USA > Ohio > Richland County > Mansfield > A history of the Wittenberg Synod of the General Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1847-1916 > Part 12
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On the 15th of February following, twenty more members were received. .
This little band of people, representing but few families, undertook the building of a church. Their determination was not to be hindered by any diffi- culties however great. The corner-stone was laid May 17, 1877, and the frame for the building was raised the same day. The women prepared and served an excellent dinner on the building ground.
It was largely through the liberality of William Arbogast that the church building was made possible. He furnished the greater part of the timber, besides doing a great deal of hauling of material, and volun- tary labor.
The Church was dedicated July 27, 1877, and the sermon on this occasion was preached by the Rev. J. B. Helwig, D. D., then President of Wittenberg College.
This Church has always exerted a healthful, help- ful influence in the community, very many persons having been received into its membership through the passing years.
Professor D. W. Crouse, now occupying the Chair of Natural Sciences in Midland College ( 1916) was a member of this congregation, and besides him many others, thereabouts, have been trained for larger usefulness in the various walks of life. In every sense this church has been a mountain of strength to the entire community.
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HISTORY OF THE WITTENBERG SYNOD
Plymouth, Richland County, Ohio
The Plymouth congregation is one of the pioneer churches of Wittenberg Synod. Its beginning is marked by the coming to Plymouth, in the fall of 1840, of the Rev. Peter P. Lane, of Bedford County, Pennsylvania, who proved to be an excellent man to start a new church.
Only a few Plymouth people there at that time claimed allegiance to Lutheran doctrine. The follow- ing families were practically all : Samuel H. Trauger, Felix Fenner, Sr., the Millers, the Lights, the Har- mons, the Planks, and the Wehs. With these families as a nucleus, Rev. Lane started to build a church. He held a series of meetings continuing during the winter season, and many additions, - mostly young people, - were made to the church.
Of the families above mentioned, only descend- ants of the Trauger, Fenner and Weh families still remain in Plymouth, ( 1916). The revival was held in the village school house, and Rev. Lane was assisted in its services by Revs. F. J. Ruth, Solomon Ritz, and George Leiter. After this series of meetings the new organization decided to build a church, and a com- fortable frame building was erected which served the congregation, with some repairs and remodeling, for 46 years. Much of the labor was volunteered by the members, and the expenditures in money, amounting to about $500, was nearly all paid by Samuel H. Trauger and Felix Fenner, Sr., in about equal shares.
For several years the church was seated with slab benches. This church came into existence before the days of mission churches and was self-supporting from the start. The congregation had a steady growth
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for many years and in the year 1886 while Dr. Jno. A. Hall was pastor, a new brick church building was erected at a cost of about $9,000. During the pastorate of Dr. A. C. Miller a new pipe organ was added and a piano for the Sunday-school at a cost of about $1,500. During the pastorate of the Rev. F. B. Heibert an annex was made to the church and new pulpit furniture was installed.
The church building is well equipped for church and Sunday-school purposes and on the adjoining lot is a commodious parsonage owned jointly by the Plymouth and Shiloh congregations.
The congregation is well organized, having in addition to an excellent Sunday-school, a Ladies' Aid Society, Missionary Society, and Christian Endeavor Society, and an excellent choir, also a Young People's Choir for Vesper services.
Following is a list of the pastors of this con- gregation :
Rev. P. P. Lane 1840-1844
Rev. E. Eastman 1844-1849
Rev. Joshua Crouse .. 1849-1855
Rev. G. N. H. Peters 1855-1858
Rev. Daniel Summers 1858-1859
Rev. John Selmser 1859-1865
Rev. John O. Hough. 1865-1868
Rev. M. L. Wilhelm 1868-1872
Rev. S. F. Breckenridge. 1872-1874
Rev. J. H. Stough 1874-1876
Rev. Geo. W. Miller 1876-1884
Rev. Jno. A. Hall 1884-1888
Rev. E. D. Smith 1888-1893
Rev. A. C. Miller
1894-1907
Rev. F. B. Heibert. 1907-1913
Rev. J. H. C. Manifold 1914-
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March 3, 1914, Plymouth withdrew From the Shiloh congregation and retained Rev. J. H. C. Mani- fold who resigned a few months later and was suc- ceeded by Rev, G. C. Smith, January I, 1915.
