USA > Iowa > Des Moines County > The history of Des Moines county, Iowa, containing a history of the country, its cities, towns, &c., a biographical directory of citizens, war record of its volunteers > Part 68
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93
" The first Baptist Church was organized in this county near Danville, in 1834."
We condense from Mr. Salter's sermon the following items confirmatory of other statements made in this work :
The first Congregational and Presbyterian labor was performed by Rev. Asa Turner, then of Quincy, Ill., in 1835-36. Old-school churches were formed in this county and in Burlington in 1837. The oldest Congregational Church in the State was organized at Denmark, May 5, 1838. The Congre- gational Church, at Danville, was organized June 30, 1839.
The German Evangelical Church was formed in Burlington, August, 1843, by Rev. Joseph Rieger.
The earliest Episcopal Church was formed in Burlington, by Rev. John Batchelder, in 1840.
" Old Zion," which was the first church edifice in Burlington, has a remark- able history, closely associated in a multitude of ways with the secular as well as with the religious life of the place. Its history was compiled in 1866 by the Rev. E. H. Waring, for the annual report of the Iowa Methodist Confer- ence, and we produce it here as reliable and quite complete, though, aside from this source, we have personal letters from Dr. Ross upon the subject, from which we occasionally draw.
In the original survey of Burlington, there were no lots set apart either for churches or schools, and Dr. William R. Ross bought the two lots upon which Old Zion now stands, paying $100 for them, and donated them to the church, " to build a new meeting-house." In 1836, he dug " the cellar," as he terms the basement, which cost $72; and all the financial help he had in that portion of the work was $50 from Hon. David Rorer.
Illustrative of the devotion of Dr. Ross to his labor of building a church, and of the conscientiousness of the man, it is related, that when he fully determined to begin work, he began to look about him for pecuniary aid. He applied to Judge Rorer, who at once contributed $100 toward the project. The task proved too great to be carried out, and Mr. Ross was almost dis- couraged. One day he met Mr. Rorer, and admitted to him that he could not get means enough to complete the church, and that he should be obliged to postpone building it. The Doctor acknowledged that he had used half of the contribution made by Mr. Rorer, but that the balance had not been so employed. However, he had used the cash in other ways, and was unable to refund the $50, but would gladly send him brick to that amount, if Mr. Rorer would accept them. The Judge agreed to do so, and Dr. Ross supplied the brick, which went toward constructing the first brick house in Burlington.
The next year, the building proper was commenced ; but, owing to a lack of money, little progress was made. The old record-book has the minutes of a meeting, held March 5, 1838, at " Mr. Chapman's room," to " take into con- sideration, measures for the erection of a meeting-house." The Pastor, Bastion, J. C. Sleeth, Thomas Ballard, Levi Hagar, William Davis and William R. Ross were present. They resolved to build a house of briek, 40x60 feet in size, and Ross, Sleeth and Hagar were appointed a Building Committee. They received the most precise instructions, and were " to estimate the probable expense ; to raise funds ; to plan said building; to let out and make all con-
548
HISTORY OF DES MOINES COUNTY.
tracts, and for security, to have a lien on the building ; to exercise a general superintendence over the work until completed ; and to have power to make their own regulations, and to fill vacancies in their number occasioned in any way." Thus, it will be seen, they had ample powers, and their duties were plainly defined.
On the 10th of March, 1838, the Quarterly Conference, composed of the above-mentioned men, with the addition of the Presiding Elder, approved of the Committee as arranged, and added Adam Fordney to the number. The Committee was zealous in attention to its business, and frequently met to discuss the plans and specifications and proposals submitted by various mechanics. Finally the contract for brick was made with Dr. Ross, on the 15th of June, at the rate of $7.50 per 1,000 ; the contract for stone was made with certain parties, styled the " Germans," at the rate of " one dollar for every twenty-two and a half cubic feet, to be measured clear measure when in the wall." The basement walls were to be two feet thick, and the basement was "to have doors and windows sufficient to make it light and airy," so that the the rooms would be "pleasant and comfortable for meetings and schools." But this the situation of the site, dug out as it was from the steep hillside, effectually prevented.
March 7, 1838, the form of subscription was agreed upon, but the list of subscriptions is lost. The probable cost of the house, " partially completed," was stated at from $2,000 to $3,000. Under date of April 2, 1838, Mr. Bastion says : "The contracts for the stone, lime, lumber, brick, timber amd digging are all let. See list of contracts in this book." But the list of con- tracts is missing.
