According to the oldest voters meeting minutes, Trinity’s first called pastor was the Rev. F. Engelbert to whom the congregation extended its first call on April 11, 1886. In addition to his own congregation of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Cullman and two other preaching places, he accepted this call also. He served Trinity faithfully from the fall of 1885 to the fall of 1887.
During these two years Pastor Carl Burkart served no only the Garden City congregation as pastor and school teacher, but in 1886 also stared mission work in Birmingham. In October of 1887 Pastor Burkart became pastor of Trinity as well and on October 24, 1887 he opened the first Christian Day School in Hanceville. Every day Pastor Burkart walked the four mile stretch back and forth from Garden City to Hanceville, teaching the Hanceville school. That was the untiring pioneer spirit of those days.
The same year he accepted the call to Hanceville, Pastor Burkart married Emma Stiefelmeyer. Pastor Burkart accepted a call to Lutherville and Augsburg, Arkansas in 1888 and served there six years until he accepted a call to Memphis, Tennessee. He was pastor there until he resigned during the spring of 1896 after losing his voice.
His brother-in-law, C. A. Stiefelmeyer of Cullman, suggested that Mr. Burkart move to Hanceville and that he buy the Kleibacker and Krump Store. That is the way former Pastor Burkart became a merchant and citizen. Not only was Mr. Burkart a leading citizen of Hanceville, he also served as its mayor.
Carl Burkart died on June 1, 1922, leaving his mark on both the religious and secular history of Hanceville and of Cullman County.