Houses Of Worship
Cass Township
La Porte County, Indiana
Histories

In time we hope to gather many of the histories of the churches pictured below. But this all takes time. If you have a history on any of the
LaPorte County Old Houses of Worship and would like to share it with us and/or contribute photos of the same,
contact us at laportecountyin@yahoo.com
Also See the History of LaPorte County where many are mentioned.
Our thanks to Sol Gorrell and his research histories for many of these churches below.

Sacred Heart Catholic Wanatah - Cass Twp	St. John's at - Wanatah - Cass Twp	Wanatah Methodist Wanatah - Cass Twp
Wanatah Christian Church - Cass Twp	Davis Wesleyan Methodist Church - - Cass Twp	*Sacred Heart Catholic Parish Wanatah, Indiana - - Cass Twp
First United Methodiest - Wanatah	Trinity Church	Bell from Old Wanatah Methodist Church
	Trinity Evangelical Church Bell

Baptist - There also seems to have been a Baptist church near Morgan Station. No name is given for this congregation. We find this only on one map of Cass Township, namely the 1874 (Heritage Collection Illustrated Atlas). But it is mentioned in Packard's 1876 History of LaPorte County as being in the town of Callao. Which was located one-half mile east of Morgan Station on the rail road. At that point on the Map I find that this was a M.E. Church according to the map maker. Daniel's History of LaPorte County (1904) also suggests this was a Methodist church and was erected in 1858 or 1859.

St. John’s started in about 1858. At that time the congregation was affiliated with the United Evangelical Synod and had no building. Services were conducted in school houses around the area. In 1869 the congregation built a modest frame chuch where the present church now stands. They were affiliated with the Salem United Chirch of Christ in Wanatah and rotated clergy between the two organizations. On February 20, 1876 the congregation dissolved their association with the United Evangelical Synod to become affiliated with the Lutheran denomination. At that time the congregation numbered 80 families. The present church ws built in 1915 and replaced the old frame structure. .........St. John’s Lutheran Church does maintain a cemetery just east of the present church edifice. The first burial seems to be in the year 1892, but we are unsure at this time when the cemetery was established.

Faith United Methodist - - In 1858 Evangelical preachers from the Illinois Conference came to this area. They began preaching the Gospel in German. As many of the area’s early settlers were from Germany and Prussia the chuch gained a large following. Meetings were first held in individual homes then the Schoolhouse in Rozelle, a small community 1 mile south of present day Wanatah. A building was dedicated 4 miles south west of the town of Wanatah in December of 1872 where it still stands today at the junction of county roads 900 W. & 1500 S. In 1917 the language of the services were changed to English. In 1927 members of the Trinity Evangelical Church joined the congregation at the dissolution of their original place of worship. In 1934 the church was remodled and enlarged with a full basement being added Click Picure for More Info ........... The bell from the original Trinity Evangelical Church was added at this time. Stained glass windows were added in 1938. In 1949 a parsonage was built just south of the church. In 1955 Zion Evangelical became a separate charge, severing it’s ties with the Zion Evangelical Association. The Zion Evangelical and the Wanatah Methodist Church were “Yoked” in 1962. The original bell from the Wanatah Methodist Church was donated to The Zion Evangelical Church in 1978 by Everette and Irene (Taylor) Cleveland and now is mounted in a memorial outside the Zion Evangelical Church.
     A cemetery located just north of the present building was officially established in 1900 although there are several burials that predate it’s organization. The earliest seems to be from 1874. A cemetery endowment fund was established in 1940. It is still a small cemetery at this writing. Many of the original stones are written in the German language.
Bell Photo above - The original bell from the Wanatah Methodist Church which stood on Main Street in the town of Wanatah. The church was built in 1895 and raised in 1983. The congregation was yoked with the Zion United Brethren in 1962 and the Church was oficially closed in 1967. The bell sits on the grounds of The Faith United Methodist Church just south of Wanatah.

