Chicago Lutheran History: St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church
In 1896, the 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, so I offer this to share the history with you. Follow me to get updates about the rest of this work.
St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church has had three locations in the city of Chicago since its founding. The first was built in 1874 on 39th and Dearborn. When the congregation’s members moved farther from the city center, they bought land at 74th St, and Michigan Ave. Their members kept moving, and St. Peter moved again to its present location, near 85th St and Pulaski Rd.
St. Peter’s history illustrates what happens when a congregation loves a particular pastor too much. When the first pastor became too sick to work, they called a second pastor to take his place, but they called him “Pastor Vicarious” or substitute pastor. He wasn’t the real pastor. No wonder he left for Iowa in less than a year!
This chapter also includes the brief story of the “Roberstdaler Mission” or the Chicago preaching station in what is now near South Chicago, Whiting, or Hammond. Three churches sprang from this small preaching station, but I haven’t been able to track them down.
The Evangelical Lutheran St. Peter Congregation
When it was founded, most of the neighborhood of this congregation lay outside the city limits at the time, 39th Street in the “Town of Lake.” Several years before the Great Fire, a number of Lutheran families lived in the “Wald” and the “Prairie” in the area, where South Park is now. Most of these were welcomed at Trinity Congregation. As the neighborhood built itself up more and more from year to year, Pastor Döderlein believed it necessary to make a first attempt to found a church in that place. “One night,” wrote Pastor Döderlein, “I was walking in those forests at Forest Ave. and the surrounding area to win over the people; I brought them finally to the point that they were united behind founding a school.” They rented an attic in which Teacher G. H. F. Pieritz began instruction with seven children on the 9th of January, 1871. From then on it was offered for frequent divine service, in which Pastor Döderlein preached on Wednesday evenings in the school room and the teacher frequently also held a service of readings.
The number of listeners and school children at this new preaching site grew gratifyingly, and so, they could soon consider founding a Lutheran congregation there. Pastor Döderlein had already bought three lots on Dearborn Street between 39th and 40th streets for $2,100. On the day at which the Evangelical Lutheran St. Peter Congregation was founded, the same took over these plots; The first chairman and trustees signed the title with the constitution previously drawn up by Pastor Döderlein. This document bore the date, the 5th of September, 1871.
The school had been opened with 7 children, and seven families founded the congregation. But in the first week of their existence this small congregation already called their own pastor. The choice fell to Pastor Franz Lehmann in Pilot near Kankakee, IL. The same took the call and the same was installed into his office by Pastor H. Wunder with the assistance of Pastors Döderlein and Körner on the 16th Sunday after Trinity, the day before the Great Fire of Chicago. With Pastor Lehmann, the congregation had a faithful and unflagging, skilled teacher, who, even though the burden of the office often pressed down doubly on him, still never complained about the job God commanded, and he did the duties of his office.
With hopeful courage, the congregation now also chose to erect a church and school building. On the previously mentioned plot of land at Dearborn street, they built a two-story frame house, which had a parsonage on the upper floor, but the church and school would be on the lower. On the first Easter day, 1872, the 9th of April, the first house of God of the St. Peter congregation was festively dedicated. Pastor Döderlein took the festival sermon. On the Tuesday following, Teacher Bieritz moved into the new building which had already grown to 50 children.
The divine service was held for nearly three years in this house. But in the year 1874, the congregation decided to build a church, and before the year passed, the new house of God, which had cost $7,000, was dedicated. This festive event happened on the 4th Sunday of Advent. The festival sermons were held by the Pastors F. Döderlein and A. Reinke, and the brass choir of St. Paul congregation enhanced the celebration.
In the same year (1874), Teacher G. A. Albers of the congregation’s school, at which he blessedly worked until the year 1878.*) His successor in the office was Teacher H. F. Reifert, who faithfully served the congregation for five years. In this period, the number of school children rose from 75 to 245, and after that it had already become necessary to enlarge the school building and to erect a second classroom, at which Teacher C. A. Riesß taught.
