1891 St. John Church
Image: Congregation of St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church ca. 1910
The 1891 St. John Church was built by German and Swiss immigrant farmers in northwest Harris County for their Evangelical Lutheran congregation. It was either the second or third church building for the congregation, which formed around 1860. Services were held primarily in German until the 1930s.
The church is a vernacular interpretation of the Gothic Revival style of architecture from the 19th century. The handmade cypress plank pews in the interior, original to the building, attest to the “can do” spirit that built this elegantly simple place of worship. The building was moved from its original site on Mangum Road to Sam Houston Park in 1968. It is oriented east to west in the park, with the altar at the east, as it was on its original site.
Photo by Jeff turner
See the map below for the original location of St. John Church.
The cypress altar/pulpit is believed to predate the 1891 church building.
