{"nrhp_refnum":"80002988","name":"St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"S of Versailles on St. Peter Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Versailles","county":"Darke County","state":"OH","lat":40.19583533200006,"lon":-84.46477664999998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-06-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["European","Exploration/Settlement","Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A log church built in 1850 on a knoll beside a cemetery on St. Peter Road, south of Versailles in Wayne Township, Darke County, Ohio, by a German Lutheran congregation. A tower and belfry were added, believed in 1867.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it the only known survivor of the mid-19th century log churches built during the settlement of western Ohio. It is also described as an outstanding, little-altered early house of worship with an unusual intact interior. It reflects German settlement and Lutheran worship in the area.","narrative":"Built in 1850 of logs, this small church sits on a knoll beside a cemetery on a quiet township road south of Versailles, Ohio. German immigrant families, about three dozen in all, founded the congregation, and Frederick Frengott Seibt donated land for the church and graveyard in May 1850. The 28-by-40-foot log body is covered in white siding, and a square tower and belfry, believed added in 1867, dominate the facade. Inside, plain plastered walls, plank and curved-arm pews, a reed organ, snowflake-pattern window panes, an 1860-patent box stove and a hand-carved buckeye pulpit survive. The building has no electricity or plumbing. Regular services ended in 1905, but descendants gather for an occasional fall service. It was listed as the only known survivor of mid-19th century log churches from western Ohio's settlement, and for its well-preserved early interior.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Unoccupied; regular services stopped in 1905, though an occasional fall service is held. The Klipstine family cares for the building, which has no electricity or plumbing.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:12.147103-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/80002988.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80002988/e65c7a9c5f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80002988/e65c7a9c5f-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St._Peter_Evangelical_Lutheran_Church.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St._Peter_Evangelical_Lutheran_Church.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71987985","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Peter%27s_Evangelical_Lutheran_Church_(Versailles,_Ohio)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7591387"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/darke-county/st-peter-evangelical-lutheran-church-80002988/"}