St. Paul Lutheran Church

Duane's take

The marker on this one tells the story, and I'm just gonna pass it along to you the way it deserves to be told. Now, a church doesn't just appear out of thin air, even in South Texas. Somebody has to lay the groundwork, and in Kingsville, that somebody was the Reverend Frederick H.

Eickhoff, a pastor who'd come down from Indiana carrying the mission of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod of Texas. The man wasn't tending one flock. He was working several charges across the region all at once, and it was in January of 1912 that this particular effort, what would one day become St.

Paul Lutheran Church, first took root. Early on, the members had to make do. They gathered at Flato Hall over on Kleberg Avenue, and later they moved their meetings to First Presbyterian Church.

Borrowed space, borrowed time, but the faith was their own. Then came November 1913, and something significant happened. Henrietta King donated the very site where this church would stand.

That's the kind of gift that changes everything. The congregation officially organized in 1918, and from there, St. Paul Lutheran put down roots that only grew deeper.

The Lutheran Women's Missionary League, the Lutheran Laymen's League, a parochial school, youth groups, service groups. Over the years, this church built itself into something that touched just about every corner of community life in Kingsville. What started as one man's missionary work across a handful of Texas towns grew into something with a name, a place, and a people.

That's the story the marker asks you to remember.

What the marker says

Kingsville's St. Paul Lutheran Church grew from early missionary efforts of the Rev. Frederick H. Eickhoff, an Indiana pastor working for the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod of Texas. It began in January 1912 as one of his several charges in the region. Early members met at Flato Hall, on Kleberg Avenue, and later at First Presbyterian Church. In November 1913, Henrietta King donated this site to the church, which officially organized in 1918. Over the years, church programs have included the Lutheran Women's Missionary League, the Lutheran Laymen's League and a parochial school, as well as youth and service groups. (2004)