USA > Iowa > Johnson County > Leading Events in Johnson County, Iowa, History > Part 30
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Special interest centers in the Evangelical Lutheran church of North Liberty. It was organized here in 1859 by the Rev. David Spricker, who came to preach here after the missionary work of Rev. Conrad Kuhl, a traveler over this part of Iowa who has given an account in his diary, which tells of his ex- periences during those long journeys on horseback.311 From 1859 until 1881 they had a pastor in residence, after which they were supplied from other charges, so that at the present a University student serves the church and continues his studies at the same time.
The Evangelical Association of Penn township dates its es- tablishment from 1850, the first members including six of the family of the name of Green, two Albrights, two Cramers, and one Myers. Their building was erected in 1861 on section sixteen, in which year it was dedicated. Once in its history it numbered seventy-five members, judging from the record which includes the above.
An Evangelical church was founded in Hardin township, located on section twenty-two, in the year 1867. Among the original or charter members were Abraham and Noah Diehl and their families, Noah and Jacob Foster and families, Rob- ert Roup, and G. Kretzer.
The Unitarian church was originally organized as a Uni- versalist church and its records have all been lost or destroyed. In 1878, the society being without a minister, Rev. Oscar Clute was sent by the American Unitarian Association and in the same year the First Unitarian society was organized with about twenty members, most of whom are now deceased or have removed.
A paper in the "Old and New" says in part concerning the Universalist organization :
"Mr. Gilbert Irish tells us in his history of Johnson county that 'prior to 1840 religious meetings were held in the cabins of settlers and that there were few of those cabins that had
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not served at times as temples of worship.' This worship in primitive homes of the settlers ceased, however, after the erection in 1840 of a temporary state house at Iowa City, for then Judge Coleman obligingly gave his consent for the various denominations to gather therein for their services. As this state house was central as well as capacious it soon became the popular meeting house for Iowa City and vicinity, and as such within its walls were heard many religious debates as well as political ones; especially was this true after the arrival of Rev. A. R. Gardner, who was the first Universalist minister to come to the community. He asked permission of Judge Coleman to have his turn along with the ministers of other denominations to hold meetings in the state house, and although a number of the ministers objected strenuously the judge granted the re- quest, and Rev. Gardner, having scored his first point, gave notice of the time of his first meeting. The opposition shown had so advertised him that when the hour of meeting came he had the largest audience that had yet assembled in Johnson county to hear preaching.
"Among a class of liberal, broad minded, charitable indi- viduals he soon had a large following, and they gathered with him on Nov. 6, 1841, at the home of Mr. Ed Foster, on the west side of the Iowa river and there formally organized the First Universalist society of Iowa City. At this meeting Mr. Foster was elected president, Robert Walker, Seth Baker and Daniel Hess, trustees for a term of one year; Seth Baker, clerk; and Daniel Hess, treasurer.
"At the first meeting of the board of trustees a committee was appointed to purchase a house of worship for present use. . The lot on the southeast corner of Iowa avenue and Dubuque street was deeded by the territorial government. The building when completed was a plain but neat, brick structure facing west upon Dubuque street, and was quite a pretentious build- ing for pioneer days.
"For many years the congregation continued to worship in this brick church, and although it was outgrown by stronger organizations and the tide of business surged up to its very eaves, it was not until a fire in 1868 finally destroyed it that serious thought was taken of erecting elsewhere a larger and more commodious building.
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"Rev. Kelso followed Rev. Gardner in the pastorate but did not remain long. He was succeeded by Rev. I. N. Westfall, who was a somewhat erratic scholar, ready to maintain his position with all the strength of a ready debater. Dr. Davis, who came to Iowa City in 1848, was a Universalist in senti- ment, but did not belong to the congregation nor preach in its edifice. He delivered his discourses to a select few in the Me- chanics Academy.
"Rev. S. H. Marble is remembered not only as an earnest worker for his parish, but as one who had a keen understanding of the heart of the child. It was he who first issued merit cards to his Sunday school pupils. The next minister called was Eben Francis, of Newark, N. J., under whose leadership the church prospered.
