Frankenmuth in Saginaw County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Frankenmuth ⎯⎯⎯ Saint Lorenz Evangelical Lutheran Church
Photographed by Kathy Garman, August 22, 2020
1. Frankenmuth Marker
Inscription.
Frankenmuth, also, Saint Lorenz Evangelical Lutheran Church. .
Frankenmuth. The settlement of Frankenmuth and the organization of Saint Lorenz Evangelical Lutheran Church occurred simultaneously. Pastor Wilhelm Loehe of Neuendettelsau, Bavaria, was inspired to establish a German Lutheran colony by Michigan circuit riders who requested aid in bringing the Gospel of Christ to Saginaw Valley Chippewa Indians. Directed by Loehe in 1845, Pastor August Craemer and fourteen other immigrants began clearing forests in this area south to the Cass River. They built log houses and dedicated a log church on Christmas Day 1846. The second church, a frame structure, was erected in 1852 and enlarged in 1864, serving until the completion of the present church in 1880. The settlers named the “colony” Frankenmuth, by combining the name of their home region, Franconia, with mut, the German word for courage.
Saint Lorenz Evangelical Lutheran Church. On September 26, 1880, fifteen hundred people gathered to dedicate this monumental Gothic Revival church. Designed by Cleveland, Ohio, architect C. H. Griese, it is the third church built by Frankenmuths Evangelical Lutherans. The elevated pulpit dates from 1864, when it was built for the frame church once located across the street. The baptismal font and the stained glass of the narthex, nave and apse are original. In 1895 Frankenmuth native John Herzog, a master wood carver, was commissioned to design and sculpt the altar in honor of the congregations fiftieth anniversary. In 1967 the transepts were built to accommodate the growing congregation.
Frankenmuth
The settlement of Frankenmuth and the organization of Saint Lorenz Evangelical Lutheran Church occurred simultaneously. Pastor Wilhelm Loehe of Neuendettelsau, Bavaria, was inspired to establish a German Lutheran colony by Michigan circuit riders who requested aid in bringing the Gospel of Christ to Saginaw Valley Chippewa Indians. Directed by Loehe in 1845, Pastor August Craemer and fourteen other immigrants began clearing forests in this area south to the Cass River. They built log houses and dedicated a log church on Christmas Day 1846. The second church, a frame structure, was erected in 1852 and enlarged in 1864, serving until the completion of the present church in 1880. The settlers named the “colony” Frankenmuth, by combining the name of their home region, Franconia, with mut, the German word for courage.
Saint Lorenz Evangelical Lutheran Church
On September 26, 1880, fifteen hundred people gathered to dedicate this monumental Gothic Revival church. Designed by Cleveland, Ohio, architect C. H. Griese, it is the third church built by Frankenmuths Evangelical Lutherans. The elevated pulpit dates from 1864, when it was built for the frame church once located across the street. The baptismal font and the stained glass of the narthex, nave and apse are original. In 1895 Frankenmuth native John Herzog, a master wood carver, was commissioned to design and sculpt the altar in honor of the congregations fiftieth anniversary. In 1967 the transepts were built to accommodate the growing congregation.
Erected 1994
Click or scan to see this page online
by Bureau of Michigan History, Michigan Department of State. (Marker Number L1729.)
Location. 43° 19.791′ N, 83° 45.364′ W. Marker is in Frankenmuth, Michigan, in Saginaw County. It is on West Tuscola Street 0.1 miles east of South Dehmel Road, on the left when traveling east. Located just east of the entrance to the church's parking lot off of West Tuscola Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1030 W Tuscola St, Frankenmuth MI 48734, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Mid-Michigan. It is also in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking
Photographed by Kathy Garman, August 22, 2020
2. Saint Lorenz Evangelical Lutheran Church Marker
3. Saint Lorenz Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Historical Marker
Photographed by Kathy Garman, August 22, 2020
4. Saint Lorenz Evangelical Lutheran Church
A view from the northwest corner of the church looking southeast.
Photographed by Kathy Garman, August 22, 2020
5. Saint Lorenz Evangelical Lutheran Church Sign
Credits. This page was last revised on March 7, 2021. It was originally submitted on March 6, 2021, by John Garman of Rochester Hills. This page has been viewed 839 times since then and 48 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on March 6, 2021, by John Garman of Rochester Hills. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.
