Bethlehem German Congregational Stone Church
A group of German speaking farmers living about 4 miles or so east of Fairfax started gathering in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Fredrick G. Bentz. This was a sod home and they had eight children. Neighbors would meet in their sod house starting in the room where they lived.
Eventually the group got larger, and they would have to move furniture out on Sunday morning to make room for the worshipers. Mrs. Bentz had a good singing voice and lead the congregation in their music. Men of the congregation would read sermons from a book unless a traveling preacher happened to come by. During this time, an epidemic struck the families of this community with at least one family loosing 5 children. Victims of this epidemic were buried on a neighboring son’s farm in white boxes. Adults were buried in black painted boxes. This was before a regular cemetery had been developed.
In 1897, John and Eva Hoffman donated property on their farm for a church building and cemetery about 1 mile or so south of the Bentz farm. The worshippers happily moved their services to the stone church they erected on the property and called it Bethlehem German Congregational Stone Church. Eventually, the inside and outside walls were covered with more modern material. The church itself was organized in 1893 with the building being built in 1895 and dedicated in 1897. They continued to worship here until they joined the German Congregational Church in Fairfax in 1924 - transportation by automobile was becoming convenient.
The church ended up being located in Boyd County, Nebraska. Until 1895, the South Dakota state line was considered to be south along the Keya Paha River. For many of the residents, they continued to think of South Dakota as their location. This Sod House Church was located on the George Jesser (Yesser) farm which ended up being in the short section just south of the South Dakota state line. The worshippers who gather here from 1899 to 1903 built the sod building that housed their church’s gathering place. Indications are that there was also a cemetery established near the church building.
With transportation depending on horsepower or walking, the members lived within a couple miles of the church. Charter members of this church were M/M Henry Korb, Sr., M/M Henry Bachmann, M/M George Jesser, M/M Jacob Ernest, M/M Ludwig Horst, M/M Gottlieb Bachmann, M/M Mike Schochenmaier, M/M Jacob Brunnemeier, M/M Henry West, M/M Jacob Korb, M/M Fred Schultz, M/M Jacob Wuest, M/M Fred Schultz, M/M Charles Woerpel, M/M Jacob Ehly.
When this church disbanded, Mr. Jesser purchased the building and used it to teach school for a period of time. The building has returned to sod and the cemetery has no markers so the exact location on this farm is under investigation today by current owners. Most of this group joined the German speaking Hope Congregational Church in Fairfax, SD.
Information courtesy of Joe E. Thurstenson, Volunteer Historian
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