"Rev. Jos. Kinney followed Mr. Francis as pastor, coming to Iowa City in 1865. He died while serving as pastor and in 1869 Rev. Augusta Chapin was called to fill the vacancy. It was during the early part of her pastorate that the church building burned, and under her leadership, the society within a short time was able to erect the present structure, sold five years ago to the University and now known as Unity Hall. Miss Chapin remained for some time after the dedication of the new church building but was called to a wider field of labor. She was followed by Rev. LeGrand Powers, but he too was soon called from the city.
"In 1878 the American Unitarian Association sent Rev. Oscar Clute to Iowa City. Under his leadership arrangements were made whereby the Unitarians should have the use of the building as long as they sustained regular services there. Thus passed from view and from active participation in the church work of Iowa City that association of Universalists whose organization antedated even that of our statehood."
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Three years after Rev. Clute came to the city the First Uni- tarian Society was organized and so continued to 1908. when it was reincorporated in order to put the society on a better legal basis, owing to the work of building the new church.
Rev. Clute continued his work as pastor until 1885 when he resigned and was succeeded by Rev. Arthur Beavis, and in 1889 he resigned.
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Rev. R. C. Morse, the next pastor, stayed only two years, when Charles E. Perkins was then called to the pastorate and remained four years, when he left the Unitarian church and became a member of the local Congregational body. He is still a member and a minister of that denomination.
Rev. Elinor Gordon became pastor in 1896 and remained until June, 1900, when she moved to Des Moines and became assistant pastor of the Des Moines church. Since going there she has become secretary of the Iowa Unitarian Association, and is one of the leaders of the liberal movement in this state.
Dr. Duren J. H. Ward served as pastor from June, 1900, to September, 1906. It was under his leadership that the present Young Peoples Society was organized and a large number of new workers were introduced into the church.
The church building was sold to the State University at the close of his pastorate. During the school year 1906 and 1907 no services were held, but the Young Peoples Religious Union continued its work.
In 1907 Rev. R. S. Loring, of Boston, was employed by the American Unitarian Association to take charge of the work in this city and under his able direction the work on the new building began within a very short time.
The present pastor, Rev. R. S. Loring, has had a business as well as a theological education, having been for several years connected with the Boston banking house of S. D. Loring and Son.310
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CHAPTER XIX
The Baptist, Christian, and Episcopal Churches
D URING that historical year of 1876 many summaries were given, even if all the plans of Congress for the preserva- tion of the local history were not realized. Churches and pas- tors were especially active in the matter, and among these was Rev. Dexter P. Smith, of the Baptist church of Iowa City. It so happened that his text in part was the same as that of the Presbyterian pastor taken on a like occasion from the 145th Psalm, fourth verse. But Reverend Smith added another text from First Samuel, seventh chapter and twelfth verse, which reads : "And Samuel set up a stone and called the name of it Ebenezer; saying, hitherto hath the Lord helped us."
In preliminary remarks prefacing his church history the pastor made note of the first steps in civilization of the com- munity and commenced with 1837, leading up to the time of the founding of the capital here and the visit of Governor Lucas and family, who came across the prairie from Burlington on horseback and found hospitable quarters after arrival in the log house of Matthew Teneyck, with a ladder to reach the sleeping apartments. But it was not long thus, for by Decem- ber, 1841, the territorial legislature had come here to remain until Iowa became a state, and then the population increased very rapidly.
