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ebook History of Watertown, Wisconsin
Trinity Lutheran Church
Established 1916
605 S.
Fourth St
Trinity Lutheran School
Trinity Lutheran Church
1918
08 02 BUCHHEIT HOME TO BECOME
CHURCH HOME
Trinity Lutheran Church
Congregation Has Purchased Building Which Will Be Remodeled in Time.
The Buchheit estate residence, formerly the home of Luther
Cole, one of the founders of Watertown, will soon be converted into a house of
worship to be used by the congregation of Trinity Lutheran church. The deal was made late Wednesday afternoon
through the Jefferson Investment company of which Alex Buchheit
of Milwaukee, one of the heirs, is president.
It is proposed to remodel the building to fit it as a place of worship,
but so far the church council has no definite plans as
to the time when this work will be taken up as labor is scarce and building
materials high.
The English
Lutheran church was founded by the present pastor, the Rev. F. E. Stern, in November, 1916. Mr.
Stern came here from Mansfield, Washington at that time.
The
board of trustees are as follows:
President—Prof.
S. Probst.
Vice President—Ralph
Young.
Recording
Secretary—Dr. F. Schlueter.
Financial
Secretary—William Gorder, Jr.
Treasurer—Otto
Winkenwerder.
Rev.
F. E. Stern, Henry Sauer.
The
Watertown end of the real estate deal was looked after by Skinner & Thauer. The Watertown
News, August 02, 1918
1945
A building committee
was established in 1945
1952
Plans were approved to
build a new church. The old house/church
was razed by Trinity members
1953
CHURCH HOME TO BE DEMOLISHED
[Derived
from Trinity Lutheran Church Caller newsletter, 01 2017]
A
special congregation meeting was called for June 8, 1953. Mr. Schumann, as
chairman of the Building Committee, gave a history of the project. Having met
recently with the architect, the congregation ratified changes in the specifications.
The estimated cost of the building with furniture and architectural fees was
now $302,141.00.
One
can only imagine the discussion that followed.
The new estimate was 10 times larger than the original amount raised
based on the original goal for building construction. The minutes record that “various opinions
were expressed and questions answered”. A motion was
made and passed that the congregation should vote by ballot on the new church
as recommended by the Building Committee. The results of the ballot were for
the church – 77; against – 14.
The
next issue was construction material. The next resolution was whether we should
have the church Lannon stone or brick. A rising vote
was taken. The number of members for Lannon stone –
52. Number of members for brick – 7. A notation on the side margin of the
ledger in which the minutes are recorded make this statement: Lannon stone would cost $6,500.00 more than brick. It brought
the cost up to $308,641.00. The next issue dealt with was the balcony or
gallery. Another motion was made, seconded, and carried that we vote on
finishing the gallery of the church. Results: for finishing – 10. Opposed to
finishing – 31. A final motion of the evening carried. The officers of the
congregation were given the authority to sign a building contract.
By
mid-July demolition of the Church Home had begun. Some practical matters had to
be decided. The services of the janitor were no longer needed since there was
no church building to clean. The congregation would be meeting for services in
the gymnasium of Northwestern College. A $600.00 donation was made to the
college for providing their facility as well as providing a canvas covering for
the gymnasium floor. Insurance coverage was obtained for the people (in some
cases entire Trinity families), who were participating in the demolishing the
Church Home. All members were asked to state when they would be available for
voluntary labor. For those who could only volunteer in the evening, flood
lights were brought in to allow the work to continue. The congregation knew the
contractor would be ready when they were ready.
Care
was taken in the demolition work. Many of the bricks were cleaned and used in
foundation rooms of the new church. Even today bricks of the Church Home can be
found in the basement storage rooms at the west end of the current church
building. By the October 5 congregational meeting the report was given that
progress on the new building was satisfactory. Thanks were expressed for the
help received in demolishing the old building. While the new building was
progressing, recommendations on financing the project came to the council:
Two
plans for funding our church were presented: A bond issue with the Ziegler Co.
consisting of $150,000 bond issue at 4-1/2% and on the assumption the
congregation raises $54,000 by July 1, 1953, meaning pledges are redeemed July
1, 1953, instead of December 31, 1953.
