Completed in 1836, Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church's building is the oldest in Gettysburg used continuously for religious worship.
During the battle of Gettysburg it became a haven for serving humanity. When the first wounded appeared along Chambersburg Street, the church's doors were thrown open to serve as a hospital. Within a few hours the chancel, pews and aisles were filled to capacity with stricken and suffering Union soldiers who remained under care under late July.
On the Sunday, July 7th, following the Confederate withdrawal, the church was able to conduct a brief service for parishioners and patients. Mary Horner long remembered, "...the pathos of those poor wounded men as they sang."
This was the last service until July 29th, after the wounded were removed to the consolidated army hospital, Camp Letterman, east of town.
Funding for this project assisted by NPS / American Battlefield Protection Program
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