Union Hill and St John's Church

Union Hill 

The community of Union Hill is located partly in Belle Plaine Township in the southern part of Scott County, and partly in Le Sueur County. 

The original European American settlers of Union Hill mostly came from the same area- from within 50 miles between Bonn and Trier in Western Germany near the border of Luxembourg on the west and the Rhine River on the east. They settled in the Union Hill area starting in 1857. g

These immigrants would have considered themselves Prussian, and they spoke a form of low German. In spite of the geographical proximity, there were actually some language discrepancies in Union Hill at its founding. Families from Waxweiler pronounced some words differently than families from Alendorf even though the communities were less than 25 miles apart. 

There was a strong motivation for these immigrants to come to Minnesota. At a time when farming was a key to financial independence, politics at the time rendered land ownership almost impossible for this group of Prussians in Europe. Prussia also demanded military service from men, and some chose to leave to avoid this duty. 

St John’s Church

The cornerstone of the community was St John’s The Evangelist Roman Catholic Church, which the settlement of Union Hill sprang up around. It was constructed in 1867, and the first High Mass was given in July of that year. 

The building of the original church did not come easily. It was described at the time as the “culmination of ten years of struggle” This struggle included a church made of wooden logs that parishioners built in 1860 two miles from the present church, only to be told that it could not be consecrated because of its proximity to St Benedict's Church. 

The 1867 church lasted for 16 years, when it was replaced in 1883 by a larger building, which still serves to this day. 

In 1983, the New Prague Times published a translation of a piece written by Albert and Victorian Rushland, sharing Albert’s memories of St. John’s Parish. The piece was shared in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the new church. 

Albert remembered that the original church was very difficult to build “The roads were very bad so two or three oxen were coupled together, and so it went through thick and thin” 

The church started its days with a series of pastors from Germany, who stayed as long as they were able, and then returned to their home country. Eventually, father Schnek stayed two years, but “during this period he had the misfortune of having his horses run away from him, when he fell under his wagon and broke his leg”.

The next priest, Father Deusterman, requested 17 dollars a month for his services, to which the author reported replying “Oh ho” incredulously Deusterman also wanted a school for the church, which Albert Ruhland agreed was important. Ruhland went to collect money for the project with him, and described the venture thusly: 

“Ya, I told him, I want to bring you to the best man we have in the parish, A. Lochen. And so we went to Lochen. When we arrived, Mr Lochen asked

 ‘What do you want here?’

‘We want to collect for the new school’

‘So I will give nothing. Let others do for the parish as we have already done, We already have a school’

Then Father Deusterman said ‘I did not come here for a sermon, I can do that myself. If you will not give, I will put you down for zero’. Lochen replied ‘As far as I am concerned you can put me down for two zeros, it is all the same to me. 

I then begged Deusterman to give me his list of parishioners. And so he gave me the list and I went right back to Lochen. He said ‘Oh! What is it now!’. I replied ‘You know this will not do. There should be a school at the parish’. ‘Ya’ he replied. I told him I would give 10 dollars. ‘All right, he said, I will give 10 dollars too’. Then I went to M. Schoenecker, and he gave the same.  Nick Schoenecker also and N, Lenz. Also Schommer, Theo Lochen, R Rech and Kramer. Also Bartel Schoenecker. And so the school was built.” 

This occurred in 1873. The completed school was a two story frame building 20’ by 40’ square. Soon after a teacher’s residence was added. Unfortunately, an 1894 fire destroyed both buildings. They were rebuilt in 1895, and stood until 1920 when they were again destroyed by fire. 

Ruhland’s favorite priest was Father Mathias, who came to the church in 1880. He noted “All that could walked to the church even with terrible weather. The church was always full. And how nice it was on the communion rail. It was gratifying to see everyone trying to make peace with their god. He also met with the children during their first hour of school” 

By 1883 there was a clear need for a larger church, and the community came together to build one. Ruhland noted proudly “The new church upon completion stands there with no debts. All was paid for by donation, with all our hauling and own labor”. 

Upon its dedication Jordan Advocate described the new church as “one of the finest churches in the country” 

Like many other Scott County churches, the parishioners of St Johns celebrated its anniversaries with pomp and flair. 

In 1916, they marked their Golden Jubilee with “religious services, exercises, and meals for all by the ladies of the parish”. The New Prague times assured readers that services and speeches would be conducted in “The English, German, and Bohemian languages”. Afterwards, the Jordan Independent reported that “many visiting priests were present and the home congregation increased by hundreds of visitors”. In the evening there “was a picnic in the nearby grove and young folks presented a drama in the parish hall. On monday there were church services in the morning and a dance in the evening”. 

