USA > Illinois > Woodford County > The Woodford County history > Part 2
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In 1887, the school was so crowded that the Taylor house, on the southwest corner of the present grade school property, was rented and the primary department occu- pied it until the Methodist meeting place was purchased in 1890, to be used as the primary school.
A high school district was formed in 1915. A new high school building was be- gun in 1916 on land at the east end of Walnut Street, Henry H. Lesch and Co. receiving the contract for a bid of $32,700.
In 1923, a new Washburn grade school was voted to replace Old Brick, and in 1925 this new building was completed. As school populations increased, the schools to house them expanded with additions.
A plat of the township shows these schools in the township in 1949: Wash- burn, Section 1; Columbia, Section 6; Coen, Section 9; Webster, Section 11; Low- point. Section 22; Oak Dell ( Saddlestreet ), Section 28; Bricktown, Section IS; Fair- view, Section 25; Alcott, Section 31; Caze- novia, Section 33.
The Columbia School closed and sent its pupils to Washburn. The Coen, Webster,
Oak Dell, Bricktown, Fairview, Olcott, and Cazenovia operated until consolidation in- to much larger districts and were absorbed by Metamora and Lowpoint-Washburn in 1952. A few years later, the buildings and contents, not in use by the new districts, were sold at public auction. Some became homes and were restyled. The Columbia school, remodeled by Joseph Garber, be- came a favorite picnic area and meeting place. The Fairview school, with its fine hardwood floors, became a hog pen, while others were used for grain storage.
The first frame school in Lowpoint was built between the railroad tracks and the cemetery. It was later moved cast aeross the tracks and to the south side of Clark street, and is presently owned by the Merle Hardmans. A fine two-room brick school on S. Madison Street was erected in 1906. High school work was introduced under Harry Andrews, principal. This buikling was remodeled and added to in 1921 and then became the grade school. A larger high school was built in 1916 and remod- eled in 1936 with a gymnasium and more classroom space added.
With consolidation into the Lowpoint- Washburn Community Unit, the high school moved to Washburn and the junior high occupied the high school building until the enrollment outgrew those quar- ters and moved into a new addition north of the Washburn High School. Lowpoint Grade School then moved its third, fourth, fifth, and sixth grades into the vacated building. The first and second grades had moved into new quarters south of the gym a few years before. In March, 1968. total enrollment in Lowpoint-Washburn schools numbered 716 pupils. There were 43 in kindergarten. 143 in Lowpoint Grade, 222 in Washburn Grade, 113 in Junior High (grades 7 and S) and 195 in high school.
Future Farmers of America, the Future Homemakers of America, and the Student Council are among the acting organizations in the high school. Washburn F.F.A. Chap- ter was chartered Oct. 17, 1929, with 15 members. D. L. Moore was the vocational
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Woodford County History
agriculture instructor. This chapter has been proud to have one of its members, Lynn Laible, serve as state F.F.A. presi- dent. Present advisor is Dale Ilumbert, and Jim Laible is president. This year there are 40 F.F.A. members in the Low- point-Washburn Chapter.
The Home Economics Chib, organized in 1939, became a chapter of the national organization of Future Homemakers of America in 1946. This year there are 50 members. Officers are Martha Spangler, president, Jane Cook, secretary, Cheryl Zoss, treasurer. A ten-year-old foreign boy, Faw Kwai Ping of China, has been adopted this year by Lowpoint-Washburn F.H.A.
The Student Council, organized in Sep- tember, 1958, has thirteen members.
Cazenovia Township Churches
Church services were first held in the homes of the early settlers. After a school house was built, church services were held there. The first sermon in the township was preached by Rev. James Owen, a Baptist.
The first Sunday School was organized by Parker Morse in 1837, at his own house in the Lowpoint settlement. In 1849-50, on land near Simeon Mundell's home, the Baptists built a church, using lumber sawed by Jenkins' saw mill. In 1873, on land given by Mary Farnsworth, the Bap- tist congregation of 115 members built a church in Cazenovia (see Cazenovia Vil- lage) and the old, first church was then converted into a barn by Simeon Mundell.
In 1853, the Associate Reformed (later United Presbyterian) Church Society or- ganized, with Rev. McClenahan the first Presbyterian minister in the township. In 1857, 80 members built a brick church a mile east of Lowpoint. This congregation later moved to Washburn.
The Old School Presbyterians built a frame church a mile and a half from Low- point a few years after the United Presby- terians, and in 1878 had a congregation of about 70 members. This building was a mile east and a half mile south of Low- point, on the east side of the road. It was later moved into Lowpoint; the motive
power supplied by a number of teams of horses. It is used for an implement shed; being located west of the garage now operated by Mr. Gay.
