St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church

Duane's take

The way the official marker tells it, here's the story of St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church in DeWitt County. Now, before there was a cornerstone, before there was even a proper congregation, there was a log church.

Somebody built that log structure right around 1849 and 1850, out here on Texas soil, when the state itself was barely finding its footing. And then in 1851, a German missionary by the name of Christoph Adam Sager came along and organized the congregation, making St. John one of the very first of its kind in all of Texas.

One of the first. Let that settle a moment. Not one of the oldest in the county, not one of the oldest in the region.

One of the first in Texas. That is a weight of history most buildings never carry. Fast forward to 1866, and the congregation laid the cornerstone of a new structure.

Native stone. Gothic design. The kind of building that says, we are not going anywhere.

And in May of 1867, they dedicated it. That church stood and served, was rededicated in 1896, and kept on going. Kept on going, that is, until May of 1921, when the last service was held within those stone walls.

Then came 1951, and the structure was condemned. You might think that was the end of the story. Out here in Texas, though, the end has a way of not being the end.

The building was restored. And on October 26th, 1958, it was dedicated once more, this time as a Shrine-Memorial to the Glory of God. A log church became a stone church, a stone church was condemned, and a condemned building became a shrine.

That right there is a Texas story.

What the marker says

One of first Texas congregations, organized 1851 by pastor Christoph Adam Sager, a German missionary. First had built a log church, 1849-50. Laid cornerstone of this native stone Gothic structure, 1866. Dedicated this church, May 1867. Rededicated in 1896. Last service was held here May 1921. Structure condemned 1951. Later restored, and dedicated as Shrine-Memorial to the Glory of God, Oct. 26, 1958. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1965