Immanuel Lutheran Church - Absarokee, MT
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T0SHEA
N 45° 30.948 W 109° 26.699
12T E 621454 N 5041427
The congregation of Immanuel Lutheran, the third Lutheran church in Montana,and the first south of the Yellowstone River, was officially formed on February 16, 1897.
Waymark Code: WMXN21
Location: Montana, United States
Date Posted: 01/31/2018
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It took a while, though, for them to get around to building this church. First, they had to build a small wood framed church four miles south of Absarokee on donated land. 18' X 36' in size, the total cost of that first church was $540.41, including all furnishings, altar, baptismal font and organ. It wasn't long before that church was outgrown by the burgeoning congregation and in 1914 lots for a new church were again donated, this time in the village of Absarokee.
The congregation voted, in 1915, to erect a new church, this one being substantially larger at 30' by 60', with a steeple reaching 80' feet upward, the cost to be $3,000. Funds were raised before the start of construction, meaning that it didn't commence until 1916. A $2,999 contract was let and on July 15, 1917 a three day dedication celebration began.
Built as a simple gable roofed rectangle, the church's steeple is centered in the front, with the double doors centered within. Over the door is a Gothic arched transom, glass filled. Above the transom is a single round window, then, just below the peak of the sanctuary roof is an eave running around the tower defining the bottom of the belfry. Belfry vents, like the sanctuary's windows, are also Gothic arched, filled with horizontal wood louvres. At the top of the belfry are small gablets on each side, giving way to the tall octagonal steeple, with a cross atop. Originally all wood on the exterior, the church has since been upgraded with vinyl siding, asphalt shingles and aluminum soffits. An interesting addition has been made to the church - a pair of lean to like additions, one on each side of the tower, possibly to create more room in the sanctuary. As well, a hall and offices have been added since 1917, about doubling the footprint of the building.
An interesting footnote to this church is that it has housed not one, but two handmade organs, both made of wood by Reverend Arthur 0. Aadland, who came to the church in 1952. The longest of the wooden pipes of the first organ being sixteen feet, the organ was quite spectacular, both in appearance and performance, and was publicized in national magazines. That organ followed the pastor to Old Westbrook Lutheran Church in south-west Minnesota, where it is still in use. The second organ, also built by Reverend Aadland, was gifted to the church and brought to Absarokee in horse trailers. The installation and enlargement of the organ required some 6,200 hours of volunteer labor and cost $150,000, paid for by donors not only from Immanuel but from 26 states and several foreign countries.