History

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 riverport between Jefferson City and Franklin.
Following is an excerpt from an article written by Mrs. Katherine Lammert from the Salem Evangelical 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 obvious that the German St. 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 Co. He was being supported at this time by “the American Home Missionary Society of New York” to the amount of $125.00 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. (I’m surprised they didn’t turn around and go back to their homeland.)
On February 14, 1863 twenty men, heads of families, came together to sign the “Gemeinde-Ordung” (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 obligations; 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 about 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 restrooms, a nursery and bigger playroom 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.
Submitted by Joyce Rohrbach

HISTORY OF ST. PAUL’S EVANGELICAL CHURCH, JAMESTOWN

1854 – KUBLI LOG CHAPEL WAS BUILT. IT WAS A MEETING PLACE WITH AN ADJACENT CEMETERY ON LAND PROVIDED BY EMANUEL KUBLI, SR.
Early Swiss and German settlers came to the area of Sandy Hook and Jamestown in the Moniteau bottom and built this chapel. The cemetery is located on Chapel Rd. and is called both Kubli and/or Chapel Cemetery. Before any kind of building 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 pastored were of both the Methodist and Evangelical faiths.
FEBRUARY 4, 1863 – “EVANGELICAL ST. PAUL’S GEMEINDE” WAS FOUNDED
A group of 20 men placed their names on a constitution which they drew up. It is noted that Rev. John Feil (1863-1865) was the pastor when the church was organized, and already he was pastoring the Moniteau Evangelical Advent Church and the St. Peter’s Church at Pleasant Grove. Many pastors and interims served St. Paul’s in the early years. Most all of these pastors were Eden Seminary students and graduates.
1875 – “EVANGELICAL ST. PAUL’S GEMEINDE” UNITED WITH THE EVANGELICAL SYNOD OF NORTH AMERICA
1876-1883 – FR. WOELFLE, PASTOR
1883-1886 – H. MOHR, PASTOR
1886-1888 – A. TH. LEUTWEIN, PASTOR
1877 – A NEW CHURCH WAS BUILT IN JAMESTOWN
A frame church was built on property purchased from Jacob Schlapbach.
1886 – A FRAME BUILDING, KNOWN AS HALDIMAN CHAPEL, WAS BUILT ON THE CHRISTIAN HALDIMAN FARM
It was probably built on the Christian Haldiman Farm because that farm was a natural gathering place, having a saw and flour mill and a blacksmith shop.
Haldiman Chapel was later moved (probably 1918) from Haldiman Farm on rollers which turned on planks which had to be brought forward as the building was moved forward by horse and mule power. It was moved to the location of the former Kubli Chapel log building next to the cemetery.
1889-1893 – ADOLPH KLINGEBERGER, PASTOR
1893 – THE THREE POINT CHARGE WAS DIVIDED
Moniteau Evangelical Advent employed their own pastor, so St. Paul’s and St. Peter’s became a two-point charge and St. Paul’s purchased a home, adjacent to the church, for a parsonage.
1893-1896 – WM. H. ALBER, PASTOR
1894 – THE ORIGINAL WOMEN’S ORGANIZATION, “CHRISTLICHER FRAUENVEREIN,” WAS FORMED
After the new church was built in 1920, the group of women began meeting in the basement and were referred to as the Ladies Aid Society, and later as the Women’s Union. In 1941, they became the Women’s Guild and a new constitution was adopted. The organization assisted in funeral dinners and keeping the supplies and equipment in the kitchen accessible and functioning for all to use. Many quilts were quilted. In 2011 the Women’s Guild ceased to be a formal organization at St. Paul’s Evangelical. This was an end to an era of the church that will always be remembered, but this change has brought the male and female members together working as one body to continue serving in church and community.
1896 -1902 – F. EGGER, PASTOR
1902-1904 – FR. RASCHE, PASTOR
1904-1906 – F. WM. JENNRICH, PASTOR
1906-1911 – RICH. LEHMANN, PASTOR
1911-1914 – HUGO BREDEHOEFT, PASTOR
1915-1917 – ERICH LEIBNER, PASTOR
1920 – ST. PAUL’S PRESENT CHURCH BUILDING WAS ERECTED
It was built largely with labor donated by the church members. Henry Borghardt donated timber, and the members cut the trees and helped to saw the lumber. The entire cost of building was less than $10,000. The steeple of the 1877 building was to be placed on the new building, but these plans had to be abandoned when a severe windstorm toppled it. Since moving the church to Jamestown, St. Paul’s Church cemetery has been located north of the church building.

1917-1923 – EDWIN H. BEISSENHERZ, PASTOR
MAY 5, 1924 – THE HALDIMAN CHAPEL CHURCH BUILDING BURNED
It was thought that sparks from the steam engine pulling the road grader were the cause of the fire. The fire spread into the woods, and by heroic efforts Fairview School, which was close by, was saved. In 1926 the chapel was rebuilt on the same site and the new building continued to be called Haldiman Chapel. The late Rev. W. H. Sabbert preached the dedication sermon for this new building.
This second chapel served for a time, but later 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 where they could join with more people.
1924-1929 – W. H. SABBERT, PASTOR
1930-1936 – JOHN L. SCHMIDT, PASTOR
1930 – ST. PAUL’S CEMETERY IS ENLARGED BY A GIFT OF LAND FROM GODFREY HALDIMAN
1934 – THE EVANGELICAL SYNOD UNITED WITH THE REFORMED CHURCH AND BECAME THE EVANGELICAL AND REFORMED CHURCH
1936-1939 – ELMER F. ANSLEY, PASTOR
1939-1942 – I. B. STEGNER, PASTOR
1942-1943 – HAYWARD W. KEHL, PASTOR
1943-1944 – CHARLES ZEIKIEL, PASTOR
1946-1949 – REV. KRAUSE, PASTOR
1948 – THE OLD PARSONAGE WAS REPLACED BY BUILDING A NEW 6-ROOM BRICK BUNGALOW
1951-1958 – REV. NIENSTED, PASTOR
1956 – ST. PAUL’S CEMETERY WAS ENLARGED AGAIN THROUGH THE ACQUISITION OF THE ROTH PROPERTY
1957 – THE EVANGELICAL AND REFORMED CHURCH UNITED WITH THE CONGREGATIONAL CHRISTIAN CHURCHES TO FORM THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
1959 – A NEW GARAGE WAS BUILT ADJACENT TO THE PARSONAGE
1959-1961 – REV. BUENEMAN, PASTOR
1962-1965 – REV. STOCK, PASTOR
1966-1968 – REV. VAN DYKE, PASTOR
1968-1969 – REV. BIERBAUM, PASTOR
1969-1984 – RICHARD FERRIS, of Presbyterian background, PASTOR