County of church: Gasconade County
Location of church: W. 1st St. & Mozart St., Hermann
Date Built: 1907 and 1919
Phone: (573) 486-5525
Architectural Style: Romanesque Revival
"When Hermann visitors drive down Hwy. 19 from the north and cross the Christopher “Kit” Bond bridge, the first thing they might see are the gold domes of the Gasconade County Courthouse, gleaming in the sunlight. The second building that catches the attention is the tall steeple of the St. Paul United Church of Christ, up on the hill, overlooking the river. The church will be celebrating its 175 year anniversary during the month of Nov., since Nov. 1844 is considered the birthday of the congregation.
"According to St. Paul Church members Susan Nichols and Lois Kruse, the two women on St. Paul’s history committee, there were already two Protestant congregations in the Hermann area—the General German Church and the Evangelical Congregation of Hermann and Surrounding Territory, before 1844.
"At some point they combined into one and in 1844, a building was constructed and a church constitution was written and signed by 50 men from Lutheran, German Reformed and “free thinker” backgrounds. This Protestant Evangelical Christian Church became known as St. Paul Church because “it was said to be built on the truth of the Gospel of the Apostle Paul.”
"According to the records, Lois says almost 24 gal. of whiskey were purchased for the construction workers.
"The first church held services in the German language as long as nine church members wanted it (and they did until 1925).
"Some church milestones:
★ 1854, women who became widows were voted to qualify as members after their husband’s death if they continued to meet all the requirements of membership; other women were not members.
★ 1858, the first organ was purchased for Easter services.
★ 1893 was another construction year, putting in new windows and building a bell tower. A new 1300 pound bell was installed, with the smaller bell being donated to the Town of Hermann (the Visitor Center and License Bureau at 2nd Street and Market).
★ 1902—thanks to Thomas Edison’s success of improving the electric light bulb for practical lighting, electric lights were installed.
★ 1907 saw construction of a new church and bell tower. The stained glass windows can be seen today that were located in the original part of the church, as well as the narthex.
★ 1912 brought Pastor Rudolph Kasmann, the longest serving minister in the history of the church (1912-1944).
★ 1925 saw the advent of one English language service in the morning
★ 1926 was the year an electric blower was added to the organ, so the boys didn’t have to hand-pump air into the organ.
★ 1946-47 saw a merger with congregations from Bethel Evangelical Church at Case and St. James Evangelical Church from Big Spring.
★ 1960 was a construction year, enlarging practically every part of the church from the sanctuary to improvements in the basement.
★ 1965 saw the first woman elected to the church council.
★ 1972 provided a more comfortable sanctuary for the congregation with the installation of air conditioning.
★ 1990 included a devastating arson fire that destroyed the parsonage/church office and educational building.
★ 2004 is the year B.A. Wagner submitted his resignation as choir director after serving nearly 60 years."
~ The Hermann Advertiser Courier, by John Buckner, Oct 29, 2019