| SUBJECT PROPERTY
According to county records, The Evangelical Lutheran Zion Congregation of Macksburg, the original owner, purchased the subject property from Gustave Heinke and his wife in 1910. In 1920 the Church Building Board of the Evangelical Lutheran Joint Synod of Ohio sold the property to the trustees of the Evangelical Lutheran Zion Church. In that same year the trustees of the Zion Congregation of Macksburg sold the property to the Christian Congregation Evangelical Lutheran Church, who retained ownership for five years until they sold to Ford J. Kraxberger. Otto Kraxberger, Jr. and others retained ownership until 1956.
The first Lutheran service in the Macksburg area was held in the home of Albert Klebe in the fall of 1890. Subsequent services were held in the Macksburg school house until the Macksburg Lutheran Church was built. Rev. C. Buechler of Portland came to the area once every three weeks to preach to the parish. The original trustees of the church were Chris Lorenz, Franz Kraxberger and Albert Klebe. In the early 1890's services were held in homes or the Macksburg school, a survey indicated that 20 to 25 families in favor of building a church. The Rev. C. Buechler and officers of the congregation contacted the various families for contributions toward building the church and parsonage.
Johann and Rosina Kraxberger were one of the original families in the effort to build a church. The design of the church follows that of a similar church in the Kraxberger's native Austria. Construction of the Macksburg Lutheran Church was begun in late 1892 by volunteer Mennonite carpenters from the Needy area and dedicated November 11, 1894. The original church cost $237, with much of the construction work donated. The church drew together the German Lutheran families who settled in the area in the 1880s. Church services were in German, and some of the services continued in German until the early 1940s. The original parsonage, no longer extant, was not built until 1896. In 1929 the congregation of the Macksburg Lutheran Church became a parish together with Christ Lutheran Church of Aurora. A modern Sunday School was organized with the English language being used for the first time. Services were conducted, alternating between German and English services. A large shed used to be located alongside the church so people could put their horses and buggies out of the weather.
The Macksburg Lutheran Church is a very good example of the Gothic Vernacular style of architecture. Originally composed of a single rectangular volume, the pointed-arch windows and bell tower with lancet windows are typical of the style and use of the building. Exterior alterations to the church include the construction of the rear addition in 1929 at which time electric lights were also installed. In 1944 a full basement was dug, replacing the cement blocks with a complete cement foundation and housing a furnace, kitchen and meeting room. In 1965 the narthex was constructed. The old windows have been replaced. A large gable-roofed addition was added to the rear of the building in 1989. The maple tree on the east side of the church is an old planting and adds to the historic character of the subject property.
The Macksburg Lutheran Church, the Macksburg School, a store and a blacksmith shop made up the center of the Macksburg community. The Macksburg Church is the only remaining building from the center of the community. The church has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Macksburg Lutheran Church is one of two churches listed on the Clackamas County Cultural Resource Inventory in the Canby-Barlow study area. It is the only Gothic Vernacular style church in the study area and may be evaluated as an example of the Gothic Vernacular style and for its role in the Macksburg community. |
