Lower Marsh Creek Presbyterian Church
Why it's listed
Built of rubble fieldstone in 1790 on a site along the Great Road in Carroll's Tract, Lower Marsh Creek Presbyterian Church is a one-story building three bays wide and six bays deep. A datestone of 1790 sits above a semicircular opening in the front gable, and the windows and doors are capped with radiating stone arches. The congregation had earlier worshipped in a log church at the graveyard on the west bank of Marsh Creek, where a gravestone bears the date 1749. The present building was erected in a grove of great oaks near a spring. It was remodeled around 1850, when a new roof, floor, and pulpit were installed, and again in 1891, when stained glass replaced the east windows. A basement room added in 1945 holds church school classes each Sunday morning. The church is regarded as a well preserved example of early regional stone church architecture in Adams County.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the church is a well preserved example of early religious architecture in Adams County and a fine representative of a regional type of stone ecclesiastical building. It is compared with four similar structures in the county, including the Great Conewago Presbyterian Church, which is already listed. The form notes that the church is less elaborate in detail than Great Conewago but is still eligible for architectural significance.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 80003399, listed October 15, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | SE of Orrtanna on LR 01002, Highland Township, Orrtanna |
|---|---|
| County | Adams County |
| Listed | October 15, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80003399 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Acreage | 3.3 |
| Coordinates | 39.81168, -77.33288 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Religious properties are listed for their architectural or historical significance, not their religious use. Listing is honorary and does not restrict the congregation's use of the building. The federal rehabilitation credit is generally unavailable unless part of the building is income-producing; some state programmes and preservation grants do cover religious buildings. Federal funding or permits trigger Section 106 review.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 80003399.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6693595
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.