For a long time, Pastor Lehmann was sickly and miserable. So, to give him help and relief in his office, in 1878 the congregation called the pastoral candidate Joh. Streckfuß, who was ordained by Pastor L. Lochner on the second Sunday after Trinity. He was put in place as “Pastor Vicarious” for the beloved Pastor Lehmann. Though, according to God’s plan, the faithful clergyman did not recover fully again, he could probably serve his congregation for several years, even though he was often in worse physical health, but he felt his end approaching. With great patience and humble submission to God’s will, he bore his difficult cross. Finally on the 19th of May 1883, The Lord drew close his tired servant with a blessed death. “Blessed are the dead, who die in the Lord!” He rested from his labor. May the congregation keep a thankful remembrance for him!
Professor C. A. T Selle of Addison helped during the vacancy that followed. The former vicar, Pastor Johan Streckfuß of Davenport, Iowa, was called as Pastor Lehmann’s successor.
During the administration of this pastor, the congregation established a branch school on 46th street and Princeton Ave. Teacher Bonneront was called to this school, and the same was able to begin instruction with 25 children. In the year 1886, the congregation bought a beautiful brick parsonage, which faces the church diagonally.
In the year 1888, a pipe organ was purchased. When it became more and more apparent that the church did not have enough room for the crowd of hearers, the congregation, in the following year (1889), had the church enlarged and beautified with a cost of $5,000. On the 3rd of November 1889, the renovated church was festively dedicated. The Pastors H. H. Succop, L. Lochner, and A. Detzer, Jr. took the festival sermons.
Around the same time (still in the year 1889), a number of members moved out of the area, and they organized themselves as the Evangelical Lutheran Gethsemane Congregation. In May 1891, Pastor J. Streckfuß set aside his office. After that, the congregation called Pastor Paul Mebitz from Beardsown, IL to be their pastor, who was installed into his office on the 7th of June in the same year by Pastor L. Hölter with the assistance of Pastor A. Büngers.
In the year 1892, the congregation consecrated their new, large church bell. The congregation gave the old one to their sister congregation in Grand Crossing.
The following teachers were active at the congregation until the present time: G. A. Albers, H. F. Reifert, C. A. Reiß, P. Bonneront, C. H. M. Wagner, and J. Brüning. Teacher J. A. Theiß and a female teacher presently serve at the head school. Teacher G. H. F. Pieritz teachers at the branch school, which was the first school the congregation planted 25 years ago.
The congregation numbers now 180 voting members, 945 communicant members, and the school is attended by 180 children.
*) Teacher Albers fell asleep on the 18th of April 1893 in Cleveland, Ohio.
The Robertsdale Mission
At the southern tip of Lake Michigan, at both sides of the “Indiana State Line,” both on the Indiana and on the Illinois side, German Lutheran families had settled at the beginning of the 60’s. These were visited by Chicago pastors, and it succeeded in gathering a small crowd of Lutherans who met at first in homes and school houses, in the so-called “Robertsdale,” between Sheffield and Whiting, to hear the word of God from the mouths of the Pastors Döderlein and Bener.
It was very difficult to come there in those days, and there were really only two ways to cover the 16 mile journey, either by foot– which was arduous and took a long time — or with the railroad, but the trains did not stop in Robertsdale, and so it went, that the pastors at first, if they had to preach there, boarded the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern line and, when it arrived at the place, they commended themselves into God’s protection and jumped from the train. It was dangerous, but Pastor Bener recounted that he was always successful and that all worry was forgotten when he was united with his waiting friends and he could proclaim to them the word of God. There were not many Germans who could meet there, but they still came to the sermon on the appointed day, although some of them had a long, difficult way to travel. But finally, the three congregations in south Chicago, Colehour, and Whiting, Indiana. These three congregations developed out of this so-called Robertsdale Mission. These three congregations joined our synod at the same time as it is there to read in the Synodical report of the first meeting of the Illinois District, 1875, Page 11.