Evangelical Salem Church At Black Partridge
At one time, there was a settlement about three miles north of Hanover. There James Boys, in 1836, established the first post office in Woodford County. His home was used as the office which was called Black Partridge, after an old Indian chief. A long church lay to the south of the Meta- mora-Cazenovia township line. It was in this church that John Bolander and Mary Wagner were married. This was the Ger- man Evangelical Church. Later, a frame church was built just north of this ceme- tery in Cazenovia township. It was called Evangelical Salem Church at Black Part- ridge. It was served by ministers Fred Schwartz, Rev. Theis, Rev. Gronewald, Rev. Bauscher, Rev. John Bauerle, Rev. Wesley Stauffer, and Rev. Aaron Good. The church closed in 1925.
German Evangelical Church
Earliest available information regarding the German Evangelical Church of Wash- burn, the congregation of which has long since been disbanded, is that the church edifice was built in 1877.
Methodist Church
The history of local churches of the central west is difficult to trace through pioneer times and still be sure of an un- broken connection between the then and the now. It is easier to say that religious services were held by this or that group of people in this or that school house or private home or store or carpenter shop.
We find that as far back as 1837 there were notations of the baptism of people, hereabout, who were the ancestors of members of the present day Washburn Methodist Church. They had standing as members in what was known as the Mar- shall County Circuit, but they were mem- bers of "classes" before they were enrolled in any designated local church.
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Cazenovia Township
This status continued over a period of about 20 years, or until IS56. The names of Barnes, Boys, Combes, Ilall, Hoover, Hollenbeck, Iliff, Owen, Perry and Shugart -names more or less familiar to Washburn people of today-appear in the records of those days or in references of later records to older records that have disappeared. Preaching places included Marshall Chap- el, Harris school house. Phelps Chapel, and Bell Plain school house. In the later years of this period the "Toy Wagon Shop"-in a place known as Uniontown or Mantua, and finally Washburn-was edged into the Marshall County groups of meeting places. It is certain that others of the family names were originally associated with meeting places like Phelps Chapel and Bell Plain school house.
Sometime around the year 1856 the peo- ple of the Toy Shop group or "class" got a preacher, from a village that had been known as Hanover until it was changed to Metamora, to come and preach for them on summer evenings. This preacher's name was Morse; unable to find his name in the records of conference membership, the probability is that he was a "local" preach- er. However, in the fall of that same year, 1856, this Washburn "class" was attached as a regular preaching point to a preach- ing "circuit" in the Washington District, which evidently included both Woodford and Marshall counties along with Taze- well, and probably many other counties. From this time on it had identity as a local church, and though attached, sometimes to one "circuit", sometimes to another, all these "circuits" began in the Washington "District".
It might be well to explain that the "Toy Wagon Shop", at the northwest corner of Main and Church Streets, where this church was first organized, was not a shop where toy wagons were made, but was a shop where farm wagons were built, and was owned and operated by a man named Toy.
Some of the meetings were held in this shop, some were held in the local school house and some in the Baptist Church,
which in the spirit of brotherhood, sur- prising for that day, was loaned to the Methodists. In 1863. while civil war was raging, the people of this church, under the leadership of a "local" preacher, built their first church house. It still stands on its original site, at the corner of Woodford and old Main Streets, but it is minus its tower. After the congregation had removed to the site of the present church, in 1890, it was sold to be used as a school house, and has since become a dwelling house, occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Tim DeBolt.
As has been said, in 1890 the present site was selected and a new frame building, costing $5,000, was erected to meet a grow- ing congregation and community need. Thirteen years later that building burned to the ground, and the present handsome edifice was erected at a cost of over $9,000.
The present parsonage was built in 1894, but was added to in 1911, at which time also the pipe organ was installed in the church and the bell from the old Bell Plain or Pattonsburg church was hung in the church belfry; these later improvements came with the sale of the Pattonsburg church, which had been a part of the later Washburn "circuit".
On the occasion of the union of the three branches of Methodism in 1939, the type of women's organizations changed. From the different missionary organizations, the present Woman's Society of Christian Serv- ice was begun, which includes all women's activities. This is the largest organization of women in the world and they have done- remarkable things for the church. Officers: for the local WSCS are Mrs. William Bell, president; Mrs. Lyle Held, vice president; Mrs. Jay Laible, secretary; and Mrs. Den- zel Emery, treasurer.