The work upon the Church, under these arrangements, was commenced in April or May, 1838. June 14, 1838, the following Trustees were appointed : John C. Sleeth, W. R. Ross, Thomas Ballard, Robert Cock and Robert Avery. They held their first meeting June 18, 1838, and resolved, "in their capacity of Trustees of the Church, to assume the responsibility of the business here- tofore transaeted by the Building Committee, and attend to all the duties of their office." In view of this action, Bastion records, June 25, 1838, " the Building Committee is annihilated, and the Trustees assume all the business and obliga- tions."
At this time a begging tour was undertaken by Mr. Bastion, in behalf of the Church. To foot the current expenses of the trip, Ross, Sleeth, Ballard and Hagar made up a purse of $30, and Bastion went as far south as Louis- ville, Ky., where he had to borrow $25 to pay his expenses home. So the account of the trip may be summed up thus :
Cost of trip. $55 00
Receipts 00 00
Loss. $55 00
The Legislature of Wisconsin, then in session in Burlington, passed an Act of Incorporation, which was approved June 22, 1838. This was one of the first acts of its kind passed for Iowa, and the following is its substance. It provided that : "John C. Sleeth, Thomas Ballard, William R. Ross, Robert Avery and Robert Cock, and such other free white persons of full age, as shall be associated with them, according to the rules and discipline of said (M. E.) Church, shall be, and are hereby constituted and made a body in deed and law, by the title and name of the 'Trustees of the M. E. Church in the city of Burlington,' with perpetual succession, and are hereby made capable in law to have, pur-
549
HISTORY OF DES MOINES COUNTY.
chase, receive, take, hold, possess and enjoy to them and their successors, to the use of the said M. E. Church in Burlington, Lots 374 and 375."
During the summer and fall of 1838, the work on the building was pressed vigorously. In a report signed John C. Sleeth and Robert Cock, in which they state the amount of the original subscription to be $1,500, they say : " After having proceeded with the building to a considerable extent, an opportunity presented itself of renting the church (if completed) to the Legislative Assembly. Thinking this opportunity a favorable one for raising funds to pay the expenses of erection, every effort was made to have the building completed in time for that special purpose." This report was made to the Quarterly Conference March 6, 1841. The proposition to rent the church came from Hon. Robert Lucas, Governor of the Territory. The work on the church, so far as it was then completed, was finished by December, 1838, but nothing further was done than to inclose it and put on one coat of plastering. The part then built con- sisted of the " old part " only; the present front and tower were not built until 1846. The doors that stood under the front of the old gallery were originally the front doors of the building. A framed platform extended along the front of the church on the outside, on a level with the floor of the audience-room ; this platform stood on turned posts, and was ascended by a flight of steps from the front pavement. The building, as completed, cost about $4,500.
The Legislature took possession of the building immediately after its com- pletion. The upper room was assigned to the House of Representatives. the front basement to the Senate, and the rear basement was divided by rough board partitions into offices for the Legislative and Territorial officers. Some long benches were provided by the Trustees, but the chairs used in the halls were provided by the Government. The Speakers' desks were made of boards roughly planed and nailed together, so as to form a kind of stand, and the one in the audience-room served, at preaching times, for the pulpit. Amid such surroundings the machinery of legislation was put in motion in the Territory of Iowa.
In their report of 1841, the Trustees gave their aggregate receipts to that date as follows : Received for rent from the Legislature, $2,200 ; on subscrip- tion, $980; total, $3,180. Remaining debt, $1,320; total cost, $4,500. To meet this debt they had a balance of rent due, $300, and of subscription (de- preciated) of about $500.
The debt continued for some years to be a source of vexation and trouble. Rev. D. G. Cartwright relates that while he was filling the place of Rev. I. I. Stewart, during his absence in 1840, the building was threatened with sale, but he succeeded in getting a number of the creditors to release their claims, and in this way over $1,000 of the debt was canceled in less than two days. Dr. Ross, whose attachment to the church was manifested in the most substantial way, writes : " I paid for most of the rock, lime, lumber and all the brick, beside many of the other materials, and many of the workmen, costing me up- ward of $6,000; and, after all, to keep it from being sold at a sacrifice-for it had gone through a court of law and equity, and Conference-I had to sell my own private residence, which cost me $3,400, for $1,200 to save and free the church from debt."
