Altenburg

History

Altenburg (German for "Old Castle") was laid out and platted in 1839 by a colony of Lutherans. It was named after the Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg from where many of its settlers came, and not the city of Altenburg which does not seem to have sent a single colonist. Altenburg is one of seven towns and villages in the area founded by German Lutheran immigrants in 1839. Altenburg and the other communities—Dresden, Frohna, Johannisberg, Paitzdorf, Seelitz, and Wittenberg—were all named by settlers for towns in the Saxony region of their native country. These settlers would form the backbone of what would later become the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. Trinity Lutheran Church was established in 1839 in a log cabin, and was later replaced by a limestone, and then a frame church. Soon after arriving, the immigrants constructed a school in Altenburg. Made of native timber, this "Log Cabin College" introduced the new idea of a co-educational school, a rarity at the time.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,730
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  3,376
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  3,134
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,084
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  2,791
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,778
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,295
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  2,281