HISTORY OF ST. JOHN NEW FANE
The year was 1859…Wisconsin had been a state for just eleven years. Abraham Lincoln had just been elected President, and the Civil War was just two years away.
A settlement sprung up in South East Fond Du Lac County called Eblesville.
EBLESVILLE. The village was founded by Andrew Eble, who came from Milwaukee, in 1855, purchased the water-power and built a saw-mill. He was accidentally shot on Christmas, 1859. Adjacent to Eblesville was the town of New Fane, named after a town in New York from which the “Yankees” had come. The New Fane Post Office, established on the line between Sections 29 and 30 in 1851, by T. S. Wilcox, was moved to Eblesville in 1875.
In 1875, the New Fane Post Office, which had been established in 1852, was moved to Section 55 and absorbed Eblesville completely.
The village consists of a saw and feed mill, two stores, and the usual number of shops.
1862 Town Plat Map. Center of circle is where St. John was built.
Many of the new settlers in this area who had emigrated from Germany wished to start a Lutheran Congregation. In 1858, August Oppermann, Carl Bleck, Frederick Schultz, August Lubach, Christian Bilgow, William Backhaus, Henry Heberer and a man named Heise, wrote to the Rev. Peter Dicke who was serving Immanuel Church in Hocheim, a congregation 36 miles away, expressing their desire to begin a congregation in New Fane. Immanuel Church was located three miles south of Theresa on the Hocheim Road. Despite the difficulties involved in such a long trip, the Pastor agreed to travel to New Fane.
In 1864 the first parsonage was completed. Minutes from a June 24, 1864 meeting that was translated from German states, "Meeting was opened at 9:00 AM with a prayer. Mr. Bardelz's time as a trustee was over and they elected Mr. Oppermann as trustee for three years. A member proposed to have school only in the morning for the summer because the parents need the children for working in the fields and it is too hot in the school for the children. This was accepted". November 4, 1864 minutes reflect, "They checked the bills and receipts from the last quarter. The pastor should get more money because he has not enough to take care of his family, and he needs 50 dollars for his debt. It was decided to give him 50 dollars and also give him 50 dollars more the following year. Because Mr. ________didn't go to church even after many invitations to come to church and meetings, it was decided to excommunicate him".
The minutes of the November 4, 1867 meeting were, "They opened with a prayer and a song. Mr. Backhaus wasn't finished with the receipts from last year and they adjourned it until next Sunday. The Pastor should get more money because he hasn't enough to feed his family. He should get 50 bushels of potatoes instead of 30. Instead of wheat he should get meat. Instead of hay he should get money, 40 dollars for wheat, 20 dollars for hay, and the meat should get paid with money. He should get paid 3 weeks before Christmas. The members have to bring wood for pastor and the church".
The four years that Rev. Krumsieg spent at our church saw the congregation grow! He baptized 52 infants, confirmed 47 young people, and performed 17 marriages and 8 burials. He accepted a call to Minnesota in 1867.
Next came The Rev. A. Grossberger who had belonged to the Buffalo Synod church nearby and brought many families with him after he joined the Missouri Synod.
Notes from March 9, 1869 read, "They came to the decision that whoever didn't give wood to the Pastor has to pay $1.00, and all outstanding money has to be paid by October 1st."
He later accepted a call to Buffalo, New York. His energetic successor was Rev. G.K Schilling who came in 1870 and who was responsible for the building of our present stone church.
These glaciers also created the rolling hills and beautiful valleys that make the setting for the church so outstanding. It is one of two outstanding examples in Wisconsin of the Celtic Gothic architecture of Ireland and Scotland. The members of the congregation within a year at a cost of $4000.00 erected the building and paid it off in three years. Because of the cost of the church a 1200 lb. Copper alloy bell, was first purchased in 1886 from the Stuckstede Co. of St. Louis for $218.00. The bell was to be rung for "The opening of all regular services on Sunday and Holy Days and on the Saturdays and the eve of principal church festivals."
The following minutes take from past meetings show that on November 11, 1872 "The accounts were checked by Mr. Schultz, Mr. Heberer and Mr. Buss and found to be in order. A house for the teacher should be built. It will be 22 feet wide, 32 feet long, 14 feet high, the kitchen 18 feet wide and 20 feet long.
Minutes of the December 2, 1872 minutes read, "The congregation should buy 4 curtains for the church windows. The wood for Pastor and church has to be delivered by Febuary 1st. Boys until the age of 18 have to sit in front of the church. Members have to take turns tending the furnace. Every quarter year the receipts should be checked over. Whoever is not present at the election may not have anything to say about future business matters".
Minutes of two following meetings read, "Febuary 2, 1874 Mr. Heberer sold 1/2 acre of land to the congregation for $50 dollars. Mr. Bartelt was received as a new member. Lime should be bought and shingles for the roof."
"March 16, 1874 accounts audited. English lessons of 4 hours per week should be given."
A stable and wagon shed was built for the horses in 1888, and a chapel organ purchased in 1900 from Wilcox and White for $150.00. The organ was very hard to pump however, and a electric blower was installed in 1933.
Pastor Zanow helped to found the Pilgrim Church in West Bend, WI. Pastor Zanow died in 1975.
