USA > Colorado > Arapahoe County > History of the city of Denver, Arapahoe County, and Colorado > Part 34
USA > Colorado > Denver County > Denver > History of the city of Denver, Arapahoe County, and Colorado > Part 34
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The early history of the Church is chiefly remark- able in this, that it was organized by a veteran clergy- man, sixty-four years of age, who braved all the hardships and discomforts of a journey across the Plains, in obedience to the call of duty. From a sermon preached by Rev. P. V. Finch, upon the death of Father Kehler, in 1879, we learn that "Father Kehler arrived here January 17, 1860, and, with- out waiting, plunged boldly into his chosen work, organizing a parish, and securing a donation from
the Town Company of sixteen lots on Champa street. On the 29th day of January, 1860, just twelve days after the arrival of the new Rector, services were inaugurated in the Union School- house of Prof. Goldrick, on the bank of Cherry Creek, on what was then called McGaa street, now the corner of Holladay and Fourteenth streets, and occupied by a corral. The schoolhouse was a log building, and was eventually converted into a reading-room. It was headquarters for war news during the great rebellion, and the excited crowds that were wont to assemble there demanded its use as well on Sundays as on other days. Hence, the congregation was compelled to remove to à building owned by Mr. Byand, one of the vestry, which stood on the site now occupied by the American House. Having outgrown the accom- modation offered here,' they removed to Apollo Hall, a log house, which then stood in the rear of the site now occupied by the News Building, and from this position they again removed to where Taylor's Museum now stands, in the Ruter Block. But, like Noah's weary dove, they had not yet found a permanent resting-place. Their wander- ings must still continue, and so another move was made to the District Court room, on the corner of Eighteenth and Larimer streets, directly opposite the present Alvord House. The Rector and his family occupied the upper story of the Court House as a residence. This position, though, however, it might answer for court purposes, was then considered too far out of town for a church, and so a final move was made to the brick portion of the present church edifice," which was pur- chased from the Southern Methodists.
From the first, the Church was self-sustaining. When Bishop Talbot declined to dedicate a building to the worship of God until an existing deht had been wiped out, he builded wiser than he knew. The Church has never been in debt since. Father Kehler continued to exercise the pastorate until 1862, when another duty called him, and he was chosen Chap- lain of the First Colorado Regiment, and remained with the regiment during its term of service, after
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which he was compelled, on account of his advanced age and increasing infirmities, to give up active par- ticipation iu the ministry, though, until shortly be- fore his death, in 1879, he remained an honored resident of the city. After his resignation, the rectorship was assumed by Rev. H. B. Hitchings, now one of the clergymen of Trinity Church, New York. Mr. Hitchings remained in charge until 1869, when Bishop Randall succeeded him as the Pastor, in addition to his duties as Missionary Bishop. Prior to Bishop Randall's advent, very little in the way of improvement or advancement had taken place. That gentleman, however, see- ing the future that lay before his Church, began to lay the foundation for a more extended scope of usefulness. In 1866, Bishop Randall first con- ceived the idea, and broached it to the Mission Board of his Church, of establishing schools for both boys and girls. In 1867, he reports having com- menced the construction of the girls' school, known as Wolfe Hall, from Miss Wolfe, to whose generos- ity the institution, in a great measure, owes its ex- istence. The main building was completed in 1868. In 1873, it was found necessary to enlarge its capacity, and again in 1879. The building is now an ornament to the quarter of Denver in which it is located. The total cost of building and grounds to date is not far from $50,000. At the close of the last school year, eighty pupils were in attendance. On September 23, 1868, the corner-stone of the boys' school, at Golden, was laid. A large proportion of the funds necessary for this work was contributed by Mr. George E. Jarvis, of Brooklyn, N. Y., in honor of whom the acad- emy was named Jarvis Hall. On the night of No- vember 29, 1869, a tornado passed over the build- ing, then under roof, and left it a heap of ruins. Assistance came promptly, however, and the hall was rebuilt at once. In the fall of 1871, an ap- peal was made to the East for the means to establish a theological school. In response to this appeal, Mr. Nathan Matthews, of Boston, built, at his own cost, a handsome building for this purpose, in con- nection with Jarvis Hall. Matthews Hall, as the
school is called, was formally opened September 19, 1872. Mr. Jarvis, in addition to his former liberality, in 1870, gave $10,000, to be invested as might be thought proper, and not touched until the principal was $20,000, when the income should be used for the education of young men for the ministry. The fund was invested in real estate, which is now considered worth $20,000, though as yet it is unproductive.