Borrow $50,000 from synod at 4% no set time to repay. Borrow $50,000
from bank at 4% for 6 years retiring $8,000 per year on principal. Borrow 30 to
50 thousand dollars from individuals at 3-1/2% for 12 years. It was felt that
plan no. 2 would be the better one to follow.
Once
again Pastor Timmel was thinking ahead to what needed
to be planned: The matter of cornerstone laying and
dedication was brought up. Pastor Timmel asked for
suggestions on how it should be done. It was decided an extra envelope marked
“Cornerstone Laying” and a publicity pamphlet be mailed to members and the
Watertown community watched the changes in the 600 block of South Third Street
with interest.
The Watertown Daily Times printed an article
to help answer some questions:
Details
of New Trinity Church Are Announced Contracts Signed; Building Project to
Require a Year
Construction
work on the new Trinity Lutheran Church, opposite City Park, will begin around
September 1, it was disclosed today as details of the structure were released.
The
church will be Gothic in type and will have clerestory construction with
transepts. The exterior will be of Lannon stone with
Bedford trim. The interior will be in face brick. The building will have an
asphalt roof.
There
will be a full basement. Balconies will extend over the narthex and in
transepts. There will be a deep chancel and a roomy sacristy. The side aisles
will be separated from the nave by arches. The main entrance will be on the
West side facing City Park, There will be a north
porch with entrance at grade level.
Indirect Lighting
The
floor will be covered with asphalt and clay tile and the church will be
illuminated by indirect lighting with rheostat control. There will be a split
heating system that is hot water and forced ventilation.
The
dimension of the new church will be 129 feet in length, and 39 feet wide in the
nave and the ceiling will be 40 feet above the floor.
Above
the West entrance there will be a rose window while on the East a Gothic window
will rise above the altar. Gothic windows will be provided on the main floor
and square windows in the clerestory. The main floor will seat 444 and
additional seats for 157 will be provided in the balconies.
The
basement quarters of the new church will contain a full auditorium, stage,
kitchen, Sunday school rooms, toilet facilities, and a boiler room.
Will Require One Year
The
building period for the new church is one year. During the interval the
congregation is holding its regular Sunday services in Northwestern College
Gymnasium.
The
general contractor for the project is Orville Madsen, Minneapolis, widely known
as a builder of churches. The Otto
Biefeld Company, Watertown, has the contract for the mechanical installations
and the electrical contract has been awarded to Arnold Ruesch,
Watertown.
Frank
Abrahamson, St. Paul, is the architect.
Cost
of the buildings is as follows: General
contract, $260,143; mechanical contract, $30,735; and electrical contract,
$8,210.29.
Long Time Planning
Plans
for the new church have been underway for several years. Recently work was
begun on dismantling the old church building, which was formerly the William Buchheit home. It was acquired by the congregation and
dedicated in May, 1919. Work on dismantling it is nearing
completion. All of the work on removing the old
building has been done by members of the congregation, working on a volunteer
basis. They began demolishing in mid-July and large groups have been working,
mostly evenings. Men, women, and even children of the congregation joined
forces in doing the work. Floodlighting was erected on the site to facilitate
night time work.
Trinity
Lutheran Church, of which the Rev. K. Timmel is
pastor, has a membership of 560 confirmed and a total of 775 persons,
The
building committee includes W.A. Schumann, chairman, Arthur Mallow, Dr. E.C. Kiessling, Albert Schlueter and R. A. Guenterberg.
The
finance committee consists of Arthur Weihert, A .L. Grinde and Henry Maltz.
In
announcing the details for the new church, a spokesman said today that the
plans have been underway a long time, but it is felt when the new building is
completed it will be one of the most beautiful new Gothic-style churches to be
found anywhere in Wisconsin.
1953
was shaping up to be a very interesting year at Trinity Lutheran Church!
1953
CONFIRMATION CLASS, 1953
Vilas Glaeske, Rev. Kurt Timmel, Jon Teslchow
Phyllis
Schlueter, Joyce Hackbarth, Bruce Bentz, Nancy
Schlueter, Susan Edwards
Penelope
Riemer, Valerie Frohmader, Shirley Wittchow, Mary Ummus, Sandra
Reinhardt.
