Chicago Lutheran History: St. Paul Grand Crossing- 1888
In 1896, the German Lutheran churches of Chicago published Geschichte der Gründung und Ausbreitung der zur Synode von Missouri, Ohio und Andern Staaten gehörenden Evangelisch-Lutherischen Gemeinden U. A. C. zu Chicago, Illinois, a history of their growth in the city beginning with First St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, now located on LaSalle and Goethe streets in Chicago. As far as I know, there is no English translation of this document, so I offer this translation to share this history with you. Follow me to get updates about the rest of this work.
St. Paul, now known as St. Paul Dorchester after its street address, is typical of many Lutheran congregations on the south side of Chicago. As white people fled the city, almost a million of them between 1955 and 1965, many neighborhoods changed, and Grand Crossing did, too. St. Paul Dorchester changed with the neighborhood.
Glenda Liner, a current member of St. Paul, tells a story of her childhood that is typical of the era. She came to St. Paul’s school in approximately the ‘50’s for 2nd grade. Her mother was a nurse who had crazy hours, so Liner stayed with a German immigrant neighbor, Matilda Brewmeister. When Glenda’s mom was off work, she spent her time at the family home, but she spent the rest of her time at Matilda’s. While staying there, her adopted grandmother took her to worship and taught her to speak and pray in German. The two families grew so close that Glenda’s mother took care of Matilda until she died. You won’t read about stories like this in history textbooks, but they took place at dozens of Lutheran churches on the south and west sides of Chicago.
St. Paul’s school continues to serve approximately 80 students despite the financial challenges facing the neighborhood. Almost no students pay the full tuition costs, which are already below the cost of educating a child, and most of them pay between 70% and 30%. While public schools closed in the city of Chicago, St. Paul has stayed open, offering in-person, hybrid, or virtual learning as an option for all their students.
Evangelical Lutheran St. Paul Congregation (Grand Crossing.)
“Grand Crossing! Change cars for going east” or “for going south.” Whoever followed this cry for 40 years ago and left his train, without touching Chicago, to travel in one of the above-named directions, found himself in the open in the middle of a so-called, “swamps”, which three train tracks cross, of which two go east and one goes south. He sees a white slate on a board house that identifies itself as “Grand Crossing Rail Road Depot” — “9 Miles from Chicago.” Inside the same, the traveler should wait, for a longer or shorter time until to the passage of his train, with no amusement other than the concert of frogs or the singing of the bloodthirsty mosquitos, or probably even the whistling of the gale winds which blow from Lake Michigan in the winter. The building of the railways had cost a lot of money, which at first led through here on stilts (“trestleworks”), but gradually obtained a more solid foundation. What joy, when finally “the train” nabbed the traveller of this barren wasteland.
This was Grand Crossing for 40 years. Today it is not only a neighborhood set up with all modern facilities, but we also have an Evangelical Lutheran congregation. The Germans, who settled here, little by little, in the ‘70’s, stayed in the part of Chicago lying three miles east. There they had their children baptised, taught, and confirmed. Many also attended divine service and holy communion. From there, they were also animated to found an Evangelical Lutheran congregation in their midst.
In October of 1887, Pastor C. Eißfeld of South Chicago held the first Lutheran sermon in the so-called “Social Hall.” From then on, Lutheran divine worship was held here every Sunday afternoon until the hall burned down on the 4th of July 1888. The still small Christian group then met in the English Methodist church for the Lutheran divine service, and here St. Paul congregation was constituted in July of 1888. 5 persons signed the congregational order.
In September of the same year, the congregation bought 3 lots on Madison Ave., between 76th Street and South Chicago Avenue, and they immediately went about designing a church building. The church was small, but appropriate, functionally furnished for church and school. It cost $800. Already am the 2nd Sunday of Advent, the 9th of December 1888, the congregation could, to their great joy, move into their own house of God. On the day of this consecration, the pastors Walter v. Schenk and Johan Streckfuß preached. In January 1889, Student Rüßkamp started the school with 14 children and stayed for two years, during which Pastor Eißfeldt served the congregation with Word and Sacrament.
In October 1890, the congregation bought their parsonage near the church, and they decided to call their own pastor. On the second Sunday of Advent, the 7th of December 1890, Pastor Aug. Frederking was installed by Pastor Eißfeldt with the assistance of Pastor C. Roacks as the pastor of this congregation. At that time, the congregation numbered 15 members and could not yet employ a schoolteacher. So Pastor Frederking then also took over the work at the school.
Nevertheless, in September 1892, the congregation called Teacher A. Sohn from York, Pa. But already he followed a call to Beardstown, Illinois in April 1893. In the fall of 1894, The congregation bought their current, beautiful, and large church, which cost $6,000. It was dedicated on the 4th Sunday of Advent, the 23rd of December 1894, at which the pastors C. Eißfeldt, W. Bartlin, and P. Merbitz (English) preached.
In this year (1896) the teaching candidate, Mr. Heinrich Heiden, has been called, who has taken the call and, God willing, will be installed into his office in the school on the 1st of September, and so the considerable burden of his office will be eased.
The situation of the congregation is: 28 voting members and 105 communicant members. The school is attended by 48 children.