In November 1964, the Reverend Walter Krech became the pastor when the church formed a yoke-field ministry with the Low- point Evangelical United Brethren Church. The highest membership of the church was 306; although its present membership is only 253, the congregation's spirit and atti- tude is one of optimism.
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Woodford County History
Washburn United Presbyterian Church
Early in the history of Presbyterianism the Church divided into several organiza- tions, hence we had the Old School, New School, Reformed, Associate Reformed, Cumberland Presbyterian and Covenant- ers. They all accepted and recognized the Westminster Confession of faith as their standard, but owing to a slight difference in interpretation they divided into these different bodies.
On November 3, 1854, a group of people of the Associate Reformed faith met, or- ganizing a church of that denomination which was called the Associate Reformed Church of Lowpoint, Illinois. A church building was erected some two and one- half miles south of Washburn, known as the Brick Church.
In 1858 through the action of their gen- eral assembly, the Associate Reformed and Reformed churches united under the name of United Presbyterian. On the union of the two bodies in 1858, the congregation here became the United Presbyterian Church of Lowpoint. On their organiza- tion, the Church called Rev. P. H. Drennen as pastor.
Among the charter members were James Piper and wife; J. M. McCulloch and wife; Robert McCulloch and wife; Charles F. McCulloch; James Wright and wife; George Johnson and wife; Archibald HIol- ferty and wife; William Drennen and wife; Samuel Beard and wife; Mrs. Sunderland and two daughters; John M. Pinkerton and wife; John Bayne and wife; William Car- son and wife; Hugh, Joseph C., Alexander, Batey, Elizabeth and Belle Carson; S. D. Wilson and wife; Jared Irwin and wife and two daughters, Mary Jane and Magdalene, who later became respectively Mrs. Iless and Mrs. Weede.
During the Civil War and just before, a number of families moved in, which added to the membership. On the organization of the Church, they occupied the old log school house, which stood just west of the Lowpoint Methodist Episcopal Church, as a place of worship. This they continued to
occupy until they built a house of worship in 1859 known as the "Brick Church," just one mile east of the present village of Low- point, on land later owned by Valentine Garber. This church was dedicated in De- cember, 1859, Doctor Wallace, President of Monmouth College, preaching the dedi- cation sermon.
As the membership had shifted to the north in the neighborhood of Washburn, the congregation decided as a matter of convenience to sell the old church and re- build in Washburn on lots one and two, Block 3, Black's Addition, presented by Mr. John M. Black and his wife, Laura, and to change the name to the United Presbyterian Church of Washburn.
The old brick church was sold in 1892 and also the two and one-half acres on which it was located (a few graves were on this land), and the congregation built a parsonage, which was remodeled in 1916.
The German Reformed Church services in the German language were conducted by Rev. Kerker from about 1865, for Re- formed, Lutheran, and Catholic settlers. These were held in a church which faced Main Street and was located just north of the present Washburn Grade School, on the west part of the lot owned by John Schroud. (The Catholics later built their own church, in 1882.) The Lutherans formed their congregation in 1877. Rev. Krebs preached for both Reformed and Lutheran congregations. The first minister for the Reformed congregation alone was Rev. Esselborn. The two congregations then alternated Sunday services in the church until the Lutheran congregation in 1893 bought the building formerly used by the Baptists and thereupon moved.
The Reformed parsonage burned, and while it was being rebuilt, the pastor stayed with the John Moschel, Sr. family. Among early names in the Reformed con- gregation were Hofstatter, Kanive, Koch, Laible, Lesch, Moschel, Schall, Schroeder, Schwartz, Stauter, and Wagner.
In 1918, when church union between the German Reformed and United Presby- terian congregations became an accom-
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Cazenovia Township
plished fact, 45 members dropped the Ger- man Reformed name and became United Presbyterians. and Rev. Steinmetz became pastor of the United church. Both Rev, and Mrs. Steinmetz were musically inclined. and directed and produced plays in the Opera House for the enjoyment of the community.
The United Presbyterian ladies had been active in the church for years with their Missionary Society. The German Reformed ladies brought with them their Ladies Aid; which had been reorganized in 1915 by the ladies of both congregations. Charter mem- bers still active are Mrs. Elmer Feazel and Mrs. Win. Feazel. Later church union na- tionally decreed that all were to be United Presbyterian Women henceforth. Present officers are Mrs. William Ingold. President; Mrs. John Damerell. Vice-President; Mrs. Calvin McCully, Secretary: Mrs. Elmer Feazel. Literature Secretary; and Mrs. Nelson lunker. Treasurer.
