Shawnee County Churches
First Evangelical Lutheran Church, Topeka
"A History of Evangelical Lutheran Synod in Kansas," H. A. Ott, 1907
The church at Topeka is one of the churches organized before
the founding of Kansas Synod. Among the Lutherans residing in
the city was Rev. J. B. McAfee who had it in his heart to organize
a church there ever since the close of the Civil War. He opened
correspondence with Rev. Morris Officer the secretary of the old
Home Mission Society inviting him to Topeka. This resulted in the
latter making a trip through the West in 1866 when he visited among
other Kansas points the Capital City, with no other results than
gathering information. In March the following year he again came
to Kansas this time organizing Lutheran missions, the first to be
organized in Kansas under the direct agency of the Society; one
at Lawrence and one at Topeka. The Topeka organization was effected on April 7th in the Executive office of the Governor of
Kansas, at 427-9 Kansas avenue, Rev. McAfee at that time being
the Private Secretary to Governor Crawford. The charter members
were Rev. and Mrs. J. B. McAfee, Mr. and Mrs. John Guthrie, Mr.
and Mrs. C. H. Ellison, Hugo Kullah, Mr. and Mrs. A. P. Benson,
A. S. Holmburg, John Ruble, Mary Ruble, John Lind, Charles Moser
and Charles Smith. Officers were elected and steps taken toward
securing a house of worship. To encourage them Rev. Officer
pledged his society for $100 toward the purchase of a lot and
$2,000 toward the erection of a church. Rev. A. J. Hesson was
chosen pastor arriving August 15th, and for the year following
served the congregation in connection with that at Lawrence as a
pastoral charge under commission of the Home Mission Society.
The first services were held in the Methodist church, the preaching
being of a union nature, the two pastors alternating in holding services. On January 28th the services were transferred to the Germaia Hall located on lower Kansas Ave. Soon after the organization three lots were purchased for $500, located on Topeka avenue,
between Fifth and Sixth streets, by Rev. McAfee, and presented
by him to the congregation. In the winter plans were adopted for
a frame church 25 by 40 feet and to cost $3,500. The Home Mission Society gave $2,100 toward this, which had been raised by the West Pennsylvania Synod, and the balance was provided by the
congregation. The building was dedicated on the 21st of June,
1868, Rev. Levi Sternberg preaching the sermon from I. Tim. 3:15
"The church of the living God, the pillar and ground of truth."
Rev. S. P. Harrington and Rev. J. B. McAfee were present assisting the pastor. The building was a plain Gothic chapel boarded
and battened up and down, with a small cupola upon the roof. It
was seated with pine painted pews, with walnut arms. On the day
of dedication a Sunday school was organized with D. W. Nellis as
Superintendent and Mr. A. P. Benson as librarian. Topeka at that
time had 6,000 population and it was thought that the pastor ought
to give his entire time to this point, instead of dividing it between
this city and Lawrence. The division was made the following year.
In this church Kansas Synod was organized on the 5th of November, 1868. Rev. Hesson resigned August 31, 1871, at which time
the church reported a membership of 46. In April, 1872, Rev. B.
F. Alleman became pastor who remained seven months. For the
next eight years the church was without a pastor, during which
time the pulpit was supplied irregularly and a Sunday school maintained, and although the membership was augmented now and then
it dwindled down to 22 and presented a rather forlorn hope. Upon
the return to Topeka from Leavenworth of Rev. McAfee in December, 1879, after an absence of seven years, he set himself to the
task of resuscitating the sleeping church and agitated the calling
of a pastor. Rev. T. F. Dornblaser, then Traveling Missionary of
Kansas Synod, had visited Topeka at various times with the same
thought, at one time remaining for three months on the ground.
When the Synod met at Lawrence in 1879 Rev. McAfee and Mr.
Lewis P. Firey of Topeka, requested that it endorse an application
from Topeka for missionary aid from the Board of Home Missions.
This was done and Rev. T. F. Dornblaser was commissioned missionary at Topeka the Board appropriating $500 a year toward his
salary and the congregation $300 more. On February 1st, of the
following year, he entered upon the work. One of the first movements was the erection of a small 6 room parsonage on the north
lot of the church property, at a cost of $800. In 1884 the pastor
began the agitation looking for a better church home. Early that
year their property was sold for $4,500 and the present site at the
corner of Fifth and Harrison streets was purchased for the same
sum. Later the eastern half was sold for $2,200 which gave the
congregation a nest egg for its new building. The Board of Church
Extension loaned them $5,000. The plans called for a brick veneer
building, the auditorium of which was 48 by 60 feet and a lecture
room 26 by 48 feet, with two other entrances making the outside
dimensions 65 by 90 feet. The structure was to be Gothic with a
mixture of the Romansque. Rev. J. B. McAfee, L. P. Firey, H. C.
Brown, C. K. Felton, F. S. Stumbaugh and Elias Shull were the
building committee. The cost was a little over $16,000. The corner-stone was laid on the 15th of June, 1884, and on the 30th of
November the building was dedicated, Kansas Synod meeting in it
at that time. Rev. F. W. Conrad, D. D., preached the sermon, from
Isa. 2:3. In February, 1888 the congregation assumed self-support. Rev. Dornblaser resigned on the 1st of June, 1890, and in
August following he was succeeded by Rev. F. M. Porch who remained a little over four years. During the latter's pastorate internal dissension greatly weakened the church. On the 1st of May,
1895, Rev. A. E. Wagner became pastor, the Home Mission Board
again coming to the help of the church, appropriating $300 per year
for the support of the pastor. This continued for four years with
decreasing amounts. Rev. Wagner resigned in February, 1900.
He was succeeded in the following June by Rev. H. A. Ott, then
of Quincy, Ills. Dr. Ott resigned February 1st, 1907. In July Rev. W. W. Horn was called
to take charge October 1, 1907.
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