St. Paul Lutheran Church
The Grove, Coryell County, Texas
Marker Inscription
During the late 1870s German farmer William Winkler and other area pioneers organized a Lutheran congregation that was formally chartered in 1883 as St. Paul Lutheran Church. By 1896 members had erected a sanctuary on Winkler's farm and had called the Rev. Huge as their first full-time pastor. When the fellowship outgrew the first church building, they moved to this site in The Grove in 1908. With deep roots in the German Christian tradition, services at St. Paul Lutheran Church were often held in both English and German. (1983)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
German farmer William Winkler and fellow immigrant pioneers gathered a Lutheran congregation in the late 1870s that was chartered in 1883 as St. Paul Lutheran Church. By 1896 they had raised a sanctuary on Winkler's farm and called their first full-time pastor, and in 1908 the growing fellowship moved to The Grove. Rooted in German Christian tradition, its services were long held in both English and German.
Why it matters
St. Paul Lutheran reflects the wave of German immigrants who carried their faith and language into Central Texas, building bilingual communities that endured for generations.
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Related people
- · William Winkler
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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