In 1874, Bishop Randall died, after a life of the most active usefulness, in which but one thought animated him-how to do the most for the Church whose interests he was appointed to serve. He was succeeded by Bishop John F. Spalding, Rev. P. Voorhees Finch succeeding to the rectorate of St. John's.
During the first year of Bishop Spalding's ad- ministration, the convocation of Wyoming and Col- orado was formed. Before this, the district had not been perfectly organized, though Bishop Randall had held convocations regularly. The missionary district was now clearly defined, however, and the parishes put in order.
In 1875 the requirements of the Church and the extension of the city made it necessary to build a new church to accommodate those living at a distance from St. John's, and Trinity Memorial Chapel was built, immediately supplying a want that had long been felt in that quarter of the city, which until then had been entirely without church facilities. Like the mother Church, Trinity Chapel has always been self-supporting.
In 1876, another field was occupied by the erec- tiou of Emanuel Chapel in West Denver. Like Trinity, Emanuel was the first place of public wor- ship erected in that quarter of the city, and still retains the distinction of being the only church in a ward containing a population of about 2,000. Con- nected with this chapel is All Saints' Mission of North Denver.
During the 4th of April, 1878, Jarvis IIall was destroyed by fire, and during the night of April 6, Matthews Hall was burned to the ground. The loss was exceedingly heavy, not alone on the
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buildings but on the furniture, and a large and valuable library which had been growing for sev- eral years, and included a number of works difficult to replace. Only a portion of the value of the buildings was covered by insurance, but with char- acteristic energy steps were at once taken to rebuild. It was, for a time, undecided whether to rebuild on the old site, or remove to Denver, but the superior advantages arising from a location in the capital city, and the fact of Denver's being the resi- dence of the Bishop, turned the scale in her favor, and, early in 1879, the erection of the building on ground owned by the Church in the eastern part of the city was commenced. The building was completed in the fall. Standing on an eminence at the head of one of the handsomest streets of Denver, the new edifice is one of the most attractive features in that quarter of the city. Owing to the heavy loss of capital by the fire, the Church has been unable to rebuild the theological depart- ment of Jarvis Hall, and for the present divinity students will be accommodated in the main build- ing.
In April, 1879, the resignation of Mr. Finch, as Rector of St. John's, tendered the preceding Octo- ber, took effect, and soon afterward an invitation was extended to Rev. Henry Martyn Hart, of Blackheath, England, to assume the duties of the parish. Mr. Hart accepted the call, and took charge of the parish in September, 1879.
But little improvement has been made in the structure of St. John's since 1860. At that time a small brick edifice, erected by the Southern Methodists, accommodated all who came. Since then the call for improvements other than those immediately connected with their church edifice have been so frequent, that beyond the construction of a frame addition to accommodate the growing congregation, nothing has been done. Arrange- ments are now making, however, to erect a church, such as will fairly represent the size and wealth of the congregation. The value of the church prop- erty, in Denver alone, is now not far from $125,000. Much of this was donated, but a large portion is
the outgrowth of the zeal and piety of the mem- bers themselves.
METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH SOUTH.
