St Paul's Evangelical Church (1863-Present)

St Paul's Evangelical Church (1863-Present)

Jamestown

Initially called Kubli's Chapel and later Haldiman's Chapel

Originally near Chapel Cemetery southwest of Jamestown

Picture of Haldiman's Chapel included in the History of Jamestown 1837-1987

Timeline of St Paul's Evangelical Church:

1854 - Kubli Log Chapel is built. It was a meeting place with an adjacent cemetery on land provided by Emanuel Kubli, Sr.

1863 Feb 14 - "Evangelical St. Paul's Gemeinde" founded

1875 - "Evangelical St. Paul's Gemeinde" united with the Evangelical Synod of North America

1877 - New church in Jamestown is built

1886 - A frame building (pictured above), known as Haldiman's Chapel, is built on the Christian Haldiman farm

1893 - Three point charge was divided. Moniteau Evangelical Advent employed their own pastor leaving St. Paul's and St. Peter's as a two-point charge

From History of Jamestown, Missouri 1837-1987:

The small burial ground southwest of Jamestown was once known as the Kubli Cemetery because a family by the name of Kubli donated the land for it. It is now called Kubli-Chapel or simply Chapel cemetery, commemorating a rural chapel that once stood south of the cemetery. The chapel had been called Haldiman Chapel because the first community chapel had been so called. It had been built on the Christian Haldiman farm, which is now (1987) the Hein place, probably because that farm was a natural gathering place having a saw and flour mill and a blacksmith shop.

The California Democrat for June 11, 1986, had the following account in its "Past in Review" column in the 100 years ago news:

"The new church being built this spring at Haldiman's Mill is nearly completed. It is a neat, little, convenient house for the population of the Moniteau Valley for Union meetings and Sunday School. It has been built by subscriptions, liberally donated by the people of the surrounding vicinity, for which the trustees are under many obligations; also the American citizens of Walker and Linn townships. The Church will be dedicated June 20th."

Before the chapel described above was built, there had been a community effort to worship together. Meetings were held in various homes and Sunday School was conducted regularly. Ministers who served them were of both the Methodist and Evangelical faiths.

As early as 1854, the German-speaking pioneers began meeting together and on February 4, 1863, a group of 20 men placed their names on a constitution which they drew up. They were: John Zurlinden, Jacob Eggiman, Emmanuel Kubli, Ulrich Oerly, John Haldiman, Jacob Haldiman, John Mischler, Christian Gefeller, Ferdinand Christian, Mr. Walker, Christian Hossman, Kaspar Mueller, Christian Haldiman, Alexander Burger, Gottlieb Rehkoph, Fritz Gentzsch, Frederich Haldiman, John Nickles, Peter Nickles, and Samuel Burger.

It was this organization which some time later was successful in building the first chapel. It stood for a time on the Haldiman farm and then was moved to stand near the cemetery. It was moved on rollers which turned on planks which had to brought forward by horse and mule power. After a time that chapel burned but it was rebuilt on the same site near the cemetery. The late Rev. W H Sabbert preached the dedicatory sermon. This, the second chapel, served for a time but later it was abandoned and sold because its use as a community building was no longer important since most of the families had a good means of transportation which took them easily to Jamestown to worship with larger groups.

Haldiman Chapel tells an accurate story of early settlers in Linn Township who were eager for religious instruction and willing to put forth the effort to make worship a part of their hard-working lives.

The Haldiman Chapel Church building burned to the ground Monday, May 5, 1924. It was thought that sparks from the steam engine pulling the road grader were the cause of the fire. When it was discovered the roof was ablaze and the wind was blowing a high gale. The fire spread into the woods but with heroic work by the neighbors, the Fairview School was saved.

From the 175th Anniversary booklet compiled by Joyce Rohrbach and distributed in 2013:

Beginnings

Sandy Hook was one of the first communities in Moniteau County to be settled. With the coming of the steamboat, it soon became the most important river port between Jefferson City and Franklin.

Following is an excerpt from an article written by Mrs. Katherine Lammert from the Salem Evengelical Church on the North Moreau, Moniteau County. Mrs. Lammert tells how these two newly settled communities, one at Sandy Hook and the other in the McGirk area, communicated together to get a pastor. The six churches mentioned are not named, but it seems that the German Sr. Paul's Evangelical in Sandy Hook would have been included.