In 1944 the congregation agreed to purchase a pipe organ.
The Grafton Hall of Fond Du Lac offered to sell its Kimball 2, manual pneumatic pipe organ and the Hausmann Organ Co. of Fond Du Lac dismantled, repaired and installed it in our church. In 1947, the congregation voted to install the music system and carillonic bells so that music could be heard from the steeple.
In August 1958 Rev. Haupt was installed at St. John. Pastor Haupt reopened the school and was and was active in the educational program. In 1969 he accepted a call to Good Shepherd Church in Gilroy, California. Following a short stay there, he returned to St. John where he was again installed on February 15, 1970. He served until 1979.
In 1960, in honor of the 100th anniversary, the church interior was painted and the Celtic cross, along with a new base (throne) and Trinitarian foot (the three steps leading up to the cross), was given in memory of Pastor Gutekunst. The roof of the church was re-shingled and the organ was moved to the balcony. The congregation also had the 48 inch bell lowered and repaired "with no mishaps." This bell is still in use today.
The congregation also voted to tear down the barn and convert the basement into a storage place for equipment. The basement was not kept however. The Walther League gave the rugged cross that stood at the rear of our cemetery for many years. The cross was 13 feet high and is believed to have been made from the old hand hewn timbers taken from the first school when it was torn down.
In 1965, the name of our church was officially changed from The German Luthern Church: St. Johannes, to St. John Lutheran Church. In 1969, the Ladies Aid Society was dissolved because of lack of members. In May of that year the rank of pipes for the organ was used for the first time. Also the lovely lantern lights in the nave of the church were installed and are the same ones in use today. The parking lot and drive were black topped also at this time. In 1971, metal siding was put on the wood framed parsonage, and the garage was added the following year. In 1972 the carillon was repaired.
In 1979 there was a ballot vote of the congregation giving women the right to vote at our congregational meetings.
In June of 1980, Vicar Robert Lindau came to serve at St. John. He was issued a call to St. John and was subsequently installed and ordained in a joyful ceremony on June 21, 1981. Pastor Lindau knew everyone who belonged to St. John by name. He was very interested in the youth of the congregation and in their Christian education. He accepted a call to Adell and Sherman Center in May of 1984.
In 1984 Pastor Charles W. Reehl came to St. John from Menasha, Wisconsin. He is remembered for his fine, dynamic singing voice and his great devotion to the Lord. During his Pastoral time the stain glass windows were restored and renovated.
In 1984 the church basement was converted into classrooms and new furnaces were installed in the church and school. New roofs were also put on the parsonage and school at this time.
In 1986 St. John Church was named to the National Register of Historical Sites.
In June of 1990, Pastor Mark Eckert was installed. Pastor Eckert attended Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, Indiana for two years before being assigned to a vicarage at a vacant congregation just south of Fresno, California. Completing the requirements for his Master of Divinity degree, Pastor Eckert was accepted as a candidate and ordained into the public ministry in 1986. He served in the metropolitan Detroit area until accepting the call to St. John New Fane. Pastor Eckert and his wife Luann and children were a good fit for St. John, as well as the surrounding communities. The 90's showed a series of growth at St. John and a continued ministry to a changing community. The congregation population became more diverse as the community became less rural. The congregation refocused it's mission to deal we these changes.
In 1997 the old grade school was taken down and in 1997 ground breaking was held for a new Fellowship Hall, which also contained classrooms, a large well furnished kitchen and stage.. In 1998 it was completed and dedicated.
With the newest addition of an outside elevator, we have made St. Johns accessible to the physically challenged to attend worship and special services.
On December 18, 2011 at the annual St. John Christmas Dinner, the St. John congregation in New Fane surprised Rev. Eckert with a presentation in the Fellowship Hall. The congregation presented Rev. Eckert with a congregational plaque depicting his 21 years at St. John and a plaque from the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod Wisconsin Southern District depicting his 25 years since being Ordained. The congregation also surprised him by giving him a beautiful watch to commemorate reaching these two milestones. He was reminded this does not constitute retirement, for we wish to have him with us for many years to come.
To be continued.
In 1866 the congregation attempted to start a Christian Day School, but trained teachers were hard to find. From 1867 to 1873 the Pastors’ taught the children. After that time teachers’ were called, serving in conjunction with the Pastors’. The classes were originally taught in the old church building until a log school building was erected in 1879. In 1921 another school building was built in the traditional “Prairie School” style. That school was closed in 1940, re-opened in 1959, and closed again in 1963. That “Prairie School” no longer stands. In 1998 a brand new Fellowship Hall has been erected which holds our church offices, Sunday school, kitchen, classrooms, and of course the beautiful hall.
The old school bell, now stands between our outdoor pavillion and the fellowship hall and is rung when services are held in the fellowship hall.
St. John congregation of New Fane was instrumental in planting three other area congregations, Emmanuel in Campbellsport, Trinity in Dundee, and Pilgrim in West Bend. These congregations have been blessed by God through the years and remain established today in their communities. This gives evidence of God’s gracious activity among his people over the years in the new Fane area. To God alone be the Glory!!!!