The location of Old Zion, on the west side of Third street, between Wash- ington and Columbia streets, is excellent, being sufficiently central for the northern part of the city, convenient of access to the hotels, and comparatively retired. The church stands on Lots No. 374 and 375 of the original town plat of Burlington. The claim to the town site was held by two brothers-in-law
550
HISTORY OF DES MOINES COUNTY.
named White and Doolittle, and was purchased, as has been stated, by Dr. Ross for $100. The title, however, passed through the preacher, Bastion, who was bound in a penal bond of $10,000 to make the Trustees a title according to the deed of settlement of the M. E. Church, as laid down in the discipline, so soon as he should receive the same from the Patent Office at Washington. The duplicate of the certificate of title, issued in the name of Bastion, was placed in the hands of John C. Sleeth, who was to send it and the entry money to the Land Office. The lots were finally patented to the Trustees of the Church February 4, 1841.
The Iowa Patriot, of December 13, 1838, contains the following : "The new Methodist meeting-house is now occupied by the Legislative Assembly. It is a very neat and substantial building. The basement story, partitioned off for Conference and class meetings, is composed of stone, and the upper part of brick. It is in a commanding situation, and when finished with its cupola and bell, it will be a great ornament to the city of Burlington."
The Legislature of Iowa held four sessions in Old Zion, viz. : The regular sessions of 1838-39 and 1839-40 ; the extra session of July, 1840, and the regular session of 1840-41. The appropriation bills show that the Terri- torial Government paid for the use of the church a total of $2,500.
Beside its use by the Legislature, the church was rented for several years for the Supreme Court of Iowa, and the District Court of Des Moines County. While used for this purpose in June, 1845, the Mormon murderers, the Hodge brothers, were tried and convicted of murder in the first degree. The verdict was delivered on Sunday morning, June 22, and in the afternoon of the same day, the wretches were sentenced to death from the pulpit of Old Zion, by Hon. Charles Mason. They suffered the extreme penalty of the law July 15 following.
The church being, at that time, the only commodious building in Bur- lington, was used for a long time for political meetings, lectures and even shows.
On the 23d and 24th of January, 1840, it was the scene of an Indian council, held by Gov. Lucas with the chiefs of the Sac and Fox Indians. About fifty Indians, including Hardfish, Nasheaskuk, and many other prom- inent men of the tribes, were present. They came to complain of the des- ecration of the old Black Hawk's grave. The whole affair wound up with a big war dance and Indian show.
On Monday night, December 16, 1838. it was the headquarters of a company of soldiers, numbering about one hundred and fifty, from Musca- tine, who were on their way to the threatened border war between Iowa and Missouri, respecting the Territorial line. The principal circumstance remem- bered with this event is that of their being supplied with a barrel of whisky by the citizens, many of whom joined with the volunteers in the revelry of the night.
After the vacation of the church by the Courts, the basement was fitted up for school purposes.
Four sessions of the Iowa Conference have been held in Old Zion, viz. : September 3-8, 1845-Bishop Morris ; Secretary, H. W. Reed.
September 20, October 4, 1852-Bishop Ames; Secretary, M. H. Hare. August 21-26, 1861-Bishop Scott ; Secretary, E. H. Waring. September 2-7. 1868-Bishop Janes ; Secretary, E. H. Waring.
On account of its various uses, the building was known by different names. Usually, in early times, it was called " The Methodist Church " ; but frequently
551
HISTORY OF DES MOINES COUNTY.
it was styled " The Court House " or "The State House." An illustration of the use of the latter title is found, queerly enough, in a religious notice in the Iowa Patriot of December 13, 1838 : " A two-days' meeting will be held in the State House on Saturday evening next, and continuing until Sunday night. Revs. Scott and Arrington are expected.
The popular name of "Old Zion" dates from 1851. J. S. McKenny, formerly one of the editors of the Burlington Telegraph, gives the following account of the christening: "In 1851, we were publishing, in company with Hon. James M. Morgan, the Daily Telegraph. Some time during the year, it was found that the roof of the church was in very bad condition, and the ladies of the congregation determined upon holding a festival to raise funds to put a new roof on the building. When the time arrived for holding the festi- val, the late Hon. Judge Stockton came to the Telegraph office, and requested that we should get up a 'poster' for the occasion, saying that he would leave the matter with us. The bill was printed, the leading lines reading thus: 'Old Zion wants a new roof.' We had no intention at the time of naming the church, our object in using the name being merely to make the bill attractive, but thus we accidentally had the honor of naming 'Old Zion.'"