After' the retirement of Mr. Bradford and the sale of the church property in 1861, there was no organization of the Southern Methodist Episcopal Church for ten years. A number of the mem- bers of that communion were residents of the city, but most of these connected themselves with other churches. Occasionally a clergyman of that de- nomination would preach in the city, but no effort at organization was made until July 16, 1871, when the present society was formed under the pastorate of Rev. A. A. Morrison. The new society at once commenced making arrangements for erecting a church edifice, and, purchasing a lot on Arapahoe street, erected a temporary building, which was used for the Sunday school until the church was completed, in the fall of the same year. Mr. Morrison occupied the pulpit until October 14, 1872, when he was succeeded by Rev. W. H. Warren. September 26, 1873, Rev. E. M. Mann was appointed Pastor; Rev. W. C. Hearn, Septem- ber 29, 1874; Rev. W. G. Miller, October 1, 1875; Rev. William Harris, September 26, 1876, and Rev. W. J. Phillips, September 1, 1877, since which time the latter gentleman has remained in charge. In 1874, the Church was admitted to the Confer- ence of Colorado, Wyoming and Montana, this Conference remaining until 1878, when it was divided, and the Conference of Colorado formed. The Church has made but little noise in the relig- ious history of the city, but it has held its own and been self-sustaining since its organization. The record of memberships shows eighty-two members in 1874. Many changes in the membership have taken place on account of removals from the city, but notwithstanding this, there has been a constant increase, the membership in 1879 numbering 114. In the winter of 1878-79 the church was almost entirely rebuilt, and enlarged, handsomely decor- ated, refitted and refurnished throughout, making it now among the pleasantest places of worship in the
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city. The increase in the membership in 1879 was fifty-nine persons. The Church is entirely out of debt, and the property is valued at $3,500.
TEMPLE EMANUEL.
There are few places in the Far West in which the Jews have not exercised an important influ- ence, and Deuver is no exception to the rule. The enterprise and energy that characterize the race, and that have rendered them prominent in all ages and countries, brought them to Cherry Creek among the first band of adventurers who were drawn here by the golden rumors. Early in 1860, the few then here formed a society for the burial of their dead according to the rites of their creed, and from this a cemetery association was organized by Julius Mitchell, Isidor Deitsch, A. Jacobs, H. Z. Salomon, and A. Goldsmith. This body formed the nucleus of the present church society, and is still in existence. While not organized specially for religious services, other than those connected with the burial of members of their creed, the association as a body held the exercises of their faith at least three times a year-on the Passover, the New Year and the Day of Atonement. Ser- vices were held in the building on the corner of Fifteenth and Larimer streets, and also in the Tap- pan Block, corner of Holladay and Fifteenth. No further attempt was made toward the formation of a Church until 1873, when the association had so increased that it was determined to form a religious society, and the Congregation Emanuel sprang into existence. The regular services of the Jewish Church were at first held in rooms rented for the purpose, but in 1874, steps were taken to secure the erection of a church edifice, and in 1875, the Temple Emanuel was completed and occupied. The building, though small, is one of the neatest in the city, and cost about $5,000. The first Rabbi to preach in the new edifice was Rev. Mr. Fliescher, who came to Denver in 1874, before the building was completed. He was succeeded, in 1875, by Rev. Mr. Weil, who remained two years, and was followed by Rev. Marx Moses, of
Cincinnati, one of the best-known Jewish teachers in the country. Mr. Moses remained but a short time, and was succeeded by the present teacher, Rev. Mr. Bloch. The congregation now consists of thirty members, and has a Sabbath school of fifty pupils.
METHODISM IN DENVER.
Among the early seekers for gold in Colorado it would have been strange had there been no Meth- odists. That there was no inconsiderahle number of this creed, is evidenced by the fact that the Conference of Kansas, held in 1859, sent a mis- sionary out to minister to the spiritual wants of the flock on the banks of Cherry Creek. Build- ings were scarce at that time, and the little band had to get accommodations when and where they could. Meetings were frequently held in the old building, on Larimer street, between Twelfth and Thirteenth, now falling into ruins, if not already removed. Meetings were held with tolerable regularity, and the missionary met with such success that when he went to the Conference of 1860, at his own re- quest he was re-appointed, but before he started on his return trip to Colorado was taken sick and died. Col, Chivington was then sent out from Kansas as Presiding Elder of the District, and, there being no appointment, took charge of the young church, and preached until the summer of 1861, when he exchanged the word for the sword, accepting a commission as Major of the First Col- orado Volunteers, of which regiment he afterward became the Colonel. In 1860, Mr. A. J. Gill or- ganized the first Sunday school ever held in Colo- rado. About twenty, mostly boys, attended, in a little room in West Denver.
The benches were formed of rough boards, sup- ported at either end with blocks, and afforded the boys an excellent opportunity to indulge in a spe- cies of acrobatics, apparently involuntary, for which no place had been left in the programme of exercises. Years afterward, Mr. Gill created much amusement, by exhibiting a model of that firstSunday school, though his young actors could not compare, in vigorous unruliness, with the originals of 1860.
