The structure is a log building under a protective shelter situated in the Trinity Lutheran Church maple grove.

It is now located in the maple grove across from the Trinity Lutheran Church and contains museum exhibits relevant to the history of Altenburg.

It was moved to its present location in 1912; and the vertical 2-by-6-inch (51 by 152 mm) oak timbers were attached to the walls to stabilize the structure.

This unique migration was made up of Germans, principally from the Kingdom of Saxony, who had embraced the teachings and leadership of Martin Stephan.

From his pulpit in St. John's Church in Dresden, Stephan preached an orthodox brand of Lutheranism that ran counter to the trend towards rationalism that for various reasons was increasingly dominating the religious life of Saxony.

Stephan was not a great pulpit orator, but he did possess an unusual sensitivity to the spiritual needs of people and between 1823 and 1837 he attracted a large following.

His adherents included not only farmers and craftsmen, but also lawyers, teachers, merchants, high ranking government officials and clergy.

[6] In late April, 1847, at a meeting in Chicago, the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio and Other States was organized with C. F. W. Walther as its first president.

[7] Control of the seminary then passed to the synod, having been relinquished by the Trinity congregation, with the understanding that the school be moved to St. Louis.

It was also a unifying factor, giving the ministers and congregations of St. Louis and Perry County a common objective and contributing to the formation of the Missouri Synod.

This sale was probably confirmed by an 1859 quit claim deed transferring the cabin and 4.3 acre lot from the Loeber heirs to Gottlieb Funke for $80.00.

The eleven students who reported that day seven boys and four girls were greeted with an ambitious and rich educational program.

Their teachers received no compensation for the school had no finances, but they were well trained in European universities and deeply convinced of the importance and necessity of a sound education.

Their institution was patterned after the gymnasium, the Latin grammar school of Saxony, and their program was that advocated for centuries by Christian humanists.