Historic Old Trappe Church will be open for free tours on April 25, 2026 from 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM.The event will coincide with a Spring Turkey Dinner / Craft & Vendor Fair.Tickets for the dinner are only $22.00 presale with payment / $25.00 at the door
Imagine standing on a cold September morning in 1777, just after the Battle of Brandywine, as George Washington’s Continental Army retreats through the Pennsylvania countryside, seeking refuge in the small village of Trappe. Nearby, the stone walls of a modest church, built only thirty years prior, wait to serve a new purpose—no longer just a place of worship, but a sanctuary for wounded soldiers and a hospital for the new nation's fighting men.
That place is Augustus Lutheran Church, affectionately known as the Old Trappe Church. Located on Main Street in Trappe, PA, this is not just a building; it is a portal to the founding of America.
Dedicated in 1745, the Old Trappe Church is the oldest unchanged Lutheran Church building in continuous use in the United States. When you walk through its doors, you are walking through the same doors, sitting in the same box pews (some still featuring their original doors), and looking up at the same pulpit used by early Pennsylvania German pioneers and the "patriarch of American Lutheranism," Henry Melchior Muhlenberg.
A tour of this National Historic Landmark offers an intimate look at colonial life:
- The Original Architecture: Marvel at the sturdy, hand-gathered sandstone exterior.
- A Place of War and Peace: Hear stories of how the church was used as a field hospital during the Revolutionary War.
- The Muhlenberg Legacy: Learn about Henry Muhlenberg and his family, who shaped the early days of American religion and politics.
- The Graveyard: Visit the resting place of many prominent local residents, including revolutionary soldiers and Governor Francis Shunk.
Don't just read about history—walk through it.