Confirmation held at NorthWestern College auditorium because new Trinity church
was being built.
12 06 DEDICATION LARGELY ATTENDED
The new church building
was dedicated on Dec. 6, 1953, with some of the remaining work finished in
1954. The stained
glass windows were installed in 1962.
WICKS PIPE ORGAN
Installed by United Organ Co. of
Milwaukee (replaced in 1992)
1962
06 09 STAINED GLASS WINDOWS WERE INSTALLED AND DEDICATED
On Sunday, June 10, Trinity Lutheran Church will observe the Feast of
Pentecost, and in connection with the observance, will dedicate its new colored
windows. The church building was
completed in 1953 with the excep¬tion of the art windows. In late years memorials and special donations
have been made by members for this purpose.
In 1961 a committee consisting of E. C. Bilse
and W.A. Schumann was elected and instructed to proceed with the plan by
soliciting ideas and submitting designs and samples of work from well-known
studios to the congregation. Later in
the year the Conrad Schmitt Studio of Milwaukee was given the commission to
work out a series of windows together with this committee.
Portion
of stained glass window
showing the home that was demolished
and
the church built on the site of the
former
William Buchheit
home, 605 S. Fourth Street
1964
10 29 WISCONSIN LUTHERAN CHAPEL & STUDENT CENTER AT MADISON
The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod which numbers St. Mark’s and
Trinity Lutheran Churches in Watertown among its members and of which St.
Luke’s Lutheran Church is an associate has made plans for the construction of
the Wisconsin Lutheran chapel and student center at Madison. The Rev. Henry E. Paustian,
one of the pastors of St. Mark’s Church, who serves as missions chairman of the
synod’s western district, first made the plans known several months ago and the
purchase of property for the construction has now been completed.
1966
06 21 Rev. TIMMEL RETIREMENT
The Rev. K. A. Timmel, pastor of Trinity
Lutheran Church since 1932, is retiring on June 30 and he and his wife will
move to Wausau to make their home, it has been announced. He will be succeeded
by the Rev. Walter A. Schumann Jr., of Watertown, S.D. Pastor Schumann, who is
expected in the city in July, is a son of Prof. Walter A. Schumann of
Northwestern College. He is due to take over his duties July 24. In the interim
the Rev. Prof. Paul Kuehl of Northwestern College will serve as vacancy pastor.
11 10 FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY
Trinity Evangelical Lutheran congregation
of Watertown will celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of its founding next
Sunday, Nov. 13. To mark the event, two
jubilee services will be held Sunday morning, the first at 9 o'clock and the second
at 10:30 o'clock. The Rev. Oscar J.
Naumann, president of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod in which Trinity
holds membership, will deliver the sermons.
All friends of the congregation and the public are invited to attend
these services.
1974 SCHOOL BUILT
School built at 801 South Fifth
Street
1992
03 15 NEW ORGAN DEDICATED
Music plays an
important part in worship services at local Lutheran churches, often because of
a rich German heritage. That heritage
will be portrayed in an astounding way when Trinity Lutheran Church dedicates
its new $250,000 organ on Palm Sunday.
The service will be the first of many for the unique mechanical organ
which is expected to last for hundreds of years. The organ replaces an electric pneumatic
organ which only lasted about 35 years.
The church has gotten rid of the “new fangled”
version in favor of the type of organ built as far back as the 1300s which is
still in use in Europe. Builder Darron Wissinger of Portsmouth, N.H., and voicer Hal Gober of
Toronto, Canada, have spent 14 hour days in the church
for the past two months to put the organ together. Gober spent an additional six weeks last fall
pre-voicing the pipes.
1999
07 10 Rev.
MATTEK
Rev. James A. Mattek
installed; fifth full time pastor welcomed in 83-year history WDT
2000
02 08 PARISH HALL ADDITION
Trinity Lutheran
Church, 604 S. Fourth St., is planning construction of a parish hall addition
of its Gothic style church building which was constructed in 1953.