Presbyterian church - In the archives of Hanover College in Southern Indiana we find reference of a Presbyterian church that was organized in Wanatah on September 21, 1870 and disbanded in 1877. No further information is available at this time

Sacred Heart Catholic Church - As early as 1856 the Catholic Sacrements were offered in homes around the area. The closest mission was in San Pierre, Indiana. In 1858 a Catholic Parish was established at Shimmels which was located between Wanatah and LaCrosse. The church was named St. Martins and was attended by the Wanatah Catholics until 1887. At that time The Wanatah Church of the Most Precious Blood, as it was originally called, was established. The building was erected on grounds donated by M. Tucker and dedicated November 12, 1887. A School and Rectory to house the teaching Nuns was erected in 1888. In 1911 the church was extensively remodeled and renamed Sacred Heart Catholic Church as it is known at the present time. The School continued until after 1965. The school building was razed in about 1972 although the rectory still stands today. The Church does support a cemetery located west of Wanatah on County Line Road & US 30. The cemetery is actually in Porter County. It is unsure at this time when the cenmetery was established but the earliest burial seems to be from 1888. - - *Sacred Heart Catholic Parish,Wanatah, Indiana - Parish school, church and rectory ca. 1890's. Church, originially called Church of the Most Sacred
Blood built 1887, school including sisters convent and rectory built 1888.

A Salem congregation was started by German settlers who came to Cass Township and vicinity in the early 1850's and 60's. They brought with them their strong Christian faith and love for God. At first, worship services were held in homes. As their numbers grew, Rev. Carl Schaub, their pastor, acting as chairman, on march 15, 1869, organized the congregation as the German United Salem Church (“Die Deutsche Vereinigte Salems Gemeinde”) of Wanatah, Indiana, affiliated with the German Evangelical Church of the West in St. Louis, Missouri. Trustees elected were Christian Richman, William Bowes and Eugene Spaeth; elders: Charles Witt, Henry Helfers and Christian Gallert.

Exactly when the first church, a white frame building, was built is not definitely known, but presumably in 1867-1868, as Lot 5 Block 20 was deeded to this German Church on October 17, 1866. It was used for many years. During the pastorate of Rev. J Grunert a bell, :which when rung could be heard by members far and wide, calling them to attend services in God's House” was installed in the steeple. The first organ was purchased in 1885 and used until 1904.

From the small number of 86 communing members recorded in 1868, the congregation had grown to the number of 238 Easter tide communicants by 1895. In that year they voted to replace the old building with a much larger and more substantial red brick church...... on Lot 1 which had been purchased in 1884. The new church was dedicated by Rev. William Schulz on September 28, 1895. The old white church was continued to be used as a Sunday School room and meeting place for other organizations. In 1900 it was also used for public school purposes.

Both organ and bell previously mentioned were installed in the new church. The bell is still being used but the organ was replaced by a new Barkhoff pipe organ in 1904 during the pastorate of Rev. E. Kiefel. It was pumped by hand, usually by some young lad from the congregation who volunteered for the task. When electricty came to Wanatah, electric lights were installed in both church and parsonage in 1920 an electric motor was purchased for the pipe organ. The Barkhoff organ was replace by a new Moller p ipe organ, dedicated June 11, 1950, by Rev. Edwin Mayer.

In 1906 it was voted by Salem congregation to build an addition to the church on the west end to provide a Sunday School room o the upper floor and a kitchen and a dining room in the basement. It was dedicated on Sunday, August, 26, 1906, by Rev. John Bollens. During this building period the pipe organ, which originally had been installed in the east balcony, was moved to the choir loft behind the chancel. A new furnace, a gift from the Ladies' Aid, replaced the heating stove. The old white church, badly in need of repair, was sold and moved away. That ground is now our paved parking lot.

............. further into this article Mrs. Boehlke writes about the cemetery.....

In 1875 land for a cemetery was purchased by Salem Evangelical and St. Johns' Lutheran Churches to be used jointly for the burial of their departed ones. By 1891 it was necessary for both congregations to find new locations for the purpose. The new site about one mile west of Wanatah was acquired by Salem and dedicated on January 1, 1892 by Rev. William Schulz.

Salem Church founded in 1869 had seventeen pastors up to the present.
The Pastors of Salem United Church of Christ :

Trinity Evangelical Church - In 1883 Evangelical people living in the village of Wanatah saw the need of a church. The church was organized as Trinity Evangelical Church of the Evangelical Association. The church building, which is no longer standing, was dedicated May 9, 1884, by Reverend Mr. Mott from the denomination’s Cleveland headquarters. The Reverend Mr. August Irwin (Iva/Iwan) was the preacher in charge of the church. Trinity Church was one of four churches on a charge consisting of preaching points at Madaryville, San Pierre, and the Zion Evangelical Church of Wanatah. The pastor of the charge would move from congregation to congregation on a pre-arranged preaching schedule. Trinity Church was closed and some of the members moved membership to the Zion Evangelical Church of Wanatah in 1927. The bell from this church was retained when the building was sold and now exists outside of the Faith United Church. The Building itself was sold in 1934 and Razed in 1937.
    
