ALTO — Zion Congregational Church, " The Old Stone Church," located north of Alto on Amity Road will hold its annual service on Aug. 16, at 2 p.m.
The service features music and worship in the Dutch tradition.
This old stone church, built in 1858, once served the pioneer families that settled in the area chiefly from the Netherlands. The church is listed on the National and State Register of Historic Places.
The Zion Congregational Church has roots in the earliest settlement of the area. In 1845, the Meenk family began what is considered to be one of the first ethnic Dutch communities in the Midwest.
In a few years, there was a thriving Dutch farming community in the Alto area and Dutch settlers had spread to nearby settlements at Waupun, Brandon, Randolph and Friesland.
In 1847, they began holding regular services and built a small log church. They called on Rev. G Baay to serve as their pastor from the spring of 1848 to November of 1849, when he died.
After the death of Rev. Baay, the congregation floundered, but in 1855 the Rev. Bolks of the Reformed Church in Milwaukee came to Alto and organized the congregation into an official Reformed Church.
In 1858, some of this group decided to form the Gereformeerde Zion Germenta congregation and they affiliated with the Congregational Church.
In November of 1858, the cornerstone of the Old Stone Church was laid to house this new congregation.
For more than 10 years, the Zion Congregational Church flourished, but when a Presbyterian church was organized near Alto in 1878, some of the members left the Old Stone Church and the congregation declined.
By 1888, the congregation was only meeting occasionally in the church and had no pastor.
By 1900, the church was no longer being used and the few members left had to make a decision to sell the building or maintain an organization to keep it.
The choice these people made to keep the organization alive and retain their church was a major factor in its preservation.
Since 1958, there have been annual services at the church, which is a step back in time for parishioners and visitors, since the building has no electric lighting and its interior is decidedly 19th century.
Behind the church, there is a cemetery call "Oak Mound Cemetery" that has just as much historical value as the church.
To this day, the church hosts weddings, funerals and the annual service in August.
Cleaning of the church is Aug. 15, 8 a.m. Church service is Aug. 16, at 2 p.m. The annual meeting will be on Aug. 17 at 6 p.m. at the church.