Mt. Hope Lutheran Church, Shiloh, Ohio
Mt. Hope Lutheran Church was organized in Planktown, a village which has since passed out of existence, being absorbed by the present Shiloh. Planktown was situated one mile East of Shiloh. The organization of the church took place in 1842, and was effected by Rev. P. P. Lane. Samuel Weirick and Samuel Hendrickson were elected elders, and Alex- ander McBride and Emanuel Bigler, deacons. The congregation was organized in a school house. Some time after, a frame church building was erected, about 30 by 40 feet, which they occupied till 1853. In that year the church was removed to Shiloh, and a new church building was erected at a cost of $2,188. This building was dedicated April 16, 1854, by Prof. F. W. Conrad of Wittenberg College, assisted by Rev. D. Sprecher and Rev. S. Fenner. In the summer of 1878 this building was remodeled at a cost of $1,600. The corner stone of this old structure is still to be seen, with its date, 1853, worked into the masonry at one corner of the foundation.
The congregation continued to grow in member- ship, and in 1899, under the leadership of Dr. A. C. Miller, the present beautiful brick building was con- structed. The building committee was composed of the pastor, the late F. J. Prame, Wm. Koerber, Henry Bushey, and Joseph Gilger. The corner stone was laid in the fall of 1899, Rev. G. M. Grau, D. D.,
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assisting the pastor in the ceremonies. In June, 1900, the dedication took place, Rev. H. L. Wiles, D. D., Rev. G. M. Grau, D. D., and Rev. W. H. Singley, D. D., taking part in the services. The church was dedicated free of debt. The entire cost was $10,000.
Until 1914, this congregation formed, with the Plymouth congregation, one pastorate, when it with- drew to form a pastorate alone. Various ministers supplied with services until in 1915 a regular supply was secured in the person of Rev. Ross Miller, of the Hamma Divinity School, Springfield, Ohio, who at his graduation in April, 1916, became its regular pastor. The record of its pastors-same as that of the Plymouth congregation-is found on a memorial win- dow in the church.
The confirmed membership at the present time is 225. The communicant membership, 165.
The present officers are the following :
Elders: Joseph Gilger, T. A. Vaughn.
Deacons : Roy Patterson, C. G. Wolfersberger, Arthur Hamilton, Grover Martin.
The Sunday-school is taking on life under the superintendency of Arthur Hamilton. Most of the classes are organized.
The C. E. Society, while not so large as it once was, is now on the upward trend. Miss Greta Ham- ilton is the president.
The Missionary Society is one of the livest or- ganizations of the church.
Saint Luke's Lutheran Church, Mansfield, Ohio
The first meeting of members of the First Lu- theran Church of Mansfield, Ohio, looking to the or-
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ganization of a new or Second Lutheran Church was held in the Probate Court room of the Mansfield Court House Saturday evening, March 27th, 1886, with about 60 persons present. Dr. Adam Earnest was made chairman and L. A. Esselburn Secretary. Addresses were made by Michael D. Harter and Jas. H. Emminger, the principal leaders in the movement, and many others. A committee was appointed to take the steps relating to an orderly withdrawal from the First Church.
A second meeting was held a week later, and progress reported. At that meeting the following resolution was adopted :
"Resolved, That it is the opinion of those here assem- bled that if the conditions now existing in the English Lu- theran congregation continue, we should sever our relation- ship with the said congregation and proceed to organize a new Lutheran congregation. All this we believe to be for the honor of God, the advancement of the Lutheran church at large, and the increase of spirituality in our own souls."
The vote on this resolution was unanimous. Several additional meetings were held at which the preliminaries of the new organization were worked out. and, on Friday, July 2, 1886, at a meeting held in the Probate Court room, of Mansfield, St. Luke's Lutheran Church, of Mansfield, was duly organized by the adoption of the constitution previously pre- pared, and the election of the following officers :
Elders: Lewis Cassel, Adam Earnest, Emanuel Keller.
Deacons: J. H. Emminger, Frank M. Remy, John V. Vanatta, J. H. Livingston, L. A. Armen- trout, M. D. Harter.
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Trustees: Leonard Sheets, W. M. Hahn, C. N. Gaumer.
These first officers of the church were installed on Sunday, August 29, by Rev. C. S. Ernsberger, Presi- dent of Wittenberg Synod. .
Philharmonic Hall was leased as a place for church services and Sunday-school, and in this hall on Sunday, July 4, 1886, the Sunday-school met for the first time and one week later the first church ser- vices were held, with a sermon by the Rev. Dr. S. A. Ort, President of Wittenberg College, Springfield, Ohio.
Philharmonic Hall was the church home of St. Luke's until Dec. 16, 1888. All of those who became connected with the church between the time of or- ganization, July 2, 1886, and the end of that year, were included in the charter membership. Ninety-two charter members were enrolled, at the end of the year.
