{"nrhp_refnum":"80001413","name":"St. Paulus Evangelisch Lutherischen Gemeinde","other_names":["Kornthal Church,or Kornthal Union County Memorial"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"S of Jonseboro off IL 127","address_restricted":false,"city":"Jonesboro","county":"Union County","state":"IL","lat":37.415661672000056,"lon":-89.27513215799996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-11-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["European","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A white weatherboarded rural Lutheran church and an associated parsonage in the Kornthal valley, in the Shawnee National Forest south of Jonesboro, Union County, Illinois. Construction began in 1853 and the church was finished in 1860 and dedicated in 1861.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the church is significant for its design and the high quality of its craftsmanship and detailing, which reflect the central European culture of the immigrants who built it. It is described as the last vestige of the once thriving German-speaking culture in Southern Illinois and as a source of information on immigrant folk architecture. The building and its wooded rural setting are described as remarkably intact.","narrative":"Set beside a stream in the wooded Kornthal valley, the \"valley of grain,\" this white weatherboarded church was built by Austrian Lutheran immigrants who arrived in Union County in 1852. Work began in 1853 on a 30 by 50 foot limestone foundation with a native yellow poplar frame. Charles Fettinger designed it and carved the wainscoting, window fans, doors, altar and pulpit. It was finished in 1860 and dedicated in 1861. The design follows the Betsaal, or House of Prayer, tradition of central Europe. A bell tower, 85 feet to the top of its spire, was added in 1889. Inside, a U-shaped balcony encircles a carved altar and pulpit under a wooden canopy. A Queen Anne parsonage from about 1905 to 1910 is also included. The church is valued for its craftsmanship, its integrity, and its role as the last surviving feature of a German-speaking settlement that once had a mill, a store and several small factories.","period_of_significance":"1860 (completed)","architect_builder":"Charles Theodore Fettinger","architectural_style":"Betsaal (House of Prayer) style of central Europe; parsonage in Queen Anne style","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as unaltered on its original site, in good condition. Services ended in 1949; the church is now held by a memorial board of trustees and is listed as occupied.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.305677-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/11/8942/28894211/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/80001413.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80001413/ff6ca48f3c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80001413/ff6ca48f3c-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St._Paulus_Evangelisch_Lutherischen_Gemeinde.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St._Paulus_Evangelisch_Lutherischen_Gemeinde.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28894211","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Paulus_Evangelisch_Lutherischen_Gemeinde","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7591289"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/union-county/st-paulus-evangelisch-lutherischen-gemeinde-80001413/"}