Are you longing for that good old-time religion? Come to the Barton County Historical Society Village at 7 p.m., Monday, March 23 for an old-fashioned hymn sing. The hymn sing will be held in the St. Paul Lutheran Church on the grounds of the historical society. Area organists will be present to pump the church organ or play the recently donated electronic organ placed in the church.
Refreshments will be in the museum building following. No prior singing experience is necessary, so if you can’t sing, just tap your foot to the music. Admission is free for this special event, although there will be an offering taken during the program to help offset the cost of installing new siding on the church. Memorial funds in memory of Alberta (Fleske) Wright have been given for this purpose, but additional funds are required to complete the project.
St. Paul Lutheran Church was located southeast of Albert, on land donated by Julius Both, grandfather of Alberta Wright. Construction for the 28x40 feet church began in October 1898 by John A. Mausolf and John Evers. The 45-feet steeple was a signal to those in the area that a church was located there. Limestone for the foundation was quarried in Rush County, nearby. The tongue and groove wainscot ceiling was installed prior to the installation of the steep pitch roof because it had to be finished from the outside.
The church had a deep love for music, for the choir was formed while the group was still meeting in the District 11 Schoolhouse. The choir continued to sing throughout the history of the church, until the closing of the church in 1964. At the time of the last service in 1964, the Barton County Historical Society was offered the church, but they had no place to move the church. Five acres of land was donated by Charles Hulme and the church lifted from its original foundation and moved south of Great Bend to its present site in 1967.