The first Baptists to locate in Iowa City were Isaiah Choate and I. N. Sanders and wife. In 1841 other members of the denomination having located near the city it was deemed ad- visable to organize a Baptist church. Preliminary meetings were held and delegates from other churches invited to counsel with the little band in reference to the expediency of the pro- posed action. The council met at the Choate school house, Saturday, June 28, 1841, and was composed of the following: From Galena, Ill., Rev. John Champlin; Dubuque, Rev. Burton
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Carpenter; and Rev. W. B. Morey, late of New York. Of the resident members there were B. M. Parks, an elder, Isaiah M. Choate, Newton Sanders, Jehial Parks, Julius Brown, James N. Ball, Harrison, Lucy, Eliza, Orville, and Julia Parks. B. M. Parks was appointed as moderator, and Isaiah Choate, clerk. After due deliberation all agreed in the expediency of the organization. Rev. Carpenter preached in the evening of this day and Rev. Morey on Sunday morning, at which time this group was publicly recognized as the Baptist church of Iowa City. It consisted of twelve members. At the close of the morning's service the congregation assembled on the banks of the Iowa river where Rev. Morey baptized F. Hardee and John Wolf. There was no other church of this denomination nearer than Davenport, fifty-five miles distant, and all who came with- in the reach of this church and were of that denomination naturally found a home there. On July 24, 1841, Rev. Morey, who had attended the council from Dubuque, was called to. preach here one-fourth of his time, his service to commence in October of that year. For a short time the meetings were held in the old State House (Butler's) and afterwards in Choate's school house.
The first year after its organization the church was ad- mitted to the Des Moines association, but soon after by its own request it was dismissed and with others organized the Daven- port association. During 1841 the Iowa Baptist State Conven- tion was organized in Iowa City, with twenty-five delegates present representing twelve churches, with a membership of 350. August 19, 1843, Geo. S. Hampton was licensed to preach, who for a time performed acceptable service in out stations. In 1843 Geo. S. Hampton, Elijah Walker, and Alonzo Dennison were elected trustees, and on petition from the church the legislature of the territory donated them a lot in 1844, which lot, however, was not suitable for the purpose and of little value.
Rev. Morey closed his pastorate in 1844, and Rev. Dexter P. Smith, the same man who brought together these historical facts in 1876, was called to the church the following year, and he had not removed from the city to the date of 1876, although he had changed his church work. The Baptist church had no house and the Universalists had, while the latter congregation
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had no pastor and the former had, so they in this dilemma united, which gave both congregations a church and a pastor. Later the Baptists occupied the old Mechanics' Academy, which during its history served for almost everything that was of a public or semi-public character. From this meeting place they went to the building since known as the Christian Chapel, the site of the "Old Blue Church."
The Iowa Baptist Convention met with the Iowa City church in 1846, in June, and thirty or more of the delegates were quartered in the house of the pastor. Cots were obtained from the American Hotel for the women, and buffalo robes and blankets furnished the make-up for the men on the floor below, while all who could not find room there had to take to the barn. It was said that over three hundred meals were provided at that house during the convention. Such a gathering made an impression on the capital city, and a good Methodist sister, quite awe-struck, was heard to exclaim, "I did not know there were so many Baptists in the world."
In the midst of apparent prosperity the church people were suddenly informed that they could no longer rent the building in which they had been housed, and the children, not learning of this, assembled on Sunday morning as usual for Sunday school only to find the house closed. The pastor met and as- sured them that something would be done to secure them a permanent place of meeting, but where he did not know, since they could not afford to buy a suitable lot. In the fall of 1846, the pastor went east, that last refuge for all the distressed of the day, to find money to build a house for his church. He re- turned with more than $4,000, which made it possible with home funds to build what was then regarded as the best Baptist church in the state.
During the erection of the building a room in the State House was occupied, and this continued until the church dedi- cation in November, 1848. The following June the State Convention of the churches was held once more in Iowa City, and they met in this new church. The pastor, Mr. Smith, made a journey to New York about this time, and while there visited a bell foundry at Troy, where he selected a "sweet toned bell" for his church, but was unable to pay the price until the gen- erous founder of the bell donated a sum, taking the minister's
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personal note for the remainder. The bell was shipped by way of New Orleans, St. Louis, and Muscatine, and then was brought across the country to Iowa City.
During the years 1849 and 1850 the pastor did a great. amount of pioneer work, establishing and sustaining preaching. outposts on "Old Man's creek," Clear creek, at Newport, Downey, and Pleasant Valley. Many of these points after- wards furnished members to the Iowa City church which be- came the parent church to those later established at Downey,. Lone Tree, and Oxford.