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Upon Col. Chivington's resignation of his charge he was succeeded by Mr. Dennis, who remained a year, and. like many others about that time, became tired and discouraged, and returned to Kansas.
In the summer of 1862, Oliver Willard succeed- ed to the pastorate of the young church, and held his first services in the second story of the old Court House, the first story of which is still stand- ing in the rear of the West Lindell Hotel. Serv- ices were frequently held in this room, until the fall of 1863, when arrangements were made with Henry C. Brown, for the use of his carpenter-shop, which then stood on the lot now occupied by Greenlee's marble-yard, in West Denver. Here the faithful gathered together until the flood came in 1864, and swept their place of worship, a mass of boards and debris, into the Platte. After the loss of their primitive chapel, services were held in the People's Theatre, on Larimer street, where George W. Brown's building now stands.
In 1863, the first Methodist Conference of Col- orado was held in Denver, Bishop Ames presiding. Less than a dozen clergymen were present, of whom the veteran Father Dyer is the last one now remaining in the harness in Colorado. By this time, the Methodists of Deuver were quite respecta- ble in number, and a movement was set on foot in the Conference for the building of a church. Bishop Ames urged the building of the church, promising, if they would undertake it, to give $1,000 toward it. This first Conference appoint- ed Mr. Willard Presiding Elder, and appointed Rev. George Richardson to succeed him in the pastorate.
The-corner stone of the present church edifice, on Lawrence street, was laid early in 1864, and work progressed rapidly both on that and on the seminary, which the Conference had also decided to build. The seminary building was finished first, and services were held therein until the completion ofthe church, which was formally dedicated in 1865. Rev. William M. Smith was appointed to the Church in 1865, and served a year. In 1866 Rev. B. T. Vincent assumed the pastorate, remain- ing until 1868. Rev. John L. Peck occupied the
pulpit from 1868 to 1870, when Rev. Thomas R. Slicer was appointed and remained two years. In 1872, Mr. Vincent re-occupied the pulpit for two years, and was followed by Rev. J. R. Eads, who served three years and gave place to the present Pastor, Rev. Earl Cranston. The construction of the church, which cost $25,000, was a severe strain upon a young congregation; for most of the hrick, $25 per thousand was paid, and all other material and labor in proportion. The work was under- taken by energetic men, however, and was pushed through without a halt, and without incurring a debt.
In 1872, the city had spread almost out of hearing of the church bell, and the advisability of building a new church to accommodate the people living at a considerable distance from the church, was taken under advisement. It was finally resolved to build a small church in the eastern part of the city, and the California Street Church was the result. The wisdom of this movement is apparent from the fact that the Church has now a member- ship of between eighty and one hundred. The cost of the edifice was in the neighborhood of $3,000.
But this relief was still not sufficient to prevent the crowding of the parent church, and according- ly in 1873, Conrad Frick and Mr. Rietz, two of the oldest members of the Church, suggested the pro- priety of erecting a German Methodist Church. A canvass of the Germans of the city developed the fact that there were among them a sufficient number of Methodists to make the enterprise suc- cessful, many of whom had hitherto neglected their religious duties, because not sufficiently well acquainted with the language to be able to under- stand the services in English. Accordingly, an association was formed, and during the same year (1873), the church was completed and occupied. The building is of brick and stone, is centrally located, cost with the lots and a neat and commo- dious parsonage, $14,000, all of which is paid, and has a membership of about sixty-five. Rev. Philip Kuhl, the first Pastor in charge, was the first
Charles Denison M.S.
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HISTORY OF DENVER.
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German Protestant clergyman in Colorado. His successors in the pulpit were Rev. J. G. Leist and Dr. M. Klaiber.
In 1874, it was found necessary to afford still further relief to the Lawrence Street Church, with the alternative of building a new house. It was wisely determined to accommodate the people liv- ing at a distance, instead of laying out money in large amounts on a new edifice, and accordingly ground was procured in the southern part of the city, and St. James' Church erected, The edifice was completed in 1875, and during the following year a parsonage was added, the total cost being about $5,000. The present membership is about seventy-five.
In 1877, the Lawrence Street Church again began to find difficulty in seating its members. The question of building was a very serious oue at that time, and the problem was still unsolved, when Gov. Evans generously came forward, and himself built a chapel on his own lands in the south- western part of the city. The building is one of the handsomest of the smaller edifices in the city, built entirely of Morrison stone, and costing about $3,500.