Architectural planning is currently under way and actual construction is
expected to begin later this year. The 800 member
congregation voted last month to proceed with plans for the $1,213,000
structure which will be located to the south of the current church building. A
major corridor connecting the existing narthex to the new larger narthex will
pass through the base of a bell tower. In addition to the larger narthex area,
the main floor will also have a large parents' room, conference room, a large
office area, an enlarged altar guild room, rest rooms and an elevator. WDT
2004 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF CHURCH BUILDING
30TH ANNIVERSARY OF TRINITY
SCHOOL BUILDING
10 06 Trinity Lutheran Church of Watertown, 605
S. Fourth St, celebrated the 50th anniversary of its church building and the
30th anniversary of the Trinity School building. Trinity's origin began in 1916 with English
services and 13 members in St. Mark's School auditorium. Pastor Frederic Stem was called as first
pastor. Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church was established on Nov. 5, 1916. It
was commonly referred to as Trinity English Lutheran Church. The Ladies Aid was organized in 1917.
10 23 During worship services on Sunday, the
Rev. James Mattek will preach a farewell sermon to
the members of Trinity congregation. Mattek has served as Trinity’s pastor since 1999. He recently accepted a call to serve as
administrator for Wisconsin Lutheran Child and Family Service, located in
Milwaukee. Immediately after services, a
dinner and program will be held in honor of the Mattek
family. WDT
2012 FAREWELL BRUNCH FOR PASTORS
Immanuel
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Watertown will bid farewell to the Revs. Terry
and Sue Larson on Sunday, Nov. 25. They
are retiring after several decades with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA).
A
farewell brunch will be held between services, from 9:15-10:30 a.m. Everyone is welcome. Members of the congregation are encouraged to
bring a healthy potluck brunch item to share.
Terry
Larson was called to Immanuel in 2007, first as an interim pastor and later as
the full-time senior pastor. His spiritual and administrative leadership has
contributed greatly to the congregation and the ministries of the church. The
congregation has known him for his wisdom, gentle manner
and healing presence.
Sue
Larson joined Terry Larson in ministry at Immanuel in 2010. Her interest in global ministries, underprivileged
people, and environmental stewardship has fostered many beneficial changes at
Immanuel. She has worked closely with
Immanuel’s conservation committee to create beautiful and eco-friendly gardens
around the church, and recycling efforts have greatly increased.
Under
the inspiring leadership of the energetic husband and wife team of pastors
Terry and Sue Larson, Immanuel’s positive contributions to the community
continue to grow. The Watertown Food
Pantry, Bread and Roses weekly dinner, the Hometown Mission and the Personal
Essentials Pantry have all been based at Immanuel. Sue Larson was instrumental in getting the
Personal Essentials Pantry established.
The
church council and all members of Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church invite
everyone to attend worship with them on Sunday, Nov. 25. These will be the final worship services in
Watertown guided by the Larsons.
Services are at 8 and 10:30 a.m.
Everyone is also invited to the potluck brunch.
2020
07 07 SCHOOL PRINCIPAL RETIRES AFTER 32 YEARS
James
Moeller, principal of Trinity-St. Luke’s Lutheran School in Watertown for the
past 32 years, retired from the teaching ministry of the Wisconsin Evangelical
Lutheran Synod on June 30, completing 44 years of service.
A
native of Granville in northwest Milwaukee County, Moeller graduated from Dr.
Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minnesota, in 1976 having earned a bachelor’s
degree in elementary education. Upon
graduation, he was assigned as principal, teacher, and church organist at
Abiding Word Lutheran Church in northwest Houston, Texas.
Prior
to leaving Houston, Moeller earned the first of his graduate degrees, a
master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University in
Houston. In 1981 the Moellers
moved to Chicago, Illinois, where Moeller served as teacher, organist, choir
director, and eventually principal for St. Andrew Lutheran Church and School
located at the geographic center of the city in McKinley Park. Moeller also served as the director of the
Lutheran Festival Chorus of Chicago comprised of members of various WELS
congregations in the Chicagoland area.
In
1988 the Moeller family moved to Watertown when Moeller accepted the call to
become principal of Trinity-St. Luke’s.
