St. John Lutheran Church

St. John moved into town in 1963, a decade after Thorndale's low point. The Handbook of Texas gives the swings: about 1,500 people in 1929, the year the town incorporated, and about 1,000 by 1931 as the Depression arrived, and 851 by 1952. Growth resumed in the mid-1950s, possibly because of the aluminum plant built at nearby Sandow, and the count reached 1,338 residents and sixteen businesses in 1988. Then it fell to 1,092 in 1990 before rising to 1,278 in 2000.

What the plaque says

St. John Lutheran Church Although members began meeting in January 1902, St. John Lutheran Church formally organized December 26, 1903, under the leadership of the Rev. Carl Roth. The congregation was part of a three-church parish. In 1915, members built a sanctuary in the agricultural community of Detmold (2.5 mi. N), the home of many German immigrants. In 1933, they enlarged the building and, in 1949, built a parsonage. The congregation remained in Detmold until 1963. That year, it constructed a sanctuary and education building at this site. Detmold declined in population and activity, but St. John Lutheran cemetery remains there as a link to the early settlers and the congregation, which still serves its members and community. (2003)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Milam County Courthouse and Jail — 21 mi
  Cameron's 1892 Renaissance Revival courthouse and the 1895 St. Louis-built jail beside it, now the county museum, are listed together on the National Register.

More markers nearby

• St. Paul Luthern Church, School and Cemetery — 0.3 mi
• Locklin Cemetery — 4.5 mi
• Salty Community — 5.1 mi
• Town of Thrall — 5.4 mi