August 28, 1886, St. Luke's Lutheran Church was incorporated in the office of the Secretary of State.
September 30, 1886, Wittenberg Synod, in ses- sion at Springfield, Ohio, admitted St. Luke's congre- gation to membership in that body. October 10, 1886, a congregational meeting was held at which Rev. D. W. Smith, of Springfield, O., was called to be the first pastor of St. Luke's Congregation. At this meet- ing, also, the first steps were taken toward the erection of a new church building.
October 14, 1886, Rev. D. W. Smith accepted the . call, and was installed, November 28, Revs. Dr. S. A. Ort, and Daniel Summers officiating.
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February 27, 1887, a congregational meeting was held at which it was decided to proceed with prepara- tions for the erection of a church building. A building committee was appointed, an architect selected, and the building was ordered in accordance with the plans already prepared. The lot on which the church is located, at the intersection of Park Avenue West, Marion Avenue and Sturges Avenue, was donated by Mr. and Mrs. M. D. Harter, and is one of the most beautiful and advantageous locations in the city for a church edifice. The deed transfer- ring the lot to St. Luke's church stipulates that the building to be erected thereon shall always be used as a Lutheran Church and that the congregation must always use the form of service adopted or recom- mended by the General Synod. A violation of this provision will forfeit the property to the Tressler Orphans' Home, Loysville, Pa. Another requirement of the deed is that no debt or encumbrance of any kind shall ever be placed on the property. By a vote of nine-tenths of the membership this location may be exchanged for another, with the same limitations and conditions as contained in the present deed.
The corner stone of the new church was laid on Sunday afternoon, August 28, 1887.
By December, 1888 the new church building was sufficiently advanced that the Sunday-school room was ready for occupancy. According to the stipula- tion of the deed that no debt or encumbrance of any kind shall ever be placed upon the property, on Decem- ber 14, at a congregational meeting arrangements were made for the dedication of the completed portion of the church building. This dedication service was held
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Sunday, December 16, 1888, - the basement rooms being completed and the upper portion of the building enclosed.
Mention should be made of the death, in rapid succession, of three of the leading spirits in the es- tablishment of St. Luke's church, - men who were most useful and faithful members and officials from its beginning to the time of their death. - Dr. Adam Earnest, Oct. 2, 1889, whose Christian zeal, upright life and tireless efforts in behalf of the church will long be remembered ; James H. Emminger, - a strong character, - a man of sterling worth, to whose energy, industry, enthusiasm, and intelligent manage- ment is largely due the successful establishing of St. Luke's church, was suddenly stricken by the death angel the evening of Easter Sunday, April 6, 1890, as he was standing in front of the Sunday-school lead- ing the Easter service; and Louis A. Esselburn, the first Superintendent of St. Luke's Sunday-school, who passed away June 20, 1890, at the early age of 36 years, an Elder of the church, leaving behind him the record of an exemplary life and of most faithful service to the church. The passing of these noble men, so greatly and universally beloved, was a distinct loss and a source of great grief to St. Luke's church and Sunday-school and to the city of Mansfield.
At a congregational meeting held January 3, 1891, it was decided to proceed with the work of completing the church building. The raising of the necessary funds was taken up and the work of finishing begun and was completed the following December.
An interesting feature of the church furnishing is the baptismal font, the base of which is a block of
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granite taken from the old church at Wittenberg. Ger- many, on the door of which Dr. Martin Luther nailed the theses which started the Reformation.
The bowl stone is from Bethlehem in Judea, the birthplace of Christ, where it was procured for St. Luke's church by the United States Consul at Jeru- salem.
The cross surmounting the font is from the copper mines at Eisleben, where Luther's father was a miner when the Reformer was born.
The pipe organ was presented to St. Luke's church by Hon. M. D. Harter as a memorial to his deceased brother, George D. Harter, of Canton, O. It was dedicated by a concert given in the church auditorium the evening of November 11, 1891. This was the first public gathering in the audience room of the new church.
On the 22nd of November, after four years labor for their church home, the building being fully com- pleted, it was finally dedicated to the worship of the Triune God; the dedicatory sermon was preached by the Rev. Dr. Samuel A. Ort, President of Wittenberg College, Springfield, O. The cost of the building and the improvement of the grounds was $20,000, the en- tire amount being borne by the members of St. Luke's, except a few voluntary contributions by public- spirited citizens in the neighborhood of the church, and several liberal contributions by the Harter family of Canton.
There was no solicitation outside of the congre- gation. One of the earliest rules adopted by the St. Luke's people was, never to solicit the outside public for financial assistance.