The name thus given was immediately attached to the church, and has continued to be its title. In 1854, the station organized in the church was rec- ognized by the Conference as Old Zion Station. In reference to the remarka- ble history of the old church, Hon. Charles Mason, in his speech delivered at the Old Settlers' Festival, held in Old Zion Church, June 2, 1858, made some interesting remarks which we reproduce:
"As illustrative of the novel uses to which it was necessary to adapt the limited means within our reach in those early days, and the shifts to which we were driven by the great mother of invention, I need but remind you of some of the scenes which have been witnessed within these very walls. The main body of this edifice has now been standing about twenty years. It was the first, and for many years the only, church-building in the city of Burlington. Whoever at the present day sits within its hallowed precincts, listening to the fervid prayer, the calm discourse, the swelling anthem, the loud hosan- na, would be very erroneous in the conclusion that these were the only sounds that had ever echoed within its consecrated walls. No; other halls have witnessed more important and more tragical scenes; but where will you find those that can give a more varied history of what had transpired within them ?
"Here was embodied for a number of years the legislative wisdom of the Territory of Iowa-the 'Lower House' occupying, paradoxically, the halls above, and the 'Upper House' the rooms below. From these went forth those edicts which for many a year have ruled this goodly land. Here too, the supreme judicial tribunal of the Territory held its sometime session, and the regular terms of the District Court were here convened for many a successive year. Here the rights of person and property were adjudi- cated; here the felon trembled and hoped at the prospect of an inefficient pen- itentiary, and here the murderer received his final earthly doom.
"Nor is this all. With the eye of vivid recollection I see before me the assembled patriotism of this young city in democratic council convened, to hear the propositions brought by the bearers of a flag of truce from a hostile camp, to discuss, in high debate, the momentous question of peace or further war with our more powerful though not more valiant antagonist. A model war was that and right worthy of our praise, where not one drop of hostile blood
552
HISTORY OF DES MOINES COUNTY.
was shed; where those who won the glory paid the bills, and ever since then their hearts have inclined to peace.
" Finally, within these walls the amiable Governor of the Territory met in friendly conference the representatives of some of his dissatisfied red children, to hear their complaints, and at least to promise them redress-an easy and oft-repeated remedy. Here the citizens listened to the native eloquence of the red men, and were treated to the exhibition of the song and the war-dance. The wild whoop of the savage, which had so often carried dismay and horror to many a stout heart, failed to make any impression upon Old Zion, which then, as now, looked on in strange gravity, and seemed to be fully determined not to be surprised at any strange scene that might transpire within it."
The war to which the Judge referred was the dispute which sprang up be- tween the State of Missouri and Iowa respecting their border line, when the military forces were actually called out and bloodshed seemed not improbable.
Nor has Old Zion lacked a poet to celebrate its history in immortal verse. At the Old Settlers' Festival, before referred to, Johnson Pierson, Esq., read a poem, in which there are the following lines :
" Now rose thy walls, Old Zion, which have stood The dread assaults of wasting time and flood. Thou wast our hope for many rolling years, Shook with our joy, as often soothed our tears. Poured out like raindrops from the smitten cloud When the live vaulting thunder rifts its shroud. Thou wert our forum, scene of many a sport, In Pleasure's drama and Ambitiou's court. Here, too, our village beauty rushed to see The motley Indian-dance of savage glee ; Here was the patriot's stand, when border war Chained his fierce dragons to his bloody car. But our good guns, and swords of burnished sheen, Showed we were brave-a dangerous set of men. We went, saw, conquered-not the foe-the meat Our kuapsacks held; then made-a grand retreat ! We rushed with eager haste from war's alarms, Covered with glory, to our shops and farms, To hear the plaudits : ' Patriots brave, well done !' So thou, old pile, hast been our guiding star In all the varied scenes of peace and war."
After the church was abandoned by the Legislature, in 1840, the members united and put in some rough benches, with a narrow back to each seat. These were placed in the "amen corners," and just in front of the stand. The rest of the house was filled with benches destitute of backs. About 1845, the house was comfortably fitted with pews. The plastering, however, was not finished for several years.
