St. John's Lutheran Church

The Reverend William Hattestaedt helped organize St. John’s Lutheran Church in 1847. Until their first church was completed in 1849, the original congregation, fourteen German families, met in a church that belonged to the Episcopalians. Services were held every three to four weeks until 1850, when the Reverend Phillip J. Trautman was installed as the first full-time pastor. On July 1, 1861, the congregation laid the cornerstone for the present church. The structure was dedicated on June 29, 1862. It was enlarged in 1896. The handsome stained glass windows depicting Bible stories were installed in 1914. Since its organization, St. John’s Lutheran Church, the mother church of the denomination in Adrian, has held continuous services.