In 1851 the pastor for so many years resigned to accept the appointment of state agent for Sunday schools, to which work he devoted eight years, and then served for several years as- general agent and missionary for the Iowa Baptist State Con- vention. In 1867 he was appointed financial agent of the Towa Baptist Union for Ministerial Education, which work he was conducting when this portion of the local church history was prepared. As mentioned, he had not up to this time re- moved from Iowa City, being really one of the pioneers. He was succeeded in December, 1851, by Rev. Belden, who served nearly three years, when he conceived the plan of founding the Collegiate Institute, mentioned before, which was really begun when he was suddenly stricken with the cholera, and within a few hours died, having but a short time before assisted in the burial of one of his former congregation. One pleasing feature of the residence here of Rev. Dexter P. Smith was the ordination of his son, Granger W. Smith, who was born here, converted, licensed to preach, and last of all was ordained here for his life work. His father preached the ordination sermon, and a great crowd witnessed the exercises which were more than ordinary in the life of one family.
This church, like all the churches of pioneer communities, had many experiences that were well nigh sufficient to de- moralize the congregation, but by patient perseverence they came to the time when they were quite independent of the east and the need of missionaries. Much of this, it would appear from the account, was due to the Rev. Dexter P. Smith, D. D.
In 1890 and 1891, the present structure was erected during the pastorate of Rev. T. R. Evans. The west window of the audience room is a memorial of Rev. James C. and Jane Rem-
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ley, the gift of the family. The east window is a memorial to Prof. David Forrester Call, the gift of his student and uni- versity friends. The south window is a memorial to Mr. and Mrs. Sylvanus Johnson and their deceased children, a gift of Dr. Leora Johnson, and the organ is the gift of James Mc- Collister.
Wickham Chapel, erected in 1894, as a mission, is the per- petuation of a Sunday school started in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Wickham, members of the Baptist church. In the work of the mission, members of different denominations lend assist- ance and the whole work is of community interest. The prop- erty is under the control of the church trustees and the super- intendent is elected at the annual meeting of the church clergy with the other church officials. The present pastor is Rev. H. P. Chaffee.312
The Baptist church began its history in Clear Creek town- ship in 1843, when Rev. Dexter P. Smith, so long pastor of the church in Iowa City, perfected an organization of his people here. Previously to this, however, W. H. Headly, an early settler, frequently preached for the people, but before the organization was completed he died. A number of this congre- gation afterwards became part of the Christian church there.
The Baptist church of Lone Tree has a history dating from 1873. Its original members were Rev. Charles Brooks and his family, six of the Aylworths, W. E., Charles H., their wives, and O. N. and Martha, who with John W. Jayne and Annie B. Jayne appear to have been the entire membership at the time. They completed a building in 1874, when it was dedicated by Rev. L. A. Dunn of Pella. Like all the churches of Lone Tree in the years of the organization they provided for the Sabbath school, that continued its work without regard to the seasons, setting an example for all that followed after.
In 1856 a few families living in and near Higbee's Grove, south of Iowa City, organized a Christian church. The meet- ing place was the district school house where a Sunday school had been kept up for some time. This stood about half a mile east of the Higbee Grove on what is known as the lower Musca- tine road. Mr. Jesse Higbee, a neighboring farmer, preached for the congregation and later alternated with Mr. Neumire, also a neighboring farmer. Several families in the city at-
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tended the services at the Higbee school house and in 1863 the father of Mr. John Porter, one of the town members, purchased the Protestant Episcopal church on Iowa avenue and gave it to the church. The removal to Iowa City then occurred and the consequent reorganization took place. The following is the statement of that early organization: "We, the undersigned, disciples of Christ in Iowa City and surrounding country, have this day, March 28, 1863, entered into church relationship with each other, the organization to be known as the Church of Christ at Iowa City, Johnson county, Ia., and we do hereby agree that in all matters of faith and practice we will be gov- erned by the word of God and by that alone."