"Religious services were begun by meeting in the spring of 1848 with the Rev. Johann Friederich Kowing and occasionally the Rev. August Rauschenbush. In August 1848 Rev. Kowing introduced the Rev. Carl Hofmeister to the congregation that was then organized as the North Moreau church and he became the pastor. The congregation comprised thirteen families. Since the congregation was not able to support him alone, two laymen successfully negotiated with fourteen German families on the Moniteau Creek to assist in his maintenance. In view of this, Rev. Hofmeister agreed not only to divide his time between these two places but also to visit other settlements in Cooper County. He was being supported at this time by "the American Home Missionary Society of New York" to the amount of $125 per year. The six congregations under his care were subscribing $100 per year and it was difficult to get even this amount. His parish was sixty miles in length and required a journey on horseback of from 120 to 130 miles every two weeks. His reports to headquarters tell of the awful roads and the backward condition of the people."

Before our congregation's founding, services were held in various homes and Sunday School was conducted regularly. The official records contain entries dated as early as 1854, copied from "Salem Congregation on the North Moreau, Moniteau County." Ministers who served were of both the Methodist and Evangelical faith. Even though they were of different faiths, they proceeded to build a pioneer log church about one mile west of Sandy Hook, known as "Kubli's Chapel," with an adjacent cemetery, on land provided by Emanuel Kubli, Sr.

It's hard to imagine that at the same time the church was getting started, many of those who were starting it had family members going into service in the Union Army because the Civil War broke out on April 12, 1861, and lasted until the last confederate troops surrendered on May 26, 1865.

On February 14, 1863 twenty men, heads of families, came together to sign the "Gemeinde-Ordnung" (constitution of the church organization) of the new church. This is the date we celebrate today. Six signers of the Gemeinde Ordnung of 1863 are buried at Kubli, namely Christian Haldiman, John Haldiman, Christian Gfeller, Alexander Burger, Emanuel Kubli, Sr. and John Nickles.

At this time Sandy Hook was a little village with several businesses. Even so, the importance of the town began dwindling with the coming of the automobile and improved roads. The local public who once patronized their home places of business now drove to larger towns where there was a greater variety to satisfy their needs.

When St. Paul's Church was built in Jamestown, in 1877, Jamestown was also a thriving town. The October 25, 1877 Jamestown Weekly Enterprise reports that "Jamestown contains two dry goods stores, two drug stores, one hardware and furniture store, one saddler shop, one wagon makers shop, three blacksmith shops, one millinery store, one flouring mill, with which is connected a saw mill and a wool carding mill, one school house, one hotel and three churches, the German Methodist, the nearly completed German Evangelical, with seating capacity for about 150 persons (this would be St. Paul's), and the Cumberland Presbyterian. Two first class physicians are residents of the town - Doctors W. E. Jones and L. J. Bybee. The mechanics of Jamestown are among the best in the county. Mr. M. G. Opitz does excellent work in the shoe making business and Mr. A. H. Workman has a good reputation as a blacksmith."

Then in 1886 a frame building, known as Haldiman Chapel, was built on the Christian Haldiman Farm in the Sandy Hook area. According to the 1987 Jamestown History Book "It was built for the people of the Moniteau valley for union meetings and Sunday School. It was built by subscriptions liberally donated by the people of the surrounding vicinity for which the trustees are under many obiligations; also the American citizens of Walker and Linn townships." This building was later moved to where the Kubli Log Chapel had stood. When this Haldiman Chapel burned another building replaced it but it was soon abandoned and sold. Its use as a community building was no longer important since most of the families had a good means of transportation which took them easily to Jamestown where they could join with more people.

By 1920, Moniteau County had grown to 20,000 people, even larger than today. The area was getting crowded. Our new German Evangelical church was built that year to accommodate more people. Some people even moved on west when the Oklahoma Territory was opened for settlement on April 22, 1889. This was called the Oklahoma Land Rush.

From 1920 to 1990 St. Paul's had 16 pastors and interims. Around the 1980's members of St. Paul's started dreaming about more room for activities, a larger kitchen and more space to have carry-in meals, some Sunday School rooms, a place to hang our coats and some storage areas, a pastor's study, more modern rest rooms, a nursery and bigger play room for the kids. This dream finally became reality in 2001 and even provided space to add on to the sanctuary if it were ever needed. It turned out to be a wonderful, usable addition that includes an elevator and handicap entrance.

If anyone has information on this church, please contact Alan Sparks.

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