About Lindsay, Texas:
In 1887 the Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad constructed a line in north Texas that passed through the site that would become Lindsay. The story of its founding closely resembles that of its neighbors along the railway such as Muenster. In 1891, Anton and August Flusche arranged for the transfer of 9,300 acres along the railway in order to found a new town, which they named after a local judge. They attracted several German Catholic settlers in the following years.
The date of Lindsay’s founding is officially recognized as March 25, 1892, when the first mass was held; however, Lindsay was not formally incorporated until 1959.
The city has maintained some German traditions, including an annual Oktoberfest.
About Saint Peter’s Church in Lindsay, Texas:
As mentioned above, Anton Flusche was one of the first settlers and on January 1, 1892, the settlers began meeting together in Anton Flusche’s home to form the new parish. They built a small church where Mass was said for the first time on Easter Sunday of 1892. Unfortunately on May 31, 1917, only 14 years after its completion, the church was almost completely destroyed by a tornado. Miraculously, the apse and all three altars, as well as the facade and steeple, were left completely intact.
I now became necessary to build a new church….and the settlers had an ambitious plan. When confronted with the plans, Bishop Lynch of Dallas said in disbelief, “You want to build a church like this?” The parishioners salvaged what they could from the old church and from the fire-damaged Gainesville courthouse. Men and boys spent whatever time they could spare from their own farms laboring to clear the foundation and haul materials. The new church was finally finished in the autumn of 1918, one year after the tornado.
By 2009, the building was in need of serious repair. The gorgeously painted plaster had begun to crumble and fall from the walls due to water damage that had remained undetected for decades.. Restoration effort on an unprecedented scale was required to save St. Peter’s; the damaged plaster had to be removed, the beautiful patterns copied and repainted on new plaster, the windows, floors, pews and altars required repair and refinishing and the roof and foundation needed to be overhauled. This enormous project was completed in two years and at a cost of 4.9 million dollars.
The historic windows of St. Peter’s Church were made by the Emil Frei Company of St. Louis, Missouri. Each window was dedicated by a parishioner; descendants of the donors are members of the parish to this day.
Traveling to Saint Peter’s Church in Lindsay, Texas:
Lindsay is approximately 75 miles north of Dallas.
Physical Address: 424 W. Main Street Lindsay, TX 76250
Click here for the official website of Saint Peter’s Catholic Church in Lindsay, Texas
