Chicago Lutheran History: Zion 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 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.

The fifth congregation in this series is Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church. Zion’s original church building, build in 1868 and remodeled in 1886, was abandoned by the congregation in 1956. After years of neglect, a fire, and a massive windstorm, only a little of the building remains. Called “The Ghost Church,” you can still visit the original location on 19th and Peoria in Chicago.

Evangelical Lutheran Zion Congregation

The Zion Congregation is the fifth of the Lutheran congregations in Chicago by age. Its area, on which they should to be built, was called the “Prairie” from about the year 1860 and later, which most of it really was. But to the east of Halsted Street, between the Burlington railway and the lumber yard (“Lumber Yards”) along the river, a suitable area was already inhabited and would become so more and more. The Lutheran minded inhabitants who lived in the same area, remained at Immanuel Church, and they sent their children to its school on the corner of Taylor and Brown Streets. The only path was, especially for children, not only long and often very terrible, but also not without risk, because it led over the many railroad tracks that were still exposed at the time. Therefore the Immanuel Congregation built a school on Mark Street, in which Pastor Bener also held weekly divine services. But already after two years, this school building was sold, because it was too small. And a new school was built on the corner of Union and 21st street, large enough to hold four classes in its wide classrooms as soon as there were enough students. Teacher Schachameyer had half of the upper part as an apartment, and not long after, he taught a second class in the lower floor.

The dark lines are the railroad tracks which marked the boundaries of Zion’s neighborhood from 16th street on the north to 21st Street on the south. Before Zion built their school, the children had to cross these tracks to get to school every day. Map is from the Union News Company map of 1893.

Meanwhile, the number of children in the school grew, and so did the number of hearers in the weekly divine services in almost the same proportion, as small and larger apartments were built on the “Prairie,” some of which were rolled in and some were built new. So, in the the thought
awakened and pressed along in ever increasing circles, whether or not a congregation ought to be founded here, even if the space was limited. And soon in the fall of 1867, it came to the calling of a pastor, a call which the same pastor followed when the vocation came into his hand a second time, and on the 20th of December (Friday evening) he was installed as the second pastor of the Immanuel Congregation. From that day on Pastor A. Wagner was their pastor professionally. Later all the duties of his office were transferred to the intended field, which would later be branched off and a church built in the following spring.

The branching happened already in February 1868. On the 23rd of February, the new Zion Congregation held their first meeting, in which they elected their officers, decided to buy a plot of land, and made preparations for the church building. In the month of May, they went about building the church with zeal, which cost more than the congregation had originally thought. So, they took on a sizable debt burden. Nevertheless, the congregation, which was by no means wealthy, did not lose courage, thank God.

On Sunday, the 14th of June, the cornerstone was placed with a large assembly present, where the resident pastor, Pastor A. Wagner, preached, Pastor P. Bener held an address, and they read the history of the congregation. The latter went into the cornerstone. On the 19th Sunday after Trinity, the 18th of October, 1868, The church could be festively dedicated. The sainted Director Lindemann preached in the morning, Pastor H. Wunder in the afternoon, and the sainted Pastor R. Richmann on the next morning. Next to the spacious church, which was on the corner of West 19th and South Peoria Street (The latter was called Johnson Street for only a short time), the congregation built a parsonage at almost the same time.

The different locations of Zion. Green: Second school building. Yellow: Church building. Blue: Branch school.

At that time and also later, the growth of the congregation was large, although their borders are very tight, especially to the north and to south. But the movement of members to outer districts was not insignificant, where new congregations stood and the plots of land were very cheap. In some years, more members were released to join sister congregations than new ones were accepted. The number of those voting members who were with the congregation from the beginning and still belong to it is now only 26.

Up until the consecration of the church, the weekly Divine Services were in the school, but the Sunday Divine Services were held together with the Immanuel Congregation in their church and almost always in such a way that both the pastors (Bener and Wagner) preached alternatingly at mission sites (Crown Point, Ind., Belvidere, Ill., and so on), so one of the pastors usually was travelling every Sunday.

On the 19th of January 1873, the second Sunday after Epiphany, the three new, large bells sounded for the first time at the divine service. A sermon for the consecration of the bells was held by the pastor.

In the year 1880, the congregation put the above mentioned parsonage behind the church and they built a new one out of bricks on the old plot, in which there was also a room for confirmation class. The first house was later enlarged into two apartments for a teacher and an associate pastor. The latter dwelling now has the sexton in it.