1940’s Diamond Jubilee was a grand affair. At 10am ceremonies started with an orchestra performance and procession to the church. During the day there were “songs speeches and lunch”, sandwiched by morning and evening sermons. 

The 140th anniversary was marked in 2006. The event coincided with the 90th birthday of Father Elgar, who at the time had been the pastor at St. John’s for 40 years. The event was held in a huge tent set up on the lawn of the church and included a meal, speeches, and “visiting dignitaries” 

Spring Lake Village

Construction on the Spring Lake Township Hall, 2007. From the SCHS Collections.

On June 10th, 1857, the Shakopee Valley Herald printed a small article under the headline “Another Town”. The article noted that “Thomas Holmes, A Holmes and Company have purchased property on Spring Lake and will immediately have the same surveyed off into lots,” It continued “We predict that, in a very short time, this will be a flourishing town, being 7 miles from Shakopee over a good road, will, we have no doubt, induce many of our citizens who want to spend the day fishing, gunning or having a sail on the lakes, to visit this pretty place”.

Ten years later, the area had become well known for its natural beauty. In 1867 the Shakopee Spectator ran an article outlining the attractions of the area. “It is not generally known that Scott County can boast some of the most desirable summer resorts, in point of scenery, surroundings, healthfulness and grandeur, that adorns any locality in the country”. It mentioned the village of Spring Lake, then goes on to describe the excellent fishing in the lakes themselves in detail, declaring that Spring Lake is “nearly round but with an occasional bay jutting out from the main body of water with a beautiful gravel beach the whole way around it”, and Long lake is ““quite appropriately named, being some four or five miles long, with several beautifully wooded islands rising from its bosom. Its shores are uneven, rendered indescribably romantic by numerous bays and coves”

As more European American settlers came to the area, the farmland became more important. On Sept 17, 1877, the Shakopee Courier described farming conditions in Spring Lake: “This section is composed of heavily timbered land, so as a result farms are not as large as is the case in open or brushland towns. The farmers, however, raise good crops, particularly as far as wheat is concerned…the corn is not as good, there being so little rainfall” 

The village of Spring Lake was expanding as well. An early store was owned by Patrick Thorton, who is described as “an old resident with 22 years standing”. Thornton’s store also served meals.  Another store was owned by postmaster Cates. The article notes Notes “The exact population of Spring Lake town we do not know, but votes cast at last fall’s election reached the round number of 300”.

Spring Lake Today 

The emphasis on farming in the area continued for almost a hundred years, into the 1960s. At that point, the need for housing began to expand, and almost 40% of the housing stock in the area was built during the ‘60s and ‘70s. The village of Spring Lake never grew to the size of surrounding towns, and although there are many amenities nearby, Spring Lake Township continues to be an overwhelmingly rural area. Today the township boasts a few bars, and many recreation opportunities, including Fish Lake Park, South Shore Park, and Raymond Park, camping, fishing and hiking. The Fish Lake shoreline is also undergoing a prairie restoration project.

Fish Lake Immanuel Lutheran Church

Print of Immanuel Lutheran Church, 1971. From the SCHS Collections.

Early European American settlers in Spring Lake Township township included a group of Lutherans of German descent who came by way of Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois. For their first ten years in Scott County, this group met for religious services in a log cabin in Bellefontaine - a settlement in the southeast corner of section five near Spring Lake. Lots were platted in Bellafontaine, and a few were sold, but it never grew into a town. These services were conducted by pastors riding circuit. 

Eventually the congregation outgrew the cabin. On December 17th, 1870, 2.5 acres on the north bank of Fish Lake were purchased for a new church. They were sold by Henry and Ann McCartney for $37.50. The first pastor of the new church was Henry Raedeke from Carver who served for 15 years. Soon after his arrival, the first church was built on the site for appx. $1000.00

Over time, this structure became cramped as well, and in 1926 money was raised by the congregation for a new building which still serves today. The present church was built under Rev. Karl Schroeder and dedicated on May 9 1926. The dedication program included a supper cooked by the ladies of the congregation, and a performance by “a male quartet of fine male singers” iin German and English

A January 1926 article in the Jordan Independent describes Rev. Schroeder as an “energetic and popular pastor”, and the new church thusly” “Located on a south frontage, giving a fascinating view of the pretty sheet of water known as Fish Lake. It is of an architectural style very pleasing to the eye of the beholder.” The building site for the new church was The site was part of the homestead of Civil War Veteran David Maloney.

