St. Paul's Lutheran Church was organized on October 14, 1837, making it one of the oldest Lutheran churches in the state of Indiana. Its first church edifice was constructed in 1839 and its second—a white frame structure—in 1847. Some type of organ was installed in this second building, but I was unable to find any details on the instrument. When Trinity Lutheran Church, St. Mary's Ave., was organized in 1895, St. Paul's donated its old altar, pulpit, organ, and pews to the fledgling congregation. These were all replaced when Trinity constructed a new church building in 1916.

Meanwhile, St. Paul's constructed a large new brick edifice in 1887–1889, at a cost of $70,000. The young ladies of the congregation donated a $4,000 Barckhoff organ (later sources give the price as $6,000), which was supposedly the largest organ in the city at that time. It was installed in August 1889 and dedicated with the new building on September 15, 1889. Both church and organ were destroyed by a devastating fire in the wee hours of December 3, 1903. A contemporary newspaper article describes the reaction of the organist:

"Professor J. H. Ungemach, organist of the church for many years, had all an artist's love for his instrument. The large organ was one of the finest in the country and Professor Ungemach loved it as he would love a child. When he saw the organ loft and its precious burden topple into the flames, he broke down, covering his face with his hands and wept aloud."

The brick walls and foundation of the church survived mostly intact, and the decision was quickly made to rebuild. With the exception of the vaulting and lighting fixtures, the rebuilt church was an almost exact replica of the old. It was dedicated on April 2, 1905.

Sources: H. G. Sauer and J. W. Miller, Geschichte der Deutschen Ev.-Luth. St. Pauls-Gemeinde zu Fort Wayne, Ind. . . . (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1912), 55, 59.

"The St. Paul Lutherans." Fort Wayne Sentinel, September 14, 1889, p. 4, col. 2.

Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, December 4, 1903, quoted in Patricia Sagester Arthur, Making Joyful Noises: A History of the Pipe Organs of Fort Wayne and Allen County, Indiana (Nappanee, IN: Evangel Press, 2001), 59.