The church was built by immigrants from Austria, who settled in the Jonesboro area in 1852.

Architect Charles Fettinger, one of the settlers, designed the church.

The interior features an intricately carved wooden altar and pulpit, also designed by Fettinger.

The church's bell tower, which is topped by a spire, was added in 1889, and the Queen Anne style parsonage was constructed in the 1900s.

The church is one of the only remnants of southern Illinois' German-speaking population.