    In 1870 Reverend F. M. Elliot, of Union Mills, found a few Presbyterians at Wanatah and formed them into an Ecclesia. He preached to them while he remained at Union Mills. We was followed in his labors by Reverend S. E. Smith. According to Packard's 1876 History of LaPorte County, Frank McCurdy and Orville Adams were the Elders. In 1876 they had no church edifice and numbered less than twenty members. According to local legend, a "Mother Henning" who was a founder of the Ecclesia, and whose father was one of the first Presbyterians in the county, was instrumental in the construction of a building for worship. In 1883 the building was erected by Emil Schultz. It was dedicated in 1884. In 1908 the church became affiliated with the Zion Evangelical Association and was in a charge with preaching points at Medaryville, San Pierre and Zion Evangelical in Wanatah. It was at this time that they adopted the name "Trinity Evangelical Church". The pastor would move from congregation to congregation on a prearranged preaching schedule between the four churches. Some of the faithful members would walked from one location to the other for the quarterly meetings as they were alternated between the congregations. The small church continued faithfully with very little growth. As the young people of the Trinity Church looked to surrounding cities for livelihood, the attendance of the church diminished. In 1927 it became evident that it was time to close the small Wanatah church. The congregation numbered less than twenty. Some of the furniture was taken to The Zion United Brethren Church as it was known after the merger of the Trinity Evangelical and Zion Evangelical Churches in Wanatah. The Bell from the Trinity was also taken to the country church and was later hung in the belfry. Most of the members of the Trinity were automatically accepted by The Zion Evangelical Church as full members. The Trinity church was sold in 1934. It was razed in the Spring of 1837. According to the old plat maps of Wanatah, the building was located on what is now the grounds of the Lion's Club Park.

Bell Photo above = This is the original bell from the Trinity Evangelical Church which was located on the grounds of the present Lion's Club Park in Wanatah. The church was also known as the Mother Henning Church. It was closed in 1927 when the congregation merged with the Zion United Brethren Church now known as the Faith United Methodist Chuch. The bell is located on the grounds of the Faith United Methodist Church four miles Southeast of Wanatah.

Wanatah Christian Church - Now in Clinton Township, The Wanatah Christian Chuch was begun on January 12, 1889. They met in the frame school building located on the north east corner of the junction of Main & Cross St’s in the town of Wanatah. They decided in February of that same year to erect a building for the purposes of a church. The church was erected on the corner of Main & High St’s on a lot next to the old frame school. It was appointed with fine stained glass windows. In 1904 electric lights were installed and pews were purchased to replace the chairs. In 1914 the entire building was moved one block west to a lot previously purchased. At this time a basement was added under the structure. In 1925 a balcony was added to the back of the sanctuary. A Baptistery was installed in 1945 as well a a splendid stained glass window above the Nave which was purchased by the Ladies’ Aid. In 1956 extensive remodeling was done. An educational addition was built to provide a study and class rooms as well as restrooms. The congregation continued to grow and in 1994 erected a new church on lands donated by the Culver family. The church is now located just north west of the town of Wanatah on Highway US 30. The old Building still stands at 208 N. Illinois St, Wanatah, and was purchased by Mr. Wayne Rice who was fearful that the building would be razed. It was used by a Baptist congregation from 1996 - 1999. Currently the building houses the Wanatah Christadelphian Ecclesia with most of it’s original ammenities intact.

The Wanatah Christadelphians - were organized in September of 1998. Their members were originally of the Kouts Christadelphian Ecclesia which was established in 1921 in Chicago, Illinois. Before Chicago the members were located in the country of Wales. Between the years of 1990 and 1998 several of the members of the Kouts Ecclesia had moved to Westville and the surronding areas of LaPorte County, Indiana. Citing the driving distance and the overcrowding of the Kouts facilities, several members of the Kouts, Indiana Ecclesia decided to form a new Ecclesia. At first the congregation met in the homes of various members in Westville and LaPorte, Indiana. In 2000 the congregation aquired the old Wanatah Christian Church building located at 208 N. Illinois St. Wanatah, Indiana. It is here that they hold services today. Christadelphian were mentioned in Packard's History of LaPorte County as having services in LaPorte as early as 1857.

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