The First St. Peter's Lutheran Church

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Shepherdstown was officially established in 1765, after the founding of Mecklenburg (today Shepherdstown). Six men founded the church, one being Martin Endler, the first in the line of Entlers. The first church was located next to the railroad tracks, on German Street. Pastors often served many churches in northern Virginia and southern Maryland because they were in short supply. The first pastor for the church was Reverend Mr. Bauer in 1766, but he was not a Lutheran pastor. He was a Christ Reformed Church pastor and also preached for the Lutheran Church.

The second Lutheran pastor was Carl Wilbahn from Germany, because the German citizens “were unwilling to join the English Church” (From the Journals of Henry Melchoir Muhlenberg, vol. 2). During the Civil War, the town became a hospital after the Battle of Antietam and the Lutheran Choir sang at the burials of those lost after the Battle. After the war, the church remodeled to add an addition and a basement. The church installed a pipe organ shortly after the renovation.