St. Luke Lutheran Church of Olney
Olney, Young County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1883 when this area was still a roundup point on the cattle range, German families of the Lutheran faith began settling in the Salt Creek Valley. The following year William Bernhardt received a bible, prayer book, and a devotional book or "Hauspostille" from a visiting cousin. The families began using the books to conduct religious services in their rock and log cabins. Henry Kunkel, the pioneering son of a large family from Posen, Germany, acted as leader. They also started a Sunday School. In 1886 the first formal service was conducted by Pastor Bartelo of Hamilton County. Through the years, several Lutheran pastors conducted worship services for the fellowship. In 1896 the Lutheran Board of Missions assigned Pastor F. M Rudi to this field. On Reformation Day, October 31, 1897, Pastor Rudi officially organized the St. Luke Lutheran Church. The members met in the Terrapin School building until 1914 when a church house was constructed near their homes at a site which was two miles northwest of Olney. A second structure was built in 1926 at the same location. Many of the church members moved into Olney. In 1967 the congregation relocated in town and built this structure.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In the early 1880s German Lutheran families put down roots in the Salt Creek Valley when the surrounding country was still open cattle range. Lacking a pastor, they worshiped in log and rock cabins using a Bible and devotional books carried from Germany, led at first by settler Henry Kunkel. A visiting pastor held the first formal service in 1886, and the fellowship was formally organized as St. Luke Lutheran on Reformation Day, 1897.
Why it matters
It preserves the immigrant faith and folkways German settlers brought to the Texas frontier, one thread in the broad European migration that peopled the American West.
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Related people
- · William Bernhardt
- · Henry Kunkel
- · F. M. Rudi
Themes & tags
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