By Joann M. Ringelstetter
When I first moved to Middleton, Wisconsin, which is now over 40 years ago, I had friends who lived west of Madison on Old Sauk Road. Whenever I went to visit them, I passed an old white country church that sat on a hill at the corner of Old Sauk and Pleasant View Roads.
I remember heading home from my friends’ house one evening in a storm, and as I passed the church, the wind blew so hard that I thought the car would lift off the ground. I was scared out of my wits, so I pulled over to the side of the road. As I sat there by the little country church, I asked God to spare me from harm and the storm finally waned.
The history of the First Lutheran Church began with German immigrants who came to the United States in large numbers between 1840 and 1850. After crossing the Atlantic Ocean and then taking trains to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, they discovered that there was neither a place to stay nor a job to be had there. So they procured wagons and teams of oxen, and then bounced their way across the rough terrain to Madison, which was only a small village of around 600 people in 1846.
For the first few years, these early settlers took turns holding worship meetings in their one-room log cabins. In 1854, they decided to join together to contribute materials and labor to build a simple log church. The foundation of this first church still exists in the old original cemetery down the hill from the current church.
As new families joined the congregation, the log church became too small, so they decided to build a new church up on the hill, which was completed in 1866. In 1884, an additional 40 feet was added to the church, along with a new tall and majestic steeple.
In 1907, the congregation purchased a beautiful pipe organ that was built by the William Schuelke firm of Milwaukee. Schuelke organs were known for their high quality, distinctly Germanic sound. Unfortunately, the organ no longer works and it would take an exorbitant amount of money to restore. It does, however, hold a special place in the history of this beautiful church.
In 1947, due to dwindling membership, services were discontinued and the church sat empty and in danger of vandalism and eventual demolition. Fortunately, in the 1980s, a group of community members decided that the church was worth saving and they began to work tirelessly on the restoration and preservation of this historical church.
Two years ago, through this blog, I had the distinct privilege of meeting two wonderful people who are on the current board of trustees for the First Lutheran Church. And on September 11 of this year, the church celebrated its 150th anniversary.
Rev. Ken Michaelis, twice great grandson of church founder Johann (John) Voss, presided over the service. When it was time to give the sermon, he said that he usually likes to stand close to the congregation when he speaks. On that day, however, he felt it was important to preach from the beautiful historical pulpit.
Music was provided by the Madison Maennerchor, the oldest German singing organization in Wisconsin, and the second oldest in the United States. It was founded in 1852, which is the same year that the congregation of the First Lutheran Church was founded. And one of the hymns sung by those attending the service was “Little White Church on the Hill” (with the same melody as “The Little Brown Church in the Vale”).
This historic service was attended by over 250 people, many of whom were descendants of the original founders and ministers of the church.
At the closing of the service, the children attending were allowed to help ring the church bell. As you can see by their faces, this was a wonderful experience for them.
I wish I had taken a picture of the First Lutheran Church in the 1970s, during a time when it seemed beautiful in its abandonment out in the rolling countryside. As the city of Madison expanded its boundaries over the years, the church became surrounded by development and a great increase in traffic. Still, it remains one of the most stunning “country” churches and is now undergoing some much-needed repairs due to the efforts of the dedicated board of trustees and the generosity of many donors.
Although the First Lutheran Church is no longer an active church, it is open to the public for weddings, baptisms, renewal of wedding vows, memorial services, concerts, and other community events. If you’d like more information, visit the First Lutheran Church website.
Happy Shunpiking!
Joann
Shunpiking To Heaven Backroads Blog
Friday, September 16, 2016
Thursday, September 1, 2016
Sliders
By Ruth A. Ringelstetter
We’ve mentioned before that, growing up, our “going out to eat” usually involved burgers at the local A & W and occasionally, takeout from the Kentucky Fried Chicken in Watertown, Wisconsin. The rest of the time we ate meals at home.
