Trinity Lutheran Church Archives

March 7, 2015

Trinity Lutheran Group Shots

I’m not sure both of these photos are mine. This photo’s lighting and overall tone looks more like it could have been taken by Master Photographer Paul Lueders.

I don’t recognize anyone in the photo. I’m going to guess they are members of a Trinity Lutheran School confirmation class. Click on the photos to make them large enough to see the faces.

Trinity graduates, maybe?

This looks like a different group than the one above, and their caps and gowns might make it an eighth grade graduation. Trinity Lutheran School also had a kindergarten graduation, but it’s pretty safe to say these aren’t kindergarteners.

The technical quality of this photo makes me think I took it. Where the picture at top of the page is evenly lit and has a full range of tones, this one appears to have been shot with one strobe light held high and off to the left. It got rid of most of the shadows, but the light is a bit harsh. The highlights are a little blown out, too. That’s because I tended to overexpose and overdevelop “to be safe,” leading to contrasty photos. That’s not a good thing when you’re shooting people in white robes.

So, Mr. Lueders, if that WAS your shot at the top, please forgive me for stealing your picture. I imagine you are too busy taking pictures of angels lounging around on cloud tops to have noticed, though.

Dodged a bullet

While I was still in high school, I was contacted by a company that wanted to hire me to shoot photos for a church book at Trinity. I don’t remember the details, but it was going to involve me convincing families to show up at the church to be photographed. The results would be assembled into a book the company would take advance orders for. I’d get a cut of the action, plus be able to sell prints to the families.

I turned the idea down. I figured if they offered ME the job, they were shady to begin with. It sniffed of something where they used a local to rope in the marks and collect the money for a product that would never be delivered. I didn’t have confidence that I had the technical skills to pull of the job, and I sure didn’t want to get run out of town on a rail by a bunch of German Lutherans with pitchforks if this turned out to be a scam.

December 27, 2014January 8, 2021

Rerun: Old Trinity Church

I grew up in the old Trinity Lutheran Church. I was baptized and confirmed there; was cast in way too many Christmas pageants, counted bugs on the ceiling when I was bored, and saw Dad’s casket in the front of the altar. Today’s post is a collection of stories I’ve done on the old Trinity.

When I heard that the building was being torn down just short of its 100th anniversary because it was “structurally deficient,” Brother Mark and I tried to document as much of it as possible. I put quotes around “structurally deficient” because the discovery was made just about the time a sizable donation came in that stipulated that it could only be used to build a new church.

Here’s what it looked like in the bell tower. Follow the links to see the whole story and to read the many comments.

1954 pledge drive

The church conducted a $225,000 pledge drive in 1954. This picture was used in a brochure promoting the drive. The post logged two dozen comments, so I wasn’t the only one picking out faces.

New Trinity at dusk

I was walking back to my car when I saw the new federal building and the new Trinity Lutheran church in the fading sunlight.

That’s as close as I’m ever going to get to the building. MY church was torn down and many of the things that made it special were discarded, so I have no reason to go into the new Trinity.

And, yes, I know that church is more than bricks and stained glass. That’s why you rarely see me in one.

From the tower

When Mark and I shot the bell tower, I also took pictures out the windows in all four directions. The tall white building off in the distance is the KFVS tower.

There’s an aerial of the neighborhood in this post, too.

Sanctuary and altar

The most striking part of the church was the sanctuary with its imposing altar. Jesus was hauntingly realistic.

Unfortunately, He wasn’t welcome in the new church and has, reportedly, bounced around a bit, becoming damaged in the process. I heard that He might be out at the old Hanover School.

The balcony

Our family usually headed to the balcony. I loved its majestic sweep. On the wall behind the organ was printed Psalms 26:8 – “Lord, I have loved the habitation of Thy house and the place where Thine honor dwelleth.”

If you follow the link, you can see the inscription in the background of a photo of workers dismantling the pews and lowering them to the ground floor.

One of my readers reported the words were still visible when a bulldozer strained to pull the building down.

Lutheran Church mural

The church owned a property at the corner of Broadway and Middle with a huge blue mural painted on it: “Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn from it.” There’s a plaque in the corner that is a who’s-who list of well-known Trinity donors who paid for the sign.

The building had deteriorated to the point where it had to be razed in 2011. I toured the 501 Broadway property with David Renshaw, one of the most introspective demolition men I’ve ever met.

Nothing left but bricks

When David was through, there was nothing left but debris that was quickly hauled away. A parking lot is there today.

I was given a piece of the blue cement block as a souvenir.

Keeping the lights on

I want to thank those folks who have used the yellow Donate button at the top left of the page. I appreciate your support and wish you and yours a Happy New Year.

September 20, 2013May 9, 2021

Trinity’s Balcony and Pews

Here’s another series of photos of the demolition of Trinity Lutheran Church. I’m focusing on the balcony and pews this time. I always thought it was impressive how the balcony swept out over the congregation. I always liked to sit in that section.

A simple church

The church eschewed ostentation. It was a simple, but elegant building with a distinct lack of geegaws.

The only jarring element for me was the cheap-looking acoustic tile ceiling. I often wondered what the original church ceiling was made of.

I noticed stuff like that as a kid. My first grade scrapbook contains the September 19, 1953, entry: “The whole family went to 8 o’clock church. I didn’t wiggle very much. To pass the time away, I counted 13 bugs on the wall….”

“I have loved the habitation of Thy House”

Shortly after taking those photos, I got to watch the church being dismantled, ironically under the words of Psalm 26:8, “Lord, I have loved the habitation of Thy house and the place where Thine honor dwelleth.” I’ll spare you the rant this time. I got that out of my system when I posted photos of the church’s altar.

Pews at Trinity Lutheran School

At least two of the pews ended up in the hallway at Trinity Lutheran School.

Trinity Lutheran Church gallery

Click on any photo to make it larger, then click on the sides to move through the gallery.

April 27, 2013April 28, 2013

1943 Flood Aerial

After I ran photos of the Flood of 1943 from Dad’s scrapbook, a member of the Lamkin Family sent me this aerial photo of the flood. I asked who took it so I could credit the photographer, and he said, “No idea. It hung in my grandfather’s office for as long as I recall.”

Themis Street is on the left and Broadway is on the right. You can see the steeple of Trinity Lutheran Church and the Academic Hall dome in the background. Buckner-Ragsdale is the three-story building on the right, at the foot of Broadway. The St. Charles Hotel is the tall, light-colored building on the left side of Themis. The building with the checkered tile and sharp-peaked roof is Hecht’s Department Store. The Sturdivant Bank Building is between the St. Charles and Hecht’s.

Click on the photo to make it larger.

Here are some earlier stories about Buckner’s and the Lamkin family.