","county":"Dauphin County","state":"PA","lat":40.26627433150006,"lon":-76.71038968064954,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-03-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-and-a-half-story limestone church in Hummelstown, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, built in 1815 as the second church of the Zion Lutheran congregation. The Hummel graveyard surrounds it on the south and west.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is significant for its architecture, which reflects its early period in simple styling, and for its role in the settlement and development of Hummelstown. It also cites the congregation's long use of the building as a house of worship and community center.","narrative":"Built of limestone in Hummelstown, Dauphin County, in 1815, this two-and-a-half-story church was the Zion Lutheran congregation's second building, following a log church erected in 1766. Its stone quoins, boxed cornices and dentil-decorated frieze give it a plain early-nineteenth-century character, and a circular six-light window pierces the south gable end. Frederick and Rosina Hummel gave the congregation two lots for a church and graveyard in 1756. In 1804 the congregation obtained a charter of incorporation, allowing it to collect back rents on town lots, and those funds paid for the new building. Services were conducted in German until English was introduced after 1854 under pastor George Haines, when the interior was remodeled. A larger brownstone church was dedicated next door in 1893, after which the stone building served as a parish school and community meeting house until about 1960. The Hummel graveyard surrounds it on the south and west sides.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Leased in 1970 to the Hummelstown Area Historical Society for use as a museum and meeting rooms.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:29.837751-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/79002220.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71995908","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zion_Lutheran_Church_and_Graveyard","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8072543"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/dauphin-county/zion-lutheran-church-and-graveyard-79002220/"}