St. Peters United Evangelical Lutheran Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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St. Peters United Evangelical Lutheran Church
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 Location in Iowa
Location in the United States
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| Location | U.S. Route 52 Ceres, Iowa |
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| Built | 1858 |
| NRHP reference No. | 76000743 |
| Added to NRHP | December 12, 1976 |
St. Peters United Evangelical Lutheran Church is an old church building in the countryside of Clayton County, Iowa, United States. It was once part of a small village called Ceres. This church building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. Many people also know it as the Pioneer Rock Church because it was built from stone.
The Church's Story
The village of Ceres was first known as Independence. The Lutheran families living nearby used to travel to Garnavillo, Iowa for church services. Their pastor there was Rev. Paul Stockfeld.
Rev. Stockfeld was a very busy person. He was a teacher and a doctor, as well as a pastor. He was asked to help start a new church in Independence. Some of the people who helped him organize this new church were G.H. Bierbaum, Chris Bierbaum, Casper, Henry, and Carl Backhaus, H. Wiegman, J.H. Abker, and Gerhard Walke.
They all met for the first time in February 1858. J.H. Abker was chosen as the president, and Rev. Stockfeld became the secretary.
Building the Church
The land for the church was bought for $30 an acre from Eli Carlan. Gerhard Bierbaum also gave another acre of land. This made a total of 6.16 acres for the church.
The church members worked hard to get the stone for the building. They dug it themselves from the Bierbaum quarry. The first stone, called the cornerstone, was placed on October 25, 1858.
The church building is 55 feet long and 30 feet wide. A 12-foot section at the back was set aside for the pastor's living area. The whole building cost less than $1,100 to build.
A well was also needed for the church. Sebastian Walsh dug a well that was 35 feet deep and 5 feet wide. He was paid $1.00 for each foot he dug. When he hit rock, his pay went up to $1.15 per foot.
Inside the Church
The altar, which is a special table in the church, was designed by Mr. Prior from Guttenberg, Iowa. It cost $68. Casper, Henry, and Carl Backhaus built the church pews, which are the long benches where people sit. They were paid $2.50 for each pew. The altar and pews were painted white with brown trim.
In 1898, during the time Rev. Ziemer was pastor, a bell tower was added to the church. It cost $300. A bell was put into the tower that same year for $111.
The church also bought an organ in 1874 for $102. Another organ was bought in 1890. Mrs. G. Blech played the organ for the church services.
Later Years
In 1894, Rev. Gamelin became the pastor for both the Pioneer Rock Church and the church in Garnavillo. At that time, services were held at the Pioneer Rock Church every two weeks.
The last pastor who lived at the church was Rev. John Bunge. He served from 1901 to 1907. After him, the last two pastors, Rev. Mall and Rev. Bosholm, lived in Garnavillo.
In 1927, a group was formed to take care of the church and its cemetery. They wanted to keep it as a special memory for the people who built it.
