NEGenWeb Project

GRUETLI CHURCH HISTORY
PLATTE COUNTY, NEBRASKA

The Gruetli Church was organized in 1874 as a German Reformed Church. Services were originally held in the District 37 school house.

John Eisenman donated eight acres of land for a cemetery and church in 1888. The cemetery was organized at that time.

John J. Eisenman, Jr., was treasurer of the Gruetli Church for many years. As times got better for the farmers and they were buying automobiles (mostly Model T's), John J. started working for a church building. He had little trouble accomplishing his mission. The members called a meeting and pledged the money for the church.

A building committee was organized and in the spring of 1917 the building began with a lot of labor being done by the members of the church. Jacob Schmit and Conrad Harding of Monroe were the contractors.

The church was dedicated in the fall of 1917, with the Rev. J.B. Braun as pastor. Several other ministers attended the dedication--an all-day affair, people coming from far and near. Pictures of the dedication still hang on the north wall of the church.

In 1975 the formerly separate congregations of Gruetli and St. Luke's UCC in Columbus voted to combine into one parish and it has remained as such today.

The Columbus Telegram, November 22, 1901
Members of the Greutli verein, their wives and children held a special meeting in Maennerchor hall last Saturday night. Refreshments and a diversified program of songs, dancing and games served to entertain the guests. Hon. D. Schupbach delivered the address of the evening. Elaboration in the program was due to the fact that the meeting was an anniversary of the foundation of the Swiss republic six hundred and eight years ago. The Greutli society is itself an old institution, and the incident which gave birth to its organization forms a pretty story in history, familiar only to those whose ancestry prompts them to make the investigation. Greutli is the name of a beautiful little meadow in the mountains of Switzerland. It is the spot where three peasants from different cantons met one day and made a vow to rid their country from the rule of despotic monarchs. As a result of that meeting the spirit of independence began to invade the country, and on November 17, 1293, the purpose had been accomplished, and Switzerland announced herself as an independent republic--the first in the world's history. Greutli societies are designed to perpetuate the deeds of her liberty-loving countrymen of the old days, and are usually found in every vicinity where there is a sufficient colony of Swiss to justify organization. There are twenty-seven members in the Columbus society.

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