How Religion in Jefferson City Bound German Immigrants Together
Germans in Missouri
With the influx of German immigrants to Missouri, many Catholic, Lutheran, and Methodist churches began to appear in Jefferson City. These churches served as gathering places for the rapidly expanding German community in the area. Church services were often held in German and the buildings themselves had a heavy German influence. Over time, the population became Americanized. The children of German immigrants often chose to speak English rather than German, and with the tensions brought about by the two World Wars, many immigrants chose to abandon many of their traditions. Despite this, these churches remain and stand as symbols of the strong German heritage of the region.
Central Evengalical Church
During the early development on Jefferson City around 1891, you could see the steeple of the Central Evangelical Church in a picture taken by Harris B. Dickey. The church was, and still is, a central feature of the German community in Jefferson City. Quite literally, it was built in the middle of Old Munichburg, one of the largest German communities in the area. This church, and many buildings in the surrounding area were constructed with red-bricks, a German architecture style at the time. A lot of the German community in Missouri was religious, which created devout followers when the church met. This overlapped with the overall community in many ways, which further tied these immigrant groups together. Not only did German migrants choose to live near each other, but they went to the same churches, ate at the same restaurants, and met up in German social clubs. When it came time to make decisions for community development, it was easy for the Germans in Jefferson City to collaborate and work on projects together.
St. Peter Catholic Church
St. Peter Catholic Church, located in Jefferson City, was constructed from 1881–1883 with the first mass given in February of 1883. Fr. Ferdinand Helias founded 7 churches throughout Missouri, one being St. Peter. The brick church was designed by Adolph Druiding, and features a German Gothic Revival style constructed with roughly 800,000 red bricks. Red Brick was common for Germans to use when constructing buildings because many immigrants, by trade, were skilled in brick construction. The St. Peter Catholic Church Parish consisted of German immigrants, Irish immigrants and other immigrants from various countries. Germans and German Americans loved to gather with friends and family, so it was no surprise that communities and churches began to form in Jefferson City. These newly formed German communities gave the immigrants a sense of home, made them feel part of a tight knit community, and offered them a place to practice their religion similar to back in Germany. Often times, churches were seen as central meeting points and places of gathering, which would have helped Germans get to know those around them. St. Peter Church began its life of service to Jefferson City and the surrounding areas to fourteen Catholic families. Now, 175 years later, St. Peter Church serves over 1300 Catholic families, some even having German and Irish backgrounds.
German Methodist Church
The church is a big part of German culture. The church served as a place of community and gathering for the German people. The first gathering of German Methodist in Jefferson City started in 1844 at Lake Creek near Sedalia, when the German Methodist Church headquarters sent a pastor named Sebastian Barth. Barth started several other German Methodist churches before coming to Jefferson City such as in Jamestown, Missouri and Burlington, Iowa. At first, they were small and didn’t have much one example being that they used a wooden table as an altar for a long time. The first preachings before the societies were organized in private homes. This changed in 1874 when the community came together to build a small brick-and-mortar church built on the corner of Elm Street and Broadway. Things were going well for German Methodist in Jefferson City, with an active 34 members and a total of ten pastors in 1900. They had an active Sunday that used to be taught in German, but due to the difficulty of teaching classes in both English and German, the classes stopped being taught in German. They also had regular services held twice a month with a weekly prayer meeting on Wednesday evening. This period of prosperity would not last long, as tensions from World War 1 caused the church to no longer hold services. The church combined with the English-speaking Methodist in 1917 is no longer in Jefferson City. The building was converted to a duplex in 1927 and people still live there today. In 2002, the National Register of Historic Places recognized the building as a place of historical significance, so the future is bright for this important building.
Conclusion
Germans coming to America didn’t fully know what to expect. They had most likely read about the country, and may have even had a city picked out to settle down in, but the prospect of a new country was a daunting one. There was probably a communal level of fear on the boats crossing the atlantic. However, these Germans knew that home was where they could gather, worship, and celebrate their faith. These three churches weren’t just centers for worship, they were centers for community. Churches functioned as a way for migrants old and new to come together and know that they weren’t alone. Germans were able to engage with people who were facing the same struggles and triumphs they were, while continuing practices and rituals that connected them to their homeland.
