Caring for a Legacy...
To some, the words “Old Stone Church” may not have much meaning. But for some of us it is a historic landmark and cemetery that we want to preserve. To many in the area it is a place where their ancestors worshipped.
As you sit in the pews, think of the family who sat, worshipped and walked on the same ground. Think about the faith, determination and what this “Old Stone Church” meant to them.
The church and nearby cemetery are kept in excellent condition by the descendants of the original founders as monuments to those who sought to worship God according to the dictates of their conscience.
This work is done with the help of a Perpetual Fund that was put in place to make repairs to the church and cemetery.
This includes:
- general upkeep like lawn mowing and snow removal
-tree trimming and removal
-headstone straightening and repair
-gravel for the drive
-roof repair and shutter repair
-tuck pointing the stone
Why The Old Stone Church?
History
The Zion Congregational Church, Town of Alto, Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, was erected during the summer of 1858 by a group of pioneers who had emigrated from the Netherlands during the years 1846 to 1849.
On June 1, 1847, this church was organized with 50 members under the name Zion Congregational Gereformeede Gemeente. The cornerstone of the building was laid June 20, 1858. The church was built out of quarried limestone in the Greek revival style, costing $500.
The congregation held Sunday School and one service a month in English, the other services were in Dutch. They worshiped in the church until sometime after 1888, at one time having 124 members. Due to other churches starting in the area, death of members, and members moving away, the church no longer held weekly services.
Services were discontinued about 1900, but the “Old Stone Church” was used for weddings and funerals during the following years. Fond du Lac County has records of burials in the Oak Mound Cemetery dating back to the early years of the Church. There are many recorded burials with no stones, or unreadable stones.
Charter members of the congregation were:
William Hoftiezer Dirk J. Nagel Martin Welhuizen Dirk Freriks Garret J. Rikkers Dirk J. Lammers
Henry J. Welhousen Jacob Wellhouse Dirk J. Rikkers
Jan Welhuizen Jan De Groot Henry J. Rikkers
Support The Old Stone Church
Help us build a fund that will care for this property into perpetuity!
An endowment fund has been established to make sure that this property is always taken care of. Things like insurance, maintenance, lawn care and so much more goes into maintaining both the church and cemetery. You can help provide for the financial stability of the church and cemetery into the future.
This will be a separate fund that will help us cover costs year to year. Managed by financial advisor Joe Heringa of Edward Jones, the interest earned off of a fund this size will allow for the ongoing expenses to be paid for. The goal is $100,000. This will give us approximately $5000 per year to be used for expenses provided our fund gains 5% per year (it costs about $7200 per year to maintain the property). There are over 130 people on our mailing list. If each one donated $750, we would be at our goal.
Now we know that not everyone has the means to do that, however if everyone gave something, we would be well on our way! Your gift is tax deductible as we are a 501c3. As you plan your end of year charity distributions, please consider this fund and earmark your donation for this endowment fund. Any amount is appreciated and can be part of your planned giving before and after life. This fund can be part of a disbursement from an IRA or Roth and can also be a beneficiary of a life insurance policy.
Please send your gift to Oak Mound Cemetery Association, c/o Darlene Kamphuis, W13578 Linder Road, Brandon, WI 53919.
Your help in any way is a blessing and honors those that came before us and to support those that come after us! Please contact Martina Stanton, President of the Trustees, with any questions at revmartinastanton@gmail.com or 920-296-1455.
With prayers and blessings to all of you,
The Trustees of the Friends of the Old Stone Church and Oak Mound Cemetery
Martina Stanton, President Darlene Kamphuis, Treasurer
Jenny Leahy, Secretary Jeff Rogers Ruth Lindegarde