Amateur Philadelphia photographer John C. Browne took this cyanotype of the Augustus Lutheran Church in Trappe, Pennsylvania in 1887. Browne enjoyed making excursions around the area with fellow members of the Photographic Society of Philadelphia. In his travels through Montgomery County, he photographed what is now considered the oldest unaltered Lutheran Church building in the United States. Dedicated in 1745, this church served its congregation for slightly over 100 years before being replaced in 1852 by the Lutheran Church in Trappe still used today. Typical of 18th century German-American architecture in Pennsylvania, the church was placed on the National Historic Landmarks register in 1967.

Sarah Weatherwax
Curator of Prints & Photographs

The following people correctly identified our Ben’s Lens:

Thomas H. Keels
David Long
Glenys A. Waldman