In 1880 many Germans left Milwaukee and settled in Manistee County. Among them was lumberman Henry Starke, who vowed to return to Wisconsin if no Lutheran church could be found. Instead he helped organize this congregation in 1881, and he platted Arcadia the same year. In 1887 Starke donated land and money for this Neo-Gothic church, which was completed in 1888. The complex grew to include a parsonage, a school, and a teacherage.