That year Trinity Lutheran Church and St. Luke’s entered into an
expanded joint agreement which included the remodeling the campus at the
Western Avenue, building an addition of a new gymnasium, and expanding the
faculty. In addition to serving as
principal, Moeller also taught grades seven and eight.
Over
the years as TSL grew, Moeller became a full-time principal teaching only one
math class and some music classes.
During his years as principal, Trinity-St. Luke’s became a two-campus
school with preschool through grade four at the original Western Avenue
location and grades 5-8 at the Clark Street campus attached to St. Luke’s
Lutheran Church in 1999. Moeller
provided oversight of the first self-study in 1998 leading to TSL’s first
accreditation in 2000 as well as subsequent self-studies including the current
fourth self-study for the upcoming accreditation visit. Moeller has served the church at large as a
school visitor in Texas, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin; a school counselor;
mentor to beginning teachers; chairman of the Wisconsin Lutheran State Teachers
Conference; parish schools’ coordinator for the WELS Western Wisconsin
District; and the teacher-atlarge representative of
the Synodical Council of the WELS.
___________________________________________
1902
WILLIAM
BUCHHEIT HOME, 605 S. Fourth Street
The
first congregation met in a house built by one of Watertown's early settlers,
Luther Cole, on the William Buchheit property (SE corner of Fourth and Wisconsin)
which was purchased by the church in 1919.
The home was remodeled and church services were
conducted there for many years.
The
existing parsonage was built in 1921, and by 1922, the church had 212
communicant members. Rev. Kurt Timmel was named pastor in 1932.
Trinity
members had some participation in the operation of St. Mark's school starting
in 1920, and Articles of Agreement for the school provided Trinity with the
opportunity to call a teacher in 1933.
She was Hertha Sievert, who taught for 47 years.
A
building committee was established in 1945 and in 1952 plans were approved to
build a new church. The old house/church
was razed by Trinity members.
The
new church building was dedicated on Dec. 6, 1953, with some of the remaining
work finished in 1954. The stained glass windows were installed in 1962.
In
1966, the Rev. Walter Schumann was called to replace Rev. Timmel,
who retired.
Trinity Lutheran School
The
Trinity School Building Committee was established in 1972 to pursue its own
school due to crowding at St. Mark's School.
Trinity
Lutheran School was built on Western Avenue on land purchased from the city,
and the school was dedicated Jan. 6, 1975.
Principal was Allen Krause and the school had three teachers and 95
students. Twenty of the students were
St. Luke's members.
Phillip
Glende was named school principal in 1978, and Robert
Moldenhauer took over in 1980.
Trinity-St. Luke's Lutheran School
In
1981 the joint school operation was established. The school was named Trinity-St. Luke's
Lutheran School, or TLS. Communicant membership was 530.
The
Rev. William Gabb was called to replace Rev. Schumann, who retired.
Due to
enrollment growth, expansion plans for the school got under way in 1987. St. Luke's became joint owners of the school, and plans for a building addition were approved. The
school was dedicated in 1988.
When
James Moeller became principal in 1990, the school had a staff of nine, and 193
students.
The
new organ was installed in 1991 in conjunction with the 75th anniversary of the
church, Communicant membership was 595.
The sound system was replaced with a new sound system in 1992.
The
Rev. Paul Eickmann joined the church as part-time
pastor in 1995.
In
1997 a new bell system was installed. A buildings committee was established to
plan for a church addition, and a heating and cooling systems upgrade.
School
expansion prompted a decision in 1998 to establish a split campus. St. Luke’s
built the school on Clark Street and Trinity purchased full ownership of the
Western Avenue campus.
There
were several changes in ministry in 1999. The Rev. Robert Voss served as
interim pastor after Rev. Gabb accepted another call. Rev. Eickmann
retired, and Rev. Mattek was called.
Gerald
Kastens joined the church as minister of discipleship
in 2000, the same year the church addition and upgrade were approved.
The
new Parish Center addition and heating and air conditioning systems were
dedicated in 2001.
In
2004 communicant membership was 653. The
school staff numbered 15 and student enrollment was
279.
Cross-References:
No 1: Trinity Lutheran website
No 2: St. Luke’s chapter
Trinity-St. Luke’s Lutheran School
History of Watertown,
Wisconsin