{"nrhp_refnum":"80003189","name":"St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"S of Stovertown on OH 555","address_restricted":false,"city":"Stovertown","county":"Muskingum County","state":"OH","lat":39.83289603000003,"lon":-81.98758342199994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-01-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A wood frame Gothic Revival church, 40 by 66 feet, built in 1878 south of Stovertown on State Route 555 in Brush Creek Township, Muskingum County, Ohio. George W. Walter(s) was the contractor.","why_significant":"The nomination cites its architectural significance as an intact ecclesiastical example of the Gothic Revival in the Midwest, with a lancet-arch motif, an embossed metal ceiling and 1892 stained glass windows. It also argues the church has been central to the social and religious life of Brush Creek Township for over a century.","narrative":"St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church is a wood frame country church south of Stovertown in Brush Creek Township, Muskingum County, Ohio. Completed and dedicated in September 1878, it measures 40 by 66 feet and has a slate roof in multi-colored patterns and a projecting central bay with a date plaque reading \"E L Church 1878.\" Lancet-arched openings and a sawn wood corbel table reflect Midwestern Gothic Revival design. Inside, an embossed metal ceiling survives, and stained glass windows installed in 1892 memorialize early church members. The original spire was lost to lightning in 1918. The congregation traces its origins to German Lutheran settlers who arrived in 1810 and worshipped in three earlier buildings. Members paid the $4,500 construction cost before dedication and contributed much of the labor. The church was listed for its architectural character and its long role as the focus of religious life in the township. A parish cemetery surrounds it on three sides.","period_of_significance":"1878","architect_builder":"George W. Walter, contractor","architectural_style":"Gothic Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in religious use; the basement serves as a fellowship hall.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:53:12.164768-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_OH/80003189.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80003189/e69b17c0a4-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80003189/e69b17c0a4-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St._John%27s_ELCA_near_Stovertown.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St._John%27s_ELCA_near_Stovertown.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71990664","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._John%27s_Evangelical_Lutheran_Church_(Stovertown,_Ohio)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7588730"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/ohio/muskingum-county/st-johns-evangelical-lutheran-church-80003189/"}