The following is a translation of a brief history of the early years of our congregation, found in a "History of the Minnesota Synod," published in the year 1909.
A Brief history of The Evangelical Lutheran Trinity Congregation of Dexter Township, Mower County, Minnesota.
The beginnings of the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran congregation of Dexter Township, Mower County, Minnesota, reach back almost to the first settling of Dexter Township. What was then a small
congregation was served by the Minnesota Synod.
The small group of Christians which had settled here at that time consisted of the following families:
G. SeeBach, W. Jacobi, J. Christgau, John Krambeer, Gottfried Boettcher, W. Miller, Mrs. A. Arndt and C. Proeschel. In the year 1881 G. Seeback, speaking for these people, wrote to Pastor Bender, who was serving a congregation at Red Wing, asking him to come here and conduct services.
He did come and he preached three or four times. After that services were conducted by Pastor W. Vollmer of Goodhue from 1881 to 1882 and then by Pastor Kittel from 1882 to 1883. From 1883 to 1886 the preaching was done by Pastors O. Hoyer and A. Hoyer. Pastor O. Hoyer looked upon Dexter
Township as his own mission field. When he was unable to conduct services personally, he would send in his place a student from New Ulm. The following students proclaimed God’s Word here between 1883 to 1886: Baur, Leubbert, Poethke, Fettinger,
Feldmann, Burkholz, Haar, Fritzke and Hupfer. On December 3, 1883, a meeting was held for the purpose of organizing an Evangelical Lutheran
congregation. The congregation chose the name Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Congregation of Dexter Township, Mower County, Minnesota. The first trustees were Conrad Christgau, Johann Christgau and W. Jacobi. The first property, an acre of land, was obtained from Houston Hay. This was later laid out in lots for a cemetery.
On June 14, 1886, the congregation adopted an Order of Service. F. Christgau served as chairman of the meeting. The Order of Service was
written by Pastor O. Hoyer. From then on services were conducted with regularity, inasmuch as the Minnesota Synod sent a preacher every
three weeks. A resolution adopted on may 7, 1887, was carried out by erecting a parsonage on a piece of ground that was given by the widow of Conrad
Christgau. In order to become a member of the honorable Minnesota Synod the congregation sent delegates to the Synod Convention of 1881, which was held at Mankato. In 1891 the congregation built a beautiful church building. Previously the services were conducted in the district schoolhouse across from the parsonage. The congregation erected its own schoolhouse in the year 1898.
A Brief history of The Evangelical Lutheran Trinity Congregation of Dexter Township, Mower County, Minnesota.
The beginnings of the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran congregation of Dexter Township, Mower County, Minnesota, reach back almost to the first settling of Dexter Township. What was then a small
congregation was served by the Minnesota Synod.
The small group of Christians which had settled here at that time consisted of the following families:
G. SeeBach, W. Jacobi, J. Christgau, John Krambeer, Gottfried Boettcher, W. Miller, Mrs. A. Arndt and C. Proeschel. In the year 1881 G. Seeback, speaking for these people, wrote to Pastor Bender, who was serving a congregation at Red Wing, asking him to come here and conduct services.
He did come and he preached three or four times. After that services were conducted by Pastor W. Vollmer of Goodhue from 1881 to 1882 and then by Pastor Kittel from 1882 to 1883. From 1883 to 1886 the preaching was done by Pastors O. Hoyer and A. Hoyer. Pastor O. Hoyer looked upon Dexter
Township as his own mission field. When he was unable to conduct services personally, he would send in his place a student from New Ulm. The following students proclaimed God’s Word here between 1883 to 1886: Baur, Leubbert, Poethke, Fettinger,
Feldmann, Burkholz, Haar, Fritzke and Hupfer. On December 3, 1883, a meeting was held for the purpose of organizing an Evangelical Lutheran
congregation. The congregation chose the name Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Congregation of Dexter Township, Mower County, Minnesota. The first trustees were Conrad Christgau, Johann Christgau and W. Jacobi. The first property, an acre of land, was obtained from Houston Hay. This was later laid out in lots for a cemetery.
On June 14, 1886, the congregation adopted an Order of Service. F. Christgau served as chairman of the meeting. The Order of Service was
written by Pastor O. Hoyer. From then on services were conducted with regularity, inasmuch as the Minnesota Synod sent a preacher every
three weeks. A resolution adopted on may 7, 1887, was carried out by erecting a parsonage on a piece of ground that was given by the widow of Conrad
Christgau. In order to become a member of the honorable Minnesota Synod the congregation sent delegates to the Synod Convention of 1881, which was held at Mankato. In 1891 the congregation built a beautiful church building. Previously the services were conducted in the district schoolhouse across from the parsonage. The congregation erected its own schoolhouse in the year 1898.