Altenburg

Trinity Lutheran Church

The first church in Altenburg was established by Gotthold Heinrich Loeber (1797-1849) in a log cabin in 1839. This log cabin, also utilized as a school building, was moved to a new site in 1912, and in 1979 was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The second church building cornerstone was laid March 14, 1844. The limestone building, which was both a school and a church, was finished 1845, under Pastor Loeber. Carl Ferdinand Wilhelm Walther also was a dominant figure here. He helped start the Lutheran School and Seminary at Altenburg, which was functioning by 1841, possibly as early as 1839. This school ultimately developed into Concordia Seminary. Walther helped organize the Missouri Synod - Lutheran Church in 1847, was its first president, and was involved in the moving of the seminary from Altenburg to St. Louis in 1849.

Georg Albert Schieferdecker (1815-1891), took over as pastor of (Trinity) Evangelical Lutheran Church in 1850 after Loeber's death. In 1857-1858, he became involved in the "chiliastenstreit" schism, as the result of which he was expelled from the Evangelical Lutheran Church, and he and one third of the membership founded a new Lutheran church, Immanuel Lutheran, which was associated with the Iowa Conference. The third church was constructed under the direction of J. P. Beyer. The corner stone for this church was laid in 1866. Stone was hauled by horse-drawn wagon from Bodenshatz Branch creek three miles east of the church site, and the third church was dedicated in 1867.

The design of the church with the pulpit situated above the altar is a typical 18th century German style church architecture; the specific model for Trinity is said to have been St. John's Lutheran Church in New Minden, Illinois. The total cost of the church was $15,280.60, which was not paid off until 1878. A new clapboard roof of 26,000 clapboards was constructed in 1887 for $356.25. The tin ceiling in the Church was installed in 1894 for $400. The name of the church was officially changed from the Evangelical Lutheran Brethren, U.A.C., to Trinity Lutheran Brethren, U.A.C., in 1918. P.O.: 1854-date.

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Concordia Log Cabin College

The log cabin dates to the first settlement of Altenburg, being constructed in 1839, to serve as the first school for the new community. It is presently located in the maple grove across from the Trinity Lutheran Church and contains museum exhibits relevant to the history of Altenburg. It was moved to its present location in 1912; and the vertical oak 2" x 6" timbers were attached to the walls to stabilize the structure. The chimney was removed from the cabin at that time; the shelter over the cabin was constructed in 1915. The 20 x 17 foot cabin is constructed of logs which are only crudely shaped, and have only slight notching. The chinking between the logs is mainly mortar and bricks, with also some stone.

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