Industry Brethren Church Cemetery

INDUSTRY BRETHREN CHURCH CEMETERY

THE INDUSTRY BRETHREN CHURCH IS THE THIRD OLDEST CONGREGATION OF THE UNITY OF THE BRETHREN LOCATED IN THE GERMAN SETTLEMENT OF INDUSTRY. PERIODIC WORSHIP SERVICES WERE CONDUCTED IN INDUSTRY BEGINNING IN 1860. THE REV. JOSEF OPOCENSKY WAS THE FIRST MINISTER TO SERVE THE CONGREGATION, MOVING TO INDUSTRY FROM FAYETTEVILLE IN 1860. IN 1875 THE REV. LUDVIK CHLUMSKY ORGANIZED THE CHURCH WITH NINE CHARTER FAMILIES. THE BRETHREN CHURCH IS A CONGREGATION BASED ON THE PRINCIPLES ORIGINATED FROM AN AREA EAST OF BOHEMIA IN THE STATE OF MORAVIA IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA. CONSTRUCTION OF A CHURCH BUILDING BEGAN IN 1878 AND WAS DEDICATED ON NOVEMBER 1, 1879. THE CEMETERY WAS ESTABLISHED BY 1880, AND THE CHURCH INCORPORATED IN 1888. THE CHURCH WAS RENOVATED IN 1929. A NEW SANCTUARY WAS BUILT AND DEDICATED SEPTEMBER 29, 1968. AFTER THAT THE ORIGINAL CHURCH BUILDING WAS DISASSEMBLED AND REBUILT BY THE CHRISTIAN FAITH CHURCH MEMBERS OF BELLVILLE WHERE IT REMAINS.

IN 1966, IT WAS AGREED BY CHURCH MEMBERS TO EXCHANGE 0.367 ACRES OF LAND WITH ROBERT SPIESS FOR ENLARGING OF THE CEMETERY. THE INDUSTRY BRETHREN CHURCH CEMETERY HAS MORE THAN 200 GRAVES, WITH THE OLDEST BEING IN 1880 OF L. AND ROSALIE MAREK. SOME OF THE HEADSTONES HAVE VERSES WRITTEN IN CZECH THAT WHEN TRANSLATED ARE BEAUTIFUL, AS IS THE CASE OF JAN COUFAL (1842-1902). THE PICKET FENCE WAS CONSTRUCTED IN THE 1930s. THERE ARE AT LEAST TWENTY-ONE VETERANS BURIED IN THIS CEMETERY WITH ERNST MAECKEL, BENNIE DOCKAL AND JOHN RIPPLE, JR. BEING THE EARLIEST BURIALS. THIS CEMETERY WAS ORIGINALLY REFERRED TO AS THE BOHEMIAN MORAVIAN EVANGELICAL REFORMED CHURCH CEMETERY AND THE CZECH-MORAVIAN CEMETERY, SHORT FOR EVANGELICAL UNITY OF THE CZECH-MORAVIAN BRETHREN OF NORTH AMERICA