The Men's Club was formed in 1940 under the leadership of Ray Gardner. Pres- ent officers are Calvin McCully, President; William Ingold, Vice-President: Erscle Scrivner, Treasurer: Ralph Laible. Secre- tary.
In 1938 Marie Shafer was elected church treasurer, a position of trust she has ca- pably fulfilled for the past thirty years. The Reverend Perry Tudor is the present pas- tor.
Over the years, two sons of the con- gregation, Frank Mckce and William E. McCulloch became ministers, and two daughters, Agnes Robinson and Zillah McCulloch became ministers' wives. John and Lowell MeConnell, sons of Rev. Me- Connell; and Paul and Dwight Zeller, sons of Rev. Zeller, became ministers or mis- sionaries. Jane Laible married John Morris and entered the home mission field. A teacher, Miriam Davidson, who worshiped with this congregation, left Washburn to become a missionary. More recently. Miss Marilyn Kopp, another teacher who served in this congregation. entered the Peace Corps. Charles Doak, son of George and Lois Doak, became a minister.
History of St. Elizabeth's Parish
The congregation of St. Elizabeth's church, then known as an out-mission, was established in 1878 with permission of Bishop John Lancaster Spaulding of Peoria, under the supervision and direction of Rev. P. Angelus, O.M.C., a Franciscan mission- ary, assistant pastor of St. Mary's church in Metamora. Many of the pioneer members of this congregation had been driving with their families in lumber wagons to attend mass at Lourdes, Metamora, or Lacon. A building committee was appointed, con- sisting of Benedict Aicher. Sr., Martin Daly (Seralyn's grandfather), Frank Lilly, and Hubert Adami (grandfather of present Adami descendants). Land was purchased from Samuel D. Wilson at the corner of Jefferson and Magnolia Streets and a cor- nerstone laid in 1879. Financial depression delayed completion of the building and it was not dedicated until 1SS2. Others among those early members were David Knoblauch, John Daub, Alex Dauh, Victor Adami. Edward Monahan, Thomas Daly, Wm. Daly, James Daly. John Dunlevy, Bennett Shafer, and John P. Letz. Because Mr. and Mrs. Hubert Adami were espe- cially generous, the parish named the church "St. Elizabeth", in honor of Mrs. Elizabeth Adami.
The Capuchin Order, a branch of the Franciscan Order, had charge of the parish from the founding of this church until 1895. Since that year the parish has been under the charge of the Franciscan Order -Order of Friars Minor, ( Cincinnati Prov- ince ). Records of St. Elizabeth's show that the first baptism was that of Josephine Aicher. daughter of Benedict and Crescen- cia Eberle Aicher, on May 12, 1878, by Rev. P. Angehuis, O.M.C. The first marriage was that of Joseph lleitz, son of Selig and Frances Guyman Heitz, to Rosa Kinkel, on Jan. Il, 1887. Witnesses were John Guy- man and Anna Quast. The ceremony was performed by Rev. P. Marens, O.M.C. The first funeral was that of Rosa Lilly, daugh- ter of Frank and Jane Smith Lilly, on Nov. 23. 1880. Rev. P. Jacob, O.M.C., officiated.
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Woodford County History
In 1946, lightning struck the spire of the church and fire broke out in the belfry and adjacent areas causing considerable dam- age. The church was repaired, but the bells, one originally donated by Mrs. Bridget Monahan and the other, donated jointly by John P. Letz and Bennett Shafer, were placed on the inactive list upon de- struction of the church spire.
On the morning of Dec. 17, 1958, a fire gutted 76-year old St. Elizabeth's Church. The congregation, salvaging what they could, removed to the Social Center, which had been erected on a 6.2 acre lot, pur- chased from C. L. Jury in 1949, when Father Herculan was pastor. Here services were held until the new $110,000 limestone structure could be completed. The corner- stone was laid in Sept. 1959, and on Sun- day, Oct. 23, 1960 Bishop John B. Frantz officiated and Father Andrew Fox, O.F.M., Vice Provincial of the Cincinnati Province, celebrated the Solemn Mass. The bells were again hung and ring out daily. At that time, Father Conradin Burtschy, O.F.M. was the pastor; the present pastor is Father Meinrad Issler, O.F.M.
A Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, blessed and dedicated on August 2, 1959; the Social Center; and the beautiful new church, are all located on the same lot.
