Church: Loyal – Trinity Lutheran (1871 – 2020)

Transcriber: stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Fischer

Source: Tribune/Record/Gleaner (Abbotsford, WI) 21 Oct 2020

The first services to Lutherans in the Loyal area began in people's homes in 1874 when Rev. A.F.H. Fischer of Zion Lutheran Church in Granton traveled up to Loyal to meet the needs of its people. On March 22, 1883, the church in Loyal was first chartered with 13 members and a building constructed one and a quarter miles north of Loyal on land purchased for $100. The two-story log building was completed on Nov. 13 of that year and was the church they used for 10 years before constructing a new building in 1893 at the site it stands today in the city of Loyal.

It was another two decades before the Trinity Lutheran Church congregation needed to rebuild again. The building was struck by lightning in August of 1913, with damage to the building being so bad that they had to construct a new church which is the same one still used today.

A few years after the new church was completed, a small red brick schoolhouse was built next to the church for its children. The school was operated from 1919 until 1957 and had eight grades teaching regular school subjects as well as religion classes in both English and German, the language used during services until the early 1940s when World War n broke out.

During the next several decades, the church underwent several remodeling projects to keep the building maintained as well as making necessary additions such as indoor bathrooms and modern lighting. In 1956, the congregation decided to add a | new educational facility to replace its old schoolhouse and attach it to the church building. The final large addition to the church occurred in 1972 when a new entrance was made to make the building easier to access.