Description of Historic Place

Zion Lutheran Church of Flowing Well is a Municipal Heritage Property located in the Rural Municipality of Lawtonia No. 135, 21.5 kilometres north-east of the Village of Hodgeville. The property features a wood-frame, country church constructed in 1919 that is distinguished by a tall, ornamented steeple, and a cemetery which was established in 1910.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of Zion Lutheran Church of the Flowing Well lies in it status as a continuous meeting place for its congregation since it was constructed in 1919. Replacing a smaller structure erected shortly after the church's founding in 1910, the present structure was needed to serve the expanding congregation. Many members of the congregation are buried in the property's cemetery, including several of the original German-speaking, Russian settlers.

The property is also valued as a tangible reminder of the community of Flowing Well. In addition to the church, the community also included the Johan Reichenberg farmstead seven kilometres away, which included a post office, store and an artesian well. These features made the property a popular stopping place for travellers to and from the C.P.R. mainline at Morse during the early years of settlement. The church is the last of these community buildings standing.

Additional heritage value lies in its Gothic Revival-influenced architecture. Situated on a broad, open plain, the highly visible structure is distinguished by its Gothic-arch windows and tall, central steeple, while the interior retains its sloped balcony. These features associate the property with other churches constructed in German-speaking communities in the province, though the elaborate detailing of the steeple, such as the broached spire and crocketed pinnacles, sets the Zion Lutheran Church of Flowing Well apart. These elements combine to make the church a landmark in the community.

Source:

Rural Municipality of Lawtonia No. 135 Bylaw No. 6/84.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the Zion Lutheran Church of Flowing Well resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those elements that reflect the property’s status as a tangible reminder of the community of Flowing Well, including its location on the original site;
-those elements that reflect the property’s Gothic Revival-influenced architecture, including its regular rectangular plan with apse and central steeple; front-gabled roof; Gothic-arched fenestration, including entrance transom light; wooden-sash windows; a steeple comprising a belfry and broach spire with ridgeboards, pinnacles, and capped by a cross; and the cast bell in the belfry.