Trinity Lutheran Church The first efforts to gather together the German Lutheran people in and around Fremont were made by Pastor C. W. Baumhoefener in the middle of 1870's. Starting in February of 1880, Pastor E. Julius Frese of St. John's Lutheran Church at Logan Creek (Hooper) began conducting regular services every four weeks in the Dodge County Courthouse in Fremont. Sometime later, Pastor J. Hilendorf of St. Paul's Lutheran Church at Arlington continued with regular services every two weeks in the Courthouse until 1884. Under the leadership of Pastor Hilgendorf, Trinity was organized as an independent congregation in May of 1884. The same year, the first house of worship, a frame structure measuring 26x44 feet was erected at Third and "C" Streets. (The ground had been purchased in October, 1883 from Mr. and Mrs. William E. Lee.) The speakers at the dedication services were Pastors P. Schulte in German, A. Larsen in Danish, and M. Miessler in English. for many years thereafter, it was known as the German Lutheran Church. A Christian Day School was also started in 1884 in a rented store building on Main Street with a student engaged as the teacher. The following year, the school was moved to the church building. Names of the first families listed in the original church register include Wisslicen, Launer, Stork, Kassebaum, Rometsch, Eicksteadt, Radeske, Weihe, Vogelsang, Hamann, Kaufman, Schulz, Saeger, and Ruff. |
History |