Built in 1876, the former Evangelical Lutheran Church of Dessau was was founded by a community of several German immigrant families in 1854 which held mass in German up until the mid-1900's. Per the nearby cemetery's related "
Find A Grave" webpage:
"The Dessau community was settled in the 1850’s by German immigrants. The names of some of the early settlers were Martin Wieland and his two brothers, Fritz and Albert, and sister Hermine, Gustav Grosskopf, Fritz Krueger, Andrew Krueger, Willie Hennig, Carl Nauert, Christian Nehring, Frederick Goerlitz, and Mr. Schwartzkopf. They named the community after the German Duchy Anhalt-Dessau where Martin Wieland grew up. Dessau was founded in 1854 and is twelve miles north of Austin, Texas.
Soon after their arrival, these families began to conduct prayer meetings and bible studies in their homes. They alternated between homes until the early 1870's when they formed a Lutheran congregation and built the church that is still standing today. In 1874 eight acres of land were purchased from Christian Nehring for ten dollars. The church and the parsonage were built in 1876. The construction of the building was made possible by the labor and materials furnished by the members of the congregation and other settlers in the community. The construction was supervised by one of the early settlers, Fritz Krueger. In 1877, two more acres were added to expand the cemetery and to build a school house. The first burials were in 1874. Church services were conducted in German until 1940. After 118 years the congregation disbanded in 1994.
The original church building faces east and is at the top of a hill. The Dessau Lutheran Cemetery is directly in front of the church. Many of the early settlers and their descendants are buried in the cemetery which has over 200 graves."
Speaking of the cemetery itself, the
Austin Explorer website posted the following a few years ago:
"[...] Like [other] cemeteries along Decker Lane, this small resting place features deceased from a fairly homogenous group of European settlers and their more recent descendents. Whereas Decker saw a concentration of Swedes, Dessau saw a gathering of Germans. Many of the headstones bear all German script, an indication that though they had set out to start a new life for themselves in a new land they continued to find comfort in the familiarity of the Old World.
A plaque near the small church in back of the cemetery indicates that it was built in 1876, though there is no indication exactly when the cemetery was first used. At least one tombstone appears to indicate a burial in 1874, so the cemetery appears to predate the church by at least a couple of years. This is consistent with the plaque that states that local families worshipped in their private homes until the church was constructed.
The church held mass in German up until the mid-1900's. Coinciding with the change in language at mass changes are also evident in the headstones. All deceased within the last few decades bear English on their markers, a signal of trans-generational assimilation into the melting pot of America. The family names remain. Several family names predominate including Grosskopf, Nehring, Nauert, Krueger and Prinz. Some of these families are mentioned on the historical marker as being founders of the Dessau Community, which was first established in 1854.
German phrases on tombstones are similar to those found on English-language headstones. A few common ones found here include:
* Vater - Father
* Geb. (short for Geborenes) - Born
* Gest. (short for Gestorben) - Died
* Mutter - Mother
* Hier Ruhl - Here Lies
* Hier Ruht In Gott - Here Lies In God
* Ruhe Sanft - Rest Gently"