In the year 1886, with great cost, the church was not only built up with new and higher stones, dressed with strong brick walls, and furnished with a new slate roof, which was beautifully painted on the inside as well, but also significantly enlarged, by tearing down the whole front with the tower, making it wider and rebuilding it new from the ground up. The dedication took place on the first day of Advent. The sainted Pastor H. Sauer (who died in Fort Wayne, Ind., during the meeting of the delegates of the Synod, on the 5th of May 1896) preached in the morning, Pastor E. Brauer, Sr. at midday, and the sainted Pastor H. Jor in the evening. The resident pastor took the confessional service and spoke the prayer of dedication.

The temporary associate pastors of the congregation were:

1. Pastor L. Wagner from the 15th Sunday after Trinity 1879 until Easter 1880. The same had administered a school class and he preached afterwards, too, every other Sunday in Wheaton and Turner, Ill., until he was called away to San Francisco, Cal.
2. Pastor G. Löber, who was simultaneously called to the nearby Trinity Congregation (Pastor L. Lochner) as associate pastor for the same work at both congregations. On the feast of Trinity, 1884, he was installed by the Zion Congregation, which he served alone his last year. He was released on the 17th of August 1890, because he received a call to Wayside, Wis., where he entered his blessed rest on the 31st of March, 1891.
3. From the 26th Sunday after Trinity 1890 until the 24th of September, 1894, Pastor A. Lange was in the same office. Later Professors Th. Brohm and F. Lindemann performed as beloved fill-in helpers until the called candidate, Mr. F. Knief, who was ordained on the 19th Sunday after Trinity 1895, entered his office of associate pastor.

C. F. W. Walther was the President of the Lutheran Church––Missouri Synod during the controversy over predistination in the 1880’s.

Very important synodical meetings repeatedly took place in the Zion congregation:

1. In the year 1875, from the 19th until the 25th of May, the same held the first sessions of the new Illinois District. The overall president, Professor C. F. W. Walther, took the introductory sermon. The subject of the discussion was: Purpose and use of the holy supper.
2. In the year 1880, from the 29th of September until the 5th of October the was gathered here the specially called, huge pastoral conference of the whole synod, which was held only now and again in our Synod. It discussed the most necessary mitigation of the emerging and large corruption threatened by the doctrinal dispute regarding the article about predestination. “All pastors and professors” of our Synod were urgently invited, and each should bring the Book of Concord “both in speech and in hand.” Therefore, there were probably, over the course of a church meeting, never so many Books of Concord available and in use at once for clarification and examination of a piece of doctrine. The underappreciated benefit of this meeting may be briefly described like so: Here, by God’s grace, it was made clear that our beloved synod stood and still stands on the word of God and on the Confessions of the Lutheran Church, but the opponents do not. 462 pastors had given notice of their coming and almost all had appeared. In all, over 500 persons were present.
3. Two years later — from the 4th until the 10th of October 1882 — The Synodical Conference met here, and the synods
   that belong to the same took a public stance against those who cling to the false teaching about predestination.

It was common practice to move houses in the mid 1800’s in Chicago. Balloon frame houses did not have a foundation, so they could easily be picked up and rolled to a new location.

In conclusion, some notes about the congregation’s school. The same had, as previously mentioned, a school house with two classes at the time of its founding. In the same year, — 1868 — a third class was set up, and the fourth came in the year 1872. Now, the house was full. Therefore, when the opening of a fifth class became necessary, in 1872, the whole building had to be lifted up, and another story made from brick had to be built underneath it, in which the sixth class moved already in the following year. Again, in the following year — 1874 — the development of a seventh class became necessary, but with it also the building of a new schoolhouse. This two-story building was erected on the same plot. On the 13th Sunday after Trinity the dedication could happen in the afternoon, with which also the installation of a teacher was combined. The resident pastor performed both. In the year 1878, the congregation grew in the conviction that it was better if the parish were divided into two school districts. Namely, since the school lay far to the east of the middle of the community, so a branch school ought to be farther west. So, the congregation then bought a plot on the corner of Loomis Street and Zion Place, and set the aforementioned, two-story school building on rollers to go there. At the opening of the school, on the 10th Sunday after Trinity, an appropriate festival sermon was held by the Pastor. After a year the second class was set up there. In the year 1882, another two-story, brick schoolhouse was built on the same plot.

After completing the same, Professor Selle took the dedication sermon on the 26th Sunday after Trinity. Soon thereafter, a third class had to be set up there. So, then, the congregation had 9 school classes with a school attendance of 915 children. In the meantime, the first-built house on Loomis Street has been made into two dwellings for the teacher, who teaches in the two classes that still are there. There are still five classes at the Union Street school at this time with significantly fewer students.

The current status — June 1896 — of the Zion Congregation is: 254 voting members and 1750 communicant members; 2 schools with 468 children, 6 male teachers and 1 female teacher. The current teachers are: H. Ruhland, H. Maschoff, W. Burhenn, J. Brachmann; A. Müller and F. Schachameyer.