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Perhaps the saddest event in the history of St. Luke's church occurred on the night of May 3, 1893. In the afternoon of that day the pastor, Rev. Dr. D. W. Smith was stricken with rheumatism of the heart. His condition did not appear to be serious until about II :30 in the night, when, with only his faithful wife in attendance, he suddenly passed away. It was not known outside of his family that he was ill and the news of his death was a terrible shock to the people of St. Luke's church as well as to the entire com- munity, for Dr. Smith was greatly beloved by every- body who knew him. His gentle and genial disposi- tion made every one his friend and no minister in Mansfield was ever more generally esteemed. Many thousands attended the funeral services, eager to look, once more, on his saintly face and to recall his con- secrated life and noble service to mankind.
At a congregational meeting held July 16, 1893, to elect a pastor the choice fell upon the Rev. George E. Reen of Newport, Pa., who had just graduated from the Gettysburg Theological Seminary.
He began his ministry September 1, 1893, and was regularly installed on Nov. 26, Rev. Dr. L. A. Gotwald, of Springfield, O., officiating. Rev. Reen soon proved himself a most acceptable preacher and an efficient pastor. He served the congregation as pastor most efficiently for five years. During his administra- tion the envelope plan of weekly payment of all dues and subscriptions, was adopted, proving to be a de- cided improvement over old methods.
June 1, 1898, he resigned the pastorate, to the uni- versal regret of the congregation, to accept a call to the pastorate of the Lutheran church of Columbia, Pa.
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September 25 following, the congregation ex- tended a call to the Rev. Dr. Ezra K. Bell of Cin- cinnati, O. The call was accepted and Dr. Bell began his ministry Nov. 15 as its pastor, being installed on Dec. 22 following, by Drs. J. H. Culler, of Bucyrus, O., and G. M. Grau, of Lucas, O.
March 9, 1899, the council decided to undertake the building of a parsonage to be erected on the lot just west of the church, presented to the congregation by Hon. M. D. Harter. The lot, by the terms of the deed, could only be used for a parsonage, school, or other strictly church purposes; it can never be leased, rented nor conveyed, and no debt can ever be placed upon it. A building committee was appointed and work was begun at once. .
August 1, 1899, Rev. Bell resigned, thus terminat- ing his pastorate after a service of only eight months. The resignation was accepted and a committee ap- pointed to take immediate steps toward the securing of a new pastor. At a congregational meeting held Nov. 5, a unanimous call was extended to the Rev. O. D. Baltzly, of Springfield, O., which was accepted and the new pastor took charge, at once, preaching his first sermon Dec. 3, 1899. The new parsonage was completed and ready for occupancy on the com- ing of the new pastor. This addition raised the value of the property holdings of the St. Luke's congrega- tion to at least $35,000.
During the years 1907 and 1909 the congregation spent $2,500, for repairs and improvements, including re-frescoing, new carpets, new sidewalks, etc.
The congregation, during the entire pastorate of Dr. Baltzly enjoyed a steady growth and improvement
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along all lines of church activity. From the Young People's League, the Women's Guild, and a well organized Sunday-school, and also a much improved financial system there came very great encourage- ment in the strengthening of the working forces of the church and its greater efficiency in the community. Four splendid young men have gone out from this congregation into the active ministry of the Lutheran church since its organization, Viz .: Revs. A. H. Smith D. D., Harvey M. Leech, Alvin E. Bell, and Arthur Hall.
April 18, 1911, after a most successful pastorate of 111/2 years, Dr. Baltzly presented his resignation to take effect June I, in order to accept a call to become pastor of the Kountze Memorial Lutheran Church, of Omaha, Nebraska. After a full statement of his reasons to the congregation, his resignation was re- luctantly accepted.
November 1, 1911, a unanimous call was ex- tended to the Rev. Paul W. Koller, of Hudson, New York. The call was accepted and he began his ministry January 7, 1912, his installation taking place at that time, the charge to the pastor being delivered by the Rev. Dr. A. A. Hundley, of Findlay, O., Presi- dent of Wittenberg Synod, and the charge to the con- gregation, by the Rev. Dr. John A. Hall, of Mansfield, Ohio.
Under the leadership of Pastor Koller, St. Luke's has grown steadily stronger both in numbers and efficiency. It is now one of the strongest churches in the Synod. Twice within the last few years en- largement has been made in the part of the church
14
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given to the Sunday-school, to meet the needs of the rapidly growing school.
