08/04/2026
The St. Michael Historical Society presents two images in this post: one old, the other new. The old image on the left is the prayer card for John K. Zachman provided to mourners at his wake and funeral in 1909. Like many children born to immigrant parents, his name existed in a German form and in an English form. The anglicized version was John K. (Kayden) Zachman. This is the version that appears on his headstone. The German version was Johann K. (Kajetan) Zachmann, which we see on the prayer card. Today, the Zachmans and the Zachmanns may have a friendly quarrel as to the correct spelling of their last name. Prior to the 20th century in Germany, both spellings were used depending on who was writing it down; but whether they use one "n" or two, they all descend from the same family in Germany. The translation of the top of the prayer card is this: "Jesus, Maria, Joseph! Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord. From now on, says the Spirit, they will rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them. Revelation: 14:13" The next part says, "In pious remembrance in prayer for Johann K. Zachmann". Then, the longer paragraph provides the following information about the life and death of Mr. Zachman, "The deceased was born in Illinois on December 9, 1854, and died—fortified by the holy sacraments for the dying—on November 3, 1909, in St. Michael, Minnesota, in his 55th year, following a brief but severe illness." John's parents were John Zachman, Sr. and Emily (Aydt) Zachman. They married in 1849 in Joliet, Illinois where John Jr. was born in 1854. The next year they traveled to Minnesota and were among the very first settlers of St. Michael, taking a claim on land that today is partially occupied by J&B and Rachel Contracting. John K. Zachman spent his boyhood helping his family establish a successful farm. In 1878 he opened a store on Main Street. He married Lena Willems in 1880 and together raised a large family. He was appointed Postmaster for St. Michael in 1881 and the post office would remain connected to the family store until the post office moved to the present site in 1980. After John K.'s untimely death at age 55, his wife Lena took over the store and post office. Later, their daughter Clara and her husband Barney Bloms took over the store, which then passed to their son Roger and his wife Verna (Duerr) Bloms. Even though John K. Zachman died 54 years after the first Germans arrived here, German remained the common tongue, although kids learned English at school. People used English more as St. Michael became less isolated in the 1920s with automobile traffic and also because of negative associations with Germany during both world wars. However, many alive today still remember hearing their parents or grandparents converse in German, especially if they were playing cards or saying things they didn't want the kids to know.
The second image on the right is of the recently erected sculpture entitled "Spirit of St. Michael" by Minnesota artist Greg Mueller. The sculpture was commissioned by the St. Michael Historical Society with material support from the City of St. Michael. The activity was made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Central MN Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund. The sculpture suggests the shapes of a ship's mast and a plow and honors the immigrants who founded St. Michael. Together the artistic elements create open arms to welcome all those who make St. Michael their home. The public is invited to a dedication ceremony this coming Saturday, August 8th, at 11:00 AM at the sculpture which is located in the city park between the splashpad/playground and the pond.
