Friedens Evangelical and Reformed United Church of Christ
Riesel, McLennan County, Texas
Marker Inscription
German immigrants helped settle Riesel in the late 19th century. In July 1903, eight families organized the Friedens (Peace) Church. After meeting in a schoolhouse, the congregation built its own sanctuary two miles east of riesel (Present Friedens Cemetery). Pastors H. J. Leemhuis and H.S. Schulz officiated a dedication service in April 1904. Four years later, the church house was put on skids and moved by mules to the current site. Rev. D.A. Jud became the first resident pastor in 1929. Services continued in German until the 1940s, and in 1952 the congregation built a new sanctuary. More than a century after its founding, Friedens Church continues to impact the community.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
German immigrants who helped settle Riesel organized this "Peace" congregation in 1903, first meeting in a schoolhouse before building a sanctuary near the present cemetery. When the community shifted, the frame church was set on skids and hauled by mule teams to its current site. Services were held in German into the 1940s, and the congregation built a new sanctuary in 1952.
Why it matters
It reflects the enduring faith and language of the German immigrant communities that shaped Central Texas.
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Related people
- · Rev. H. J. Leemhuis
- · Rev. H. S. Schulz
- · Rev. D. A. Jud
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Friedens Cemetery
Riesel, TX
In 1903, eight German families around the Riesel area banded together to found a Lutheran congregation, and with it a burial ground on land given by Philip Engelke. Even after the church itself relocated into Riesel in 1908, the community kept burying its dead here, and the graves — some with epitaphs cut in German — became a record of the German immigrants who farmed this stretch of central Texas. A cemetery committee still tends the grounds today.
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