Elbe Evangelical Lutheran Church
About this property
The Elbe Evangelical Lutheran Church (also known as the Little White Church of Elbe) is a small church in Elbe, Pierce County, Washington, USA. The church has been listed by sources, including Ripley's Believe It or Not!, as the world's smallest functional church. 1888: Carl “Charles” Elbe Lutkens (1869-1950) & Adams Sachs (1858-1921) homesteaded Elbe along the Nisqually River. They named the town after the Elbe River in Hamburg, Germany from where Lutkens had emigrated. 1891: Heinrich “Henry” C. Lutkens (1832-1919), his wife Christine Böttcher Lutkens (1848-1933) & their other children settled in Elbe. 1893: Pastor Dr. Lewis Herman Schuh (1858-1936; of Tacoma’s German Evangelical Trinity Church) traveled to Elbe to organize the Elbe Evangelical Lutheran Church congregation & to hold its first services in the Elbe Town Hall. 1895-1905: Pastor J. F. Oertel (of Puyallup) led worship services in homes in Elbe. 1904: The Tacoma Eastern Railroad reached Elbe. H. Lutkens donated the land for its depot. 1904-1905: H. Lutkens platted additions to the town of Elbe 1906: It was built 24’ long x 18’ wide. Its 44’ tall steeple (housing a railroad locomotive bell) is topped with a 4’ tall iron cross. H. Lutkens donated the land & lumber for its construction; and served as a deacon. Pastor Karl Kilian (1869-1945) designed, built & dedicated it; and then was its first pastor. 1926: The Mountain Highway (Highway 7) was paved from Tacoma to Mt. Rainier National Park’s Nisqually entrance. 1933: Kilian retired after being its pastor for 27 years. 1944: Lake Alder was formed behind it when the Alder Dam was completed on the Nisqually River. 1973: Rev. Dr. Ervin E. Krebs (of Tacoma) reinstituted monthly worship services. Oct 8, 1976: It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. July 1, 1984: Bishop Clifford Rolf Lunde (1930-1987) became it honorary pastor; it therefore became a cathedral (the seat of the bishop); and its “pfaarhaus” (fellowship house) was dedicated next door. 2015-2021: Pastor Margaret O’Neal served as its most recent pastor. Filley, Bette (1996). The Big Fact Book About Mount Rainier, Dunamis House, ISBN 1-880405-06-7. Historic Elbe Evangelical Lutheran Church Association
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was Elbe Evangelical Lutheran Church listed on the National Register?
Elbe Evangelical Lutheran Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 7, 1976.
What type of historic resource is Elbe Evangelical Lutheran Church?
Elbe Evangelical Lutheran Church is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Elbe Evangelical Lutheran Church?
The period of significance for Elbe Evangelical Lutheran Church is recorded as the industrial era.
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