Centerville Lutheran Church
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Centerville Lutheran's history dates back to the beginning of the 19th century, when a Lutheran congregation and a German Reformed congregation jointly constructed a building for worship. In 1819, the congregations split, leaving Centerville Lutheran to stand on its own. At this time the congregation was known as Beetem Church, named after its founder who gave the church its land, Samuel Beetem.
Since the initial split, Centerville Lutheran has remained a single, solitary church, although it has been through several different buildings in its lifetime. The first building was said to be "a crude affair built of logs hauled from the mountain". Early records indicate 104 communicants of Holy Supper at this building in September of 1849. Centerville's second building, constructed in 1852, was a definite improvement over the first, featuring a single-story brick construction and a low A-frame type roof and situated at the rear of the old graveyard. That same year, the present church cornerstone was also cut. Then, in November of 1897, the bell was dedicated to the church at a cost of $90, weighing in at 690 pounds. Finally, in 1908, the cornerstone of the 3rd and current building was laid on the northeast corner of the foundation. The building with tower seen above was dedicated on May 2nd, 1909 by Reverend Stair and has now served as a place of worship for Lutherans in Centerville for over a century. |
Regular Worship Schedule
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