The elders of this body in 1863 were Z. K. Zimmerman, Oba- diah Higbee, and Frank Barnes. There were 84 charter mem- bers, three of whom are still members of the church (1908), Mr. E. Hinchcliff, Mrs. O. T. Plum, and Mrs. G. W. Bale, whose husband had been an officer in the church since its organization until his death, October, 1897. In the summer of 1863, shortly after the organization was effected, Mr. Samuel Lowe was called to the pastorate. He was followed after only a few months by his brother, John Lowe, who remained with the church until 1866. In this period the church membership in- creased to 115. In June, 1865, Mr. John C. Hay came to Iowa City and remained, preaching part of the time at adjacent points, until the spring of 1869. Over 100 persons were added to the church roll, 70 of whom came through conversion, but owing to deaths and removals the congregation could count but 120 when in the fall of 1869 Mr. Jesse Berry was called to the pastorate. After nine months he was succeeded by Mr. J. Madison Williams, then a student in the University. Mr. Wil- liams remained until the summer of 1872, and was succeeded by S. E. Pearce, who remained until 1874. For some time the church was without a pastor. It was somewhat in debt and discouraged, but kept up the Sunday school, which from the beginning seems to have been its main strength. Its average attendance for this year of 1874 was 80. At a meeting of the church on Sunday, May 16, 1875, Mr. W. B. Craig, then on a visit from Danbury, Connecticut, was chosen pastor and took up the work on September first. When he began work he could find only about 68 members, but in his seven years of ministry
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250 people were added to the church and the church was placed on a good footing. The failure of his wife's health forced him to resign and since that time he has been a resident of Denver, where he has built up a splendid church. On July 13, 1884, Mr. F. B. Walker, who was just finishing his work in Bethany col- lege, was called to the pastorate. The next year the subject of a new church was taken up and abandoned, but the following year the matter was again taken up and after many discourage- ments the present building was erected and formally dedicated on January 23, 1887. In June Mr. Walker resigned, after a very successful pastorate in which he very ably organized the young people in the church work. In September of this same year Mr. J. M. Williams began his second pastorate, remaining for two years, years which were very fruitful in the work of the church.
In 1889 Mr. M. S. Johnson accepted the pastorate, remain- ing with the church until 1892. He was followed by Mr. T. J. Dow, a graduate of Drake University, who labored until July, 1901. During Mr. Dow's pastorate about 400 were added to the church and in all its departments the church was splendid- ly organized. Mr. Dow resigned to accept a position with the East Side church in Des Moines, and has since removed to Minneapolis, where he has done most effective work. Mr. C. P. Leach was invited to accept the pastorate in 1901. He had just finished his work at Yale University and entered the field with all the enthusiasm of the young man who loves his work and thinks it the most important thing in the world. Mr. Leach served the church most acceptably until January 1, 1908. Under his ministry the church had a healthy, normal growth. He was first of all a teacher and early secured the enthusiastic support of the young people of the church. The result was a quick steady growth only broken by one phenome- nal meeting at which 102 members were added to the roll. On January first, 1898, the present pastor, Mr. C. C. Rowlinson, began his pastorate. He is a graduate of Eureka college, Eureka, Ill., and was also.for some time a student at Harvard University. He came to this church from the presidency of Hiram College, at Hiram, Ohio, from which he resigned to take up the work of the ministry again.
The church is congregational in government and democratic
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in principles, the board of officers simply acting as the servants of the church. Its work is done mainly through organizations within the church working with and for the pastor.
The church reached its forty-eighth anniversary on March 28, 1911, although as indicated it was really established before that length of time in the past.818
The Christian church of Morse was dedicated on January twenty-fifth, 1880, by Rev. J. B. Vawter, the state evangelist of the church, whose headquarters were in Des Moines, and Rev. W. B. Craig, who was pastor in Iowa City, and afterward chancellor of Drake University, occupying a prominent place in a Denver church in recent years. This was probably the best building in the township among the churches of the time, and the township has been well supplied with such buildings. The congregation of this denomination in Iowa City presented the church here with a silver communion service. The com- mittee who had the building in charge was Thomas Metcalf, Orrin and William Andrews.
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