St. John's United Church of Christ and Cemetery - Otto, TX - Churchyard Cemeteries on Waymarking.com

This beautiful church is located about 2.7 miles northwest of Otto, and 8.5 miles southeast of Riesel. Otto itself dates to about 1901, although there was settlement in the area in the 1850s. By the 1920s, there were maybe a thousand people here, but the population began to dwindle after the Great Depression and World War II. When the railroad ceased operations here in 1967, Otto's population decline continued, down to just a few hundred, and today, there might be fifty people here.

The church sign indicates that they were established in 1886. While the church is listed on the United Church of Christ website, and they have a presence on Facebook, there's otherwise not much to be found in the way of history. Their sanctuary looks to be at least a hundred years old, perhaps constructed between 1890 and 1910, and there is an old well in the back whose cap is dated 1946. The cemetery, with many headstones with German inscriptions, is still active, with nearly 300 burials. It is well-maintained, and just outside the gate is a directory to help in finding a loved one. The earliest marked grave is dated 1901, and an interesting headstone among those with the German inscriptions is that of a young woman, Theodora Mueller, whose birth in Cape Town (South Africa) is noted:

Unsere geliebte Tochter u. Schwester [Our beloved daughter and sister]

Theodora Mueller
Geb. Capetown 1 Januar 1913
Gest. 4 Februar 1929

Sie verliessen alles und folgten
ihm nach Luk 5, 11.

Name of church or churchyard: St. John's United Church of Christ and Cemetery Approximate Size: Large (100+)

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Date Logged Log User Rating   04/22/2023 WalksfarTX visited it