Monroe in Monroe County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Lutherans In Monroe County
German pioneers who began settling this area in 1828 formed Monroe County's first Lutheran church here in 1834. The Rev. Friedrich Schmid became their first pastor, traveling by horseback from Ann Arbor. The growing congregation incorporated as Zoar Church in 1838 and built a log church.
Trinity and Zion in Monroe, Holy Ghost in Raisinville, and Immanuel in Ida all developed from Zoar by 1849. Zoar became St. Paul's Lutheran in 1858, completing a one-room brick church here in 1860. The larger church built here in 1873 testifies to the enduring faith of this Lutheran country congregation.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Religion & Religious Structures • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1828.
Location. 41° 53.204′ N, 83° 26.423′ W. Marker is in Monroe, Michigan, in Monroe County. It is on West Albain Road 0.2 miles west of South Telegraph Road (U.S. 24), on the left when traveling west. Marker is located on the grounds of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, near the northwest corner of the building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4631 West Albain Road, Monroe MI 48161, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Michigan and in Greater Detroit. It is also in the American Midwest. Globally, it is in North America, on the Great Lakes, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: LaSalle Township FD 9/11 Memorial (approx. 1.4 miles away); Airborne Memorial (approx. 2.4 miles away); Michigan: Historic Crossroads / Michigan: Twenty-Sixth State (approx. 2.4 miles away); Memorial Place (approx. 2.6 miles away); Michigan's Tribute to Kentucky (approx. 2.6 miles away); Monroe Pike (approx. 2.6 miles away); Indian Attack (approx. 2.7 miles away); St. John the Baptist Catholic Church (approx. 2.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Monroe.
Also see . . . Lutheran Church in Michigan and Detroit. Historic Trinity website entry:
Rev. Schmid continued his missionary zeal from the Ann
Arbor area. With the help of missionaries from the European Societies, he established Lutheran Churches in Detroit, Monroe, Lansing, Marshall, Adrian, Grand Rapids, Sebewaing, Saginaw, Waterloo, Chelsea, Bridgewater, Northfield, Saline, Ypsilanti, Plymouth, Jackson and Wayne. Loehes men, Otto F. Hattstaedt in Monroe, Philipp Jakob Trautmannn in Adrian, Friedrich Lochner in Toledo, Friedrich August Craemer in Frankenmuth and F. K. Wyneken in Fort Wayne, were called to these parishes. Wyneken was the Pastor who got Loehe interested in the church in the U.S. (Submitted on August 15, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on May 23, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 15, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 783 times since then and 56 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 15, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 4. submitted on March 30, 2021, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. 5, 6, 7. submitted on August 15, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.


![Lutherans In Monroe County Marker (<i>wide view; St. Paul's Church [west side] in background</i>). Click for full size. Lutherans In Monroe County Marker (<i>wide view; St. Paul's Church [west side] in background</i>) image. Click for full size.](Photos4/440/Photo440689.jpg?8162018112100AM)



