German settlers founded the St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran congregation in 1894 with the Rev. E.W. Ernst Hartmann as pastor. In 1896 they built a school and called their first resident minister, the Rev. Dr. Samuel D. Press (1875-1987), who was later head of Eden Seminary in St. Louis for 35 years. The first church building was replaced by the present structure in 1920. After four denominations merged in 1957, the congregation was renamed St. Paul United Church of Christ and has played a vital role in preserving the German community's heritage.