Christ Lutheran Church

Duane's take

Here's the story as the official marker tells it, out here in Williamson County. In the mid-1880s, a cluster of Lutheran families had put down roots at a Wendish settlement called Hochkirk. No church building yet, just faith and front parlors.

They gathered in homes for services, and a local pastor named Gotthilf Birkmann stepped up to officiate those meetings. Now, every community like this needs someone willing to give something real to make it last. That man was Peter Zieschang, the founder of Hochkirk himself, and he donated three acres of land so the congregation could have a proper home.

By 1891, they had one. Built and dedicated, all for two hundred dollars. Not a fortune even then, but it was theirs.

Then came 1902, and Hochkirk got a new name. The settlement was renamed Noack, after the postmaster, a man by the name of John Ernest Noack. The church kept growing alongside it.

A parochial school was established right there, running separate German and English classes under the same roof. And for decades, the services themselves were conducted entirely in German. That held until 1922, when English was gradually introduced.

By the mid-1940s, English had taken over completely. As for the building standing on those three donated acres today, it was completed in 1916, and here's the part worth sitting with: it is still in use. Peter Zieschang gave the land, the community gave the two hundred dollars, and more than a century later, the walls they raised are still doing the work they were built for.

What the marker says

In the mid-1880s, Lutheran families living at the Wendish settlement, Hochkirk, met in homes for church services. Local Pastor Gotthilf Birkmann began to officiate these meetings. Peter Zieschang, founder of Hochkirk, donated three acres of land for the site of a church. In 1891, at the cost of $200, the community dedicated a newly built church. In 1902, Hochkirk was renamed Noack, after postmaster John Ernest Noack. A parochial school was established at the church that taught separate German and English classes. Church services were in German until 1922, when English was gradually introduced. By the mid-1940s, all services were held in English. The present church building was completed in 1916 and is still in use. (2016)