The total membership of the Methodist denomi- nation in Denver is now not far from six hundred, and the value of its church property, nearly all of which is actually used for church purposes, is little, if any, less than $100,000, a remarkable instance in the church history of Colorado, of rapid growth from small beginnings when it is considered that the only donation of any moment received in Denver, is the gift of Memorial Chapel, by Gov. Evans.
SEVENTEENTH STREET PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
The division in the First Presbyterian Church of Denver occurred on November 23, 1868; and the immediate cause of the division was the action of a portion of the members in withdrawing from the Old School communion and joining that of the New School. The members who maintained their connection with the Old School retained the Church name; and, having possession of the records from
the first organization, December 15, 1861, claim, with some show of justice, to be the original First Presbyterian Church of Colorado. On November 20, 1868, the Church extended an invitation to Rev. A. R. Day, formerly Pastor of the Church; and Mr. Day being commissioned by the Board of Domestic Missions, preached until March, 1869, when he accepted a call from the Church at Boulder. The congregation not being able to obtain the use of the church building ou Fifteenth street, which was occupied by their old New School associates, obtained the use of the District Court room, in which services were regularly held, there having been, however, a lapse of some time after the separation before this place was secured, the congregation, meantime, worshiping wherever a suitable room could be obtained. Rev. C. M. Campbell succeeded Mr. Day-ministering to the Church from April, 1869, to April, 1870. Feb- ruary 18, 1870, the Presbytery of Colorado was organized, and, at the request of the congregation, the name was changed to that of the Westminster Church. After several changes of name, however, that of the Seventeenth Street Presbyterian Church was adopted, which name it still retains.
In May, 1870, the Board of Domestic Missions gave Rev. W. Y. Brown an open commission to visit the Church, with a view of becoming its Pastor. Mr. Brown arrived in Denver in July, and became connected with the Presbytery of Colorado on August 16.
During the summer of 1870, while Mr. Brown was absent on a vacation, the room on Larimer street, corner of Eighteenth, which had been used as the District Court room, was given up by the County Commissioners, and the present location in Hughes' Block secured for a term of years. On Mr. Brown's return, the Church was without a place of worship, and, on application to the Com- missioners for leave to use the new court room, he was informed that the room could not be used for any purpose except for the uses of the county. This was a severe blow to the struggling congre- gation, which now became scattered, and dwindled
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away-many forming connections with other churches. During the months of November and December, when the Baptist congregation was without a Pastor, they generously tendered the use of the basement of their edifice, then used by them- selves, for the use of their houseless brethren. This brief interval of service put new life in the congregation; and, early in 1871, an earnest effort was made to secure funds for the erection of a new church. Lots were obtained on the corner of Seventeenth and Stout streets; and, by the most unremitting labor on the part of Mr. Brown and his zealous little flock, the present church was completed in March, 1872. The dedicatory serv- ices took place on March 10, 1872, and the church was thronged, and has prospered fairly ever since. The building is a handsome Gothic, of brick and stone, with stained-glass windows-the gift of Sabbath schools East; will seat three hundred per- sons, and cost $12,200, nearly every cent of which was collected and paid in a single year. The con- gregation, upon oceupying the new church, had dwindled down to a membership of twenty-five, with an attendance of from forty to sixty, but the earnest zeal of Mr. Brown, who appears to have been the type of a working Western clergyman, resulted in an immediate and rapid increase, so that, during the single year in which he labored in the new edifice, to erect which he had labored so faithfully, the membership had inereased to one hundred and fifty-four, with an attendance of about two hundred. Mr. Brown filled the pulpit until December, 1873, when, much to the regret of the congregation, he was compelled to sever his connection with the Church, followed by the good wishes of all with whom he had labored so suc- cessfully. An invitation was then extended to Rev. R. T. Sample, and, on March 16, 1874, Mr. Sample was duly elected Pastor. In July, 1874, Mr. Sample was compelled to withdraw from the field, and Rev. C. H. Hawley, of Batavia, was invited to occupy the pulpit. On August 4, 1875, a formal call was extended to Mr. Hawley, who, without definitely accepting the call, occupied the
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