In September, 1915, the congregation, which has always been interested in missions, took a forward
REV. PAUL W. KOLLER.
step in missionary work by the organization of a Woman's Home and Foreign Missionary Society. The first president was Mrs. George Bowers. This Society started with a charter membership of 35.
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HISTORY OF THE WITTENBERG SYNOD
There has also been organized under Pastor Koller, a large and active Men's Brotherhood, the first president of which was Mr. Charles W. Fritz.
St. Mark's Lutheran Church, Mansfield, Ohio
In the spring of 1905, under the direction of the Rev. S. P. Long, D. D., pastor of the First Lutheran Church of Mansfield, a Sunday-school was organized in J. F. Uhlich's Hall on Spring Mill Street. Here services were held more or less regularly on Sunday afternoon. The Rev. H. B. Burkholder, then a stu- dent in Hamma Divinity School, Springfield, O, sup- plied and assisted Dr. Long during the summer of 1905. He made a canvass of the north side of the city at this time, but it was not deemed wise to or- ganize then. The' Sunday-school increased rapidly and in August 1, 1906, Rev. B. B. Uhl took up the work and made another canvass which was most en- couraging. Not only did Pastor Uhl receive en- couragement from the other Lutheran Churches of the city, but many persons not hitherto interested in any church became interested in this new work with the result that on Nov. 11, 1906, in Uhlich's Hall, St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church was organized. The pastors present at the organization were Revs. B. B. Uhl, O. D. Baltzly, Ph. D., of St. Luke's Lu- theran Church, and S. P. Long, D. D., of the First Lutheran Church. St. Mark's was organized as a Mission with 41 charter members, as follows: W. P. Young, Mr. and Mrs. Jos. F. Uhlich, Mr. and Mrs. John H. McGinty, Mrs. W. P. Young, Mrs. Adda Browneller, Loyd Whitmer, Mrs. Mary A. McGinty, Mr. and Mrs. Robt. B. Cairns, Park W. Osbun,
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1111
Tr
ST. MARK'S, MANSFIELD.
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HISTORY OF THE WITTENBERG SYNOD
Myrtle K. Osbun, Mrs. Elizabeth Kendall, Mrs. Henry Uhlich, Miss Grace McGinty. Mrs. Mary Lauer, Mrs. Carrie Cairns, Jacob A. Pifer, Mrs. Jos. A. Pifer, Miss Mayme Swier, Mrs. Louisa Odson, Chas. Blust, Wm. Wilson, Hattie Nelson, Mr. and Mrs. Chas. S. Cole, Mr. and Mrs. Wm. T. Throne, Mrs. Sarah J. Boals, Mrs. Minnie C. Uhl, Mrs. Leah Bringman, Myrtle Uhlich, Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Eyerly, Mr. and Mrs. John Cairns, Mrs. Barbara Spohn, Mr. and Mrs. Isaac W. Henry and Rebecca Mace.
In 1908, after carefully studying the local situa- tion, so as to properly locate the church building, the lots lying between Reed and Spring Mill Streets at their intersection, were purchased for $2,300. An old brick house stood on one of the lots and was torn down, part of the material being used in the erection of the present church building. The cornerstone of the new building was laid by Pastor B. B. Uhl, Octo- ber 25, 1908, assisted by Revs. O. D. Baltzly, Ph. D., and S. P. Long, D. D. The basement of the church was occupied from March 1, 1909, until its dedication on May 23, 1909. On the 'day of dedication, three ser- vices were held at each of which Rev. Dr. H. L. Yarger of the Church Extension Board preached the sermon and had charge of the financial part of the service. The pastors present at the afternoon service were : Revs. O. D. Baltzly, H. C. Funk, of Shelby, O., Rev. Mahon of Central M. E. Church, and President of the Ministerial Association of Mansfield, Ohio, and Rev. H. C. Garvic of St. Matthew's. Over $4,000 were pledged on that day; $3,000 of it coming from the people of the Mission. The present church edifice cost about $15,000 with $3,000 indebtedness remain-
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ing. A Pastors' Aid Society was organized before the erection of the new building on Nov. 27, 1906. In addition to this, there is a Luther League, Lu- theran Brotherhood, a Junior Brotherhood and a Girls' Guild. The Communicant membership of the
REV. B. B. UHL.
church is 156. The present church building is a Sun- day-school room, so constructed that the west wall may be removed without weakening the structure. The plans for the finished structure have been drawn and the congregation is eagerly looking forward to the time when the building can be completed. The
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front is arranged in true Lutheran architecture with altar, lecturn and pulpit. It is constructed of concrete blocks, the main entrance being on Spring Mill Street and facing Woodland Ave.
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