Organizations connected with this parish are: St. Joseph's Altar Society, organized in 1897 by Fr. Sigismund Pirron, O.F.M., which existed until September, 1904. It was not until Nov. 1947 that 14 members met, elected a new slate of officers, and made plans to fulfill the objectives origi- nally set forth in 1894. The St. Elizabeth's Altar Society of 1894 comprised 9 mem- bers. The 1947 officers were: Mrs. Earl Glaub, president; Mrs. Ed Knoblauch, vice president; Mrs. Henry Krueger, secretary and treasurer, and Mrs. S. G. Deans, pub- licity chairman. As of Feb. 1968, it had an enrollment of 40 members. The 1968 of- ficers are Mrs. Raymond Meister, presi- cent; Miss Rita Buchanan, vice president; Mrs. Carl Tomlinson, secretary and Mrs. Norman Zook, treasurer.
The Third Order Secular of St. Francis
( Order of Penance ) formally erected a fra- ternity at St. Elizabeth's Church April 23, 1950, with Fr. Herculan Kolinski, O.F.M. as the first spiritual director. It began with a membership of 22, at one time had 35, but at present has 20 members. Officers are Richard Dubois, Prefect; Marie Deans, Vice Prefect; Rita Buchanan, secretary and Mary Jane Dubois, treasurer.
The Catholic Youth Organization has a membership of 22 youths. The 1968 officers are Michael Kelly, president; Terry Holm, vice president and Sharon Zook, secretary and treasurer.
On Sept. 7, 195I, a group of Catholic men of St. Elizabeth's parish met to organ- ize a society known as the Men's Society of St. Elizabeth parish. It began with a membership of 36, has a present enroll- ment of 40, and is called Holy Name So- city. Officers are Donald Scrivner, presi- dent; Gene Fuchs, vice president; Melvin Robbins, secretary and Anthony Beltramea, treasurer.
A Solemn First Mass, the first of its kind ever held at Washburn, celebrated on June IS, 196I, the elevation to priesthood of Fr. Ephrem (John) Beltramea, O.F.M. Rev. Conradin Burtschy, O.F.M., pastor of St. Elizabeth's, served as master of cere- monies. Fr. Ephrem was the first priest to be ordained from St. Elizabeth's parish in its 79 year history.
St. John's Lutheran Church
As far back as 1865 the Germans living in and near Washburn gathered together for the purpose of holding preaching serv- ices. These services were preached in the German language in the old church in the northwest part of town, which was later used as a house of worship by the denomi- nation called the German Reformed. At this time denominational lines were not observed. All German settlers, whether Reformed, Lutheran or Catholic, wor- shiped together.
In 1877 the Lutheran families of Wash- burn organized an independent Lutheran organization and in early September of that year were successful in securing a
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Cazenovia Township
pastor, Rev. F. Ledebur, who served three years.
For a time pastors of the La Rose church had charge of the services in Washburn church as regularly as was possible, and when impossible for them to preach to the congregation, some member of the church conducted the services and read a sermon by some Lutheran author. A number of enthusiastic teachers willingly instructed the children in the fundamentals of the faith.
In 1884 the Rev. J. D. Ehlen became pastor of the Washburn-Wenona charges, preaching on alternate Sundays. Sunday School was conducted every Sunday and reading services were continued on those Sundays when the pastor was at his place in the Wenona pulpit. In 1890. when Rev. George Hempfing first came to Washburn, both the Lutheran and German Reformed congregation were using the same house of worship, but in 1893 the Lutherans pur- chased the building formerly used by the Baptists, paying for it the sum of $350. A number of improvements were added to the building's interior at the time of its purchase, and again in 1898 when it was further remodeled, a tower was built and a bell installed.
The parsonage at 215 W. Woodford Street, now occupied by retired Rev. Glock was built in 1914, previous to call- ing Rev. Ernest Duever. It was during his pastorate that the Lutheran Young Pco- ples' Society was organized with a mem- bership of 25. In November 1916, Pastor Duever organized the Lutheran Day School with an enrollment of 21 children. This school was conducted in the former public school buikling for primary grades, which had been purchased by the Luth- eran congregation for that purpose. The clay school was discontinued in May, 1928.
The constant growth of the congrega- tion brought about the consideration of a new and larger church edifice. The old building purchased in 1593 was much in need of repair, so after serving for almost fifty years as house of worship, for enter- tainments, and for funeral rites of many
of Washburn's earlier settlers. the ok church was doomed to destruction, and a new building on the same site was con- sidered. However, John A. Fitschen do- nated the new site at the corner of Church and Jefferson streets to the congregation. The last service in the old church was held May 14, 1922 and a few days later workmen began wrecking the buikling, that its better lumber could be used in the construction of the new church. The church, fully equipped. cost $13,753.98. December 17, 1922 saw the completion of the building and dedication services were held. In June, 1927, the members of St. John's celebrated the fiftieth anniver- sary of the congregation.
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