There was an American Legion hamburger stand on the square in Lake Mills and they sold “sliders” on Fridays. I only remember having sliders once with a friend’s family. One Friday night her dad told us to go downtown and get “a bag of sliders.” I had no idea what that meant, but off we went.
Until now, I didn’t know the history behind that little stand. The Veterans have been selling hamburgers in Lake Mills since 1926: first from a cart in the park across the street, and later from this little building that was built in 1950.
When I spent time with my friend’s family, the little burger stand we went to most often was in Jefferson, Wisconsin and it was called Becker’s at the time. We would run there for a bag of burgers, which usually meant three or four burgers for my friend’s dad and two each for the rest of the family and me. Even though us kids had often shopped in Jefferson with Mom, we hadn’t heard of this little burger stand.
At that time, the building behind the burger stand was a neighborhood grocery store, called “Becker’s Superette.” Becker’s had bought the business in 1949, and after 39 years, sold it to Armstrong’s in 1974. I know my friend’s family kept calling them Becker burgers after Armstrong’s took over. Since the recipe was passed along with the business, the burgers still tasted the same. It is so nice when a business changes hands and the old recipes are handed down and kept for the community.
In 2002, Armstrong’s sold the business to Wedl’s and they continue the hamburger tradition, although the Superette has become an ice cream parlor. Since neighborhood grocers can’t make a living in this day and age, it’s nice to see the old building continue on with a new purpose. The hamburger stand outside of the old store has been around since 1916 and just this summer celebrated their 100th anniversary.
We’ve passed other hamburger stands in our travels, and you probably have too. Sometimes we’re not sure if they are or were a hamburger stand, like the one below in Misouri. It has a cone on the door so we aren’t sure what the building is.
With everyone trying to eat healthier these days, it’s still good to give that up for one meal every now and then and eat at these small businesses. It takes you back to a simpler time, and you can always go back to your kale and quinoa the next day!
Happy Shunpiking!
Ruth
We’ve mentioned before that, growing up, our “going out to eat” usually involved burgers at the local A & W and occasionally, takeout from the Kentucky Fried Chicken in Watertown, Wisconsin. The rest of the time we ate meals at home.
There was an American Legion hamburger stand on the square in Lake Mills and they sold “sliders” on Fridays. I only remember having sliders once with a friend’s family. One Friday night her dad told us to go downtown and get “a bag of sliders.” I had no idea what that meant, but off we went.
Until now, I didn’t know the history behind that little stand. The Veterans have been selling hamburgers in Lake Mills since 1926: first from a cart in the park across the street, and later from this little building that was built in 1950.
When I spent time with my friend’s family, the little burger stand we went to most often was in Jefferson, Wisconsin and it was called Becker’s at the time. We would run there for a bag of burgers, which usually meant three or four burgers for my friend’s dad and two each for the rest of the family and me. Even though us kids had often shopped in Jefferson with Mom, we hadn’t heard of this little burger stand.
At that time, the building behind the burger stand was a neighborhood grocery store, called “Becker’s Superette.” Becker’s had bought the business in 1949, and after 39 years, sold it to Armstrong’s in 1974. I know my friend’s family kept calling them Becker burgers after Armstrong’s took over. Since the recipe was passed along with the business, the burgers still tasted the same. It is so nice when a business changes hands and the old recipes are handed down and kept for the community.
In 2002, Armstrong’s sold the business to Wedl’s and they continue the hamburger tradition, although the Superette has become an ice cream parlor. Since neighborhood grocers can’t make a living in this day and age, it’s nice to see the old building continue on with a new purpose. The hamburger stand outside of the old store has been around since 1916 and just this summer celebrated their 100th anniversary.
We’ve passed other hamburger stands in our travels, and you probably have too. Sometimes we’re not sure if they are or were a hamburger stand, like the one below in Misouri. It has a cone on the door so we aren’t sure what the building is.
With everyone trying to eat healthier these days, it’s still good to give that up for one meal every now and then and eat at these small businesses. It takes you back to a simpler time, and you can always go back to your kale and quinoa the next day!
Happy Shunpiking!
Ruth
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