Zion Church of Kurten

The plaque traces the congregation; the Handbook of Texas explains the town. Henry Kurten, a German soldier who chose not to return to army life, bought part of a Mexican land grant in 1864 and brought settlers from Germany, some of whom worked on his farm to pay for their passage. A post office opened in 1890, two years before Zion's first pastor arrived. The Handbook estimated the community at 300 in 1896 and reported 150 residents and seven businesses in 1989.

What the plaque says

Zion Church of Kurten Zion Church is the oldest established congregation of its denomination in Brazos County. It was created in the 1890s by some thirteen families, most of German descent, on land donated by German immigrants in the community of Kurten. Zion Evangelical and Reformed Church was established at Kurten in 1892 with Reverend P. Vollbrecht as its first pastor. On April 21, 1895, the congregation was reorganized, adopted a constitution and became a member of the Evangelical Synod of North America. The first building was constructed of rough oak boards at a cost of $225 and was built by members of the congregation under the leadership of Reverend P.J. Franzke. In 1896, the bell was installed. The church building was moved in 1902 from its original location, approximately one mile north and on the east side of the road, to the newly purchased land in Kurten. That tract of land serves today as the site of the parsonage and church buildings. In 1907, Rev. Julius Kasiske became pastor and served for twenty-one years. He organized the orchestra, was responsible for the Kurten telephone company, the community water well and the Kasiske Creamery. In 1910, the church building doubled in size when a new wing and steeple were built. The sanctuary stood until 1942 when it was demolished and a new building was erected, which is still in use today. Since then, a new parish hall has been built and a family center erected which has become a focal point for church and community activities. In 2008, the congregation joined the Evangelical Free church of America, and a new family ministry building was added in 2014. (2014)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum — 14 mi
  The library of the forty-first president on the Texas A&M campus, opened in 1997, where George and Barbara Bush and their daughter Robin are buried in a family plot on the grounds.
• Fanthorp Inn State Historic Site — 27 mi
  A cedar-log dogtrot cabin of 1834 on the road through Anderson that grew into a seventeen-room inn and post office for travelers of the Republic, kept by one family until 1976.
• Calvert — 28 mi
  A railroad cotton town of 1868 on State Highway 6 that claimed the largest cotton gin in the world and elected Black men to county and state office during Reconstruction.

More markers nearby

• Wixon Cemetery — 3.6 mi
• Alexander Methodist Chapel — 7.0 mi
• Alexander Cemetery — 7.0 mi
• Moravian (Czech) Cemetery — 7.6 mi