St. Paul's Lutheran Church

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Hamilton County. Now settle in, because this one starts the way a lot of good Texas stories start: with people a long way from home, trying to build something that lasts.

A number of German immigrants settled in this area in the late nineteenth century. The place they put down roots was first known as Pleasant Point. Later it was renamed Aleman.

And like a lot of settlers far from the familiar, these folks needed a place to worship. For a while, traveling Lutheran missionaries came to them, holding services wherever they could gather. That was enough to get started.

But these were people who thought in terms of permanence. On September 24, 1886, an evangelical Lutheran congregation was officially organized. Fourteen families.

That was the foundation. Johannes Barthel was called as the first pastor, and they gave the congregation a name: St. Paul's.

Just nine days later, on October 3, 1886, the very first worship service was held, not in a grand sanctuary, but in the nearby Pleasant Point schoolhouse. Humble beginnings, but they were beginnings. Now, plans to build an actual sanctuary got underway in 1890.

But here is where the story slows down just a little, the way Texas summers do. That building was not completed until 1900. Ten years from plan to pulpit.

But it got done. Then in 1909, the Reverend Emil F. Moerbe arrived at St.

Paul's, and he did not leave in a hurry. He began a thirty-year ministry there. Thirty years.

Through that entire stretch, and for a good while before it, worship services at St. Paul's were conducted exclusively in the German language. That held until 1913, when English services were introduced alongside the German.

The congregation was changing, same as the world around it. And then came the next act of permanence. Rudolf Krueger donated land right across the road from the 1900 building, land for a new sanctuary.

Emil Waiser designed it, and the building was completed in 1916. It stands as a fine example of the Gothic revival style of architecture, with simple detailing, arched windows, and a central entry with an extended porch. Fourteen families.

A schoolhouse. A congregation that outlasted plans and delays and the turning of a language. St.

Paul's Lutheran Church in Hamilton County is the kind of place that makes you believe the long road was worth every mile.

What the marker says

A number of German immigrants settled in this area in the late 19th century. Initially known as Pleasant Point, the settlement was later renamed Aleman. Traveling Lutheran missionaries held worship services for the settlers until a congregation was officially organized. An evangelical Lutheran congregation was established on September 24, 1886, with fourteen families. Johannes Barthel was called as the first pastor, and the name adopted for the church was St. Paul's. The first worship service was held on October 3, 1886, in the nearby Pleasant Point schoolhouse. Although plans to build a sanctuary were begun in 1890, the building was not completed until 1900. The Rev. Emil F. Moerbe began a thirty-year ministry at St. Paul's in 1909. Worship services were conducted exclusively in the German language until 1913, when English services were introduced. Rudolf Krueger donated land across the road from the 1900 building for a new sanctuary. Designed by Emil Waiser, this building was completed in 1916. A fine example of the Gothic revival style of architecture, it features simple detailing, arched windows, and a central entry with extended porch. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark-1989