First Lutheran Church (Holyoke, Massachusetts) Records

This congregation was originally organized as "Reformed" church society with a Sunday School. The first church service was held in newly erected building on December 25, 1867. The first parsonage was erected in 1868. The congregation became self-supporting and was reorganized as a strictly "Lutheran" church in April 1889. From 1891-1893, the church building was expanded and the parsonage was renovated. In 1896, the congregation was incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as "The German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Holyoke, Massachusetts". In 1897, the congregation joined the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and other states. The church building was thoroughly destroyed by a fire on February 13, 1899. On July 16, 1899, the cornerstone was laid for a new Gothic-style brick and brownstone church building and parsonage. The 25th anniversary of the dedication of the church building was on February 15, 1925. The 75th anniversary of the congregation was celebrated on November 1, 1942. Ground was broken for the present church building on March 27, 1955, and the cornerstone was laid on June 19, 1955. The centennial celebration began on August 5, 1966, and the church property became debt free on December 8, 1966. This congregation is still open in 2019.