Fish Lake Immanuel Lutheran still welcomes worshipers Saturdays and Sundays in the historic 1926 church.

History of Lydia- Part 3: Lydia School

The Lydia School District, District 21, was established in 1857. There is unfortunately no record of where the first classes were held, how many students attended, or the identities of the first teachers. An official school building was finally built in 1889. It was initially a single room. The school was closed for most of 1900 because of outbreaks of scarlet fever, measles and mumps,  but in 1901 a second room was added. The Lydia district was small, and one of several districts contained within Spring Lake Township. This was due to a early Minnesota policy that stated that “no student should have to walk more than two miles to school” 

Lunch tray cup from Lydia School, 1960. From the SCHS Collections.

The school started with a single teacher, but once the second room was built, a second teacher was added. One room housed grades one through four, and the other grades five through eight. Until the 1940s it was understood that many children would not be attending school for the entire year. Some were “winter children”, who would be in school October through April, and some would attend summer school in April through June depending on farm work at home. Pupils from the early years recall that for many years the school did not have running water, and students would be sent to the farm across the street several times a day to fetch water for their class. 

Lydia’s original school building was in service until 1950, when a new school was built. This building had two rooms, a gym, and a kitchen for hot lunches. Later, a third room was added. Lydia students attended classes in this building until 1960 when the Lydia district merged with Jordan. Afterwards, the building was used for the area’s Head Start program. 

In 1968, several of the county’s school districts came together in an attempt to provide services for special education students. Previously, many of these students had been unable to attend public school, staying at home, or attending private day programs. Blind, deaf, and physically handicapped students also often fell into this category, and districts were unable to meet their needs. 

New legislation was changing the requirements of what students districts were asked to provide services for, and many superintendents felt that it was their duty to make sure as many students as possible were able to receive an education. In spite of this several Scott County superintendents did not think their current schools would be adequately able to meet student needs. 

As a result, the Lydia school building was refurbished to serve as a special education school, which opened in 1975. The school provided two psychological services personnel, a behavior coordinator, a speech services coordinator, and a director of special education services. The goal was to provide an education for learning disabled, hearing impaired, vision impaired and physically handicapped students. Known as the Lydia Education Center, the school closed in 2014. 

History of Lydia- Part 2: Fire!

Downtown Lydia around 1970. Photo from the SCHS Collections.

The history of Lydia has been shaped by fire, specifically two disastrous blazes, one in 1901, and one in 1933. 

The 1901 Lydia fire has been described as “one of the most disastrous fires in the history of the county”. It occurred in the middle of the night, sometime between midnight and one, and the causes are still unknown. The blaze began at the Ludke Brothers Store, formerly owned by F. J. Vogel. 

An article published at the time described the scale of the fire: “The flames when discovered were already beyond the controllable stage, even with a well equipped apparatus. Such an apparatus is wholly lacking in Lydia and the neighbors who came to the scene had no better means of combating the fiery element then buckets and wet blankets”. It continued, “Not a thing was saved except the books, and the boys consider themselves very fortunate at being able to snatch them from the flames. The residence, which was attached to the store building, was also destroyed along with every article of furniture and clothing it contained”

Losing one of the town’s general stores would have been a challenge for the small community, but that was unfortunately not the extent of the fire. “The blacksmith shop, operated by Adolph Wandschnieder went up and the smithy building belonging to Chris Busse. Also destroyed were John Ries refreshment stand and 600 lbs of butter and 50 cases of eggs...Busse’s house caught fire, but was saved. Miller Bros’ store was also in jeopardy, as the wind bore towards it. The heat was so intense that it burst the glass in front of the store. Wet blankets saved it... Were it not for the good wells of Lydia it is hard to imagine what the damage would have been” 

Store owner Frank Ludke almost died in the blaze. He went into the store to try to save some of the records, and passed out due to smoke inhalation. Luckily firefighters were able to pull him out. Rather than rebuilding, after the fire the Ludke brothers moved to Montana where they started a hotel that catered to traveling miners. 

A second fire started in 1933. This one was equally devastating to the town, destroying   a restaurant, the barber, a garage, and Gerlich’s Harness Shop & Dance Hall. The timing, during the Great Depression, was not fortuitous. Many of the business owners did not have the cash on hand to recover. Of these businesses, only the garage was rebuilt after the blaze.