The first pulpit, as used by the Speaker of the Legislature, was succeeded by a regular "tub" concern, that half encircled the preacher as he stood within it. The third pulpit, a high and massive structure, " marbleized," and no doubt thought tasteful in its day, was built by Evan Evans, Esq. Inside of one of the columns, when taken down in 1862, was found written in pencil, " August 22nd, 1845." This pulpit was displaced by a small grained desk, erected by Rev. E. H. Waring, in 1862. But its day was brief, for in the renewal of the church in 1864, the neat, small pulpit of oak and walnut now in use took its place. The pulpit originally stood in its present position ; but, in 1843, the seats were reversed, and the pulpit placed between the entrance doors. This was done at the instance of the Presiding Elder, Rev. B. Weed, in order to
553
HISTORY OF DES MOINES COUNTY.
avert the confusion incident upon a whole congregation turning round to scan every new arrival. But later, the original arrangement was restored.
The front and cupola date to 1846. Then, under the superintendence of Rev. E. S. Norris, the addition, including the vestibule, stairways, gallery and steeple, was put up, at a cost of $1,200. The external work was much better done than the internal. The stairs were awkwardly arranged, and the gallery -once termed by C. Dunham, late editor of the Hawk-Eye, "the cock-loft of Old Zion "-was almost wholly unfit for use.
The bell, weighing 1,452 pounds, was put in in 1850. It is of fine material and of excellent tone. In 1862, the Old Zion and Ebenezer stations were united under the charge of the Rev. Mr. Waring. In the spring of 1864, by a vote of the membership, at a meeting held for the purpose, the place of meet- ing was changed to Ebenezer. Upon the occurrence of these events, the friends of Old Zion rallied, a meeting was held, and it was determined to repair the church, and ask for a re-establishment of Old Zion Station. Subscriptions were taken, and the work of restoration undertaken. The Hawk-Eye chronicled the changes thus :
" OLD ZION .- This venerable edifice, in its internal arrangements, has been thoroughly remodeled. Through the body of the church now run three aisles, two side and one center; the old gallery has been removed, and in its place are the pews, but slightly raised above the main floor, and a new and tasteful pulpit succeeds the old one. The ceiling is adorned in fresco, while on each side of the pulpit is a tablet in fresco, on which are appropriate scriptural quotations, admirably lettered. In the center of the ceiling is a circular aperture five or six feet in diameter, constructed for the purpose of ventilation. The windows, formerly old-fashioned and quite low, are now arched, thereby adding greatly to the beauty of the church, not only within, but without. The seats are somewhat lower than formerly, and have been tastefully grained. Where the two side doors were, book-cases are arranged."
This account omits the removal of the fence in front, and the reconstruction of the stairs, and gives the cost of the repairs at $2,000.
The church, which has never been formally dedicated, was re-opened, with appropriate services by Rev. Bishop Janes, assisted by G. B. Jocelyn, D. D., and other ministers, on Sunday, June 10, 1864.
The standing and condition of the Methodist Episcopal Church of the sta- tions in the .Burlington District which belong to Burlington, are shown by the following statistics from the last annual report of the Iowa Conference: Divis- ion Street Church, probationers, 12; full members, 217; probable value of church, $32,000; parsonage, 1, of $5,000 value; expense of improving church and parsonage, $690; indebtedness, nothing; paid toward support of Bishops, $20 : salary of Pastor, $1,700; claim of Presiding Elder, $125; claims of Conference, $100 : Sunday-school expenses, $100. For Old Zion, the probationers are 3; full members, 240; probable value of church, $15,000; value of parsonage, $5.000; cost of keeping in repair, $125; toward support of Bishops, $7 ; salary of Pastor, $1,550 ; Presiding Elder, $120; Conference claims, $25 : Sunday-school expenses. $150. For the South Station, the pro- bationers are 2; full members, 85 ; churches, 2; probable value, $4,000; sal- ary of Pastor, $1,200 ; receipts, $786.85 ; claim of Presiding Elder, $65; receipts, $40.75 ; Sunday-school expenses, $50. In the Burlington Circuit, the probationers are 15; full members, 150; churches, 2; probable value, $2,000 ; salary of Pastor, $400; Presiding Elder, $75; Sunday-school ex- penses, $25. None of these churches are incumbered with debt.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.