USA > Nebraska > Lancaster County > Lincoln > History of the city of Lincoln, Nebraska : with brief historical sketches of the state and of Lancaster County > Part 23
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A full corps of the best teachers will be engaged. Each department will be in charge of a principal, who will be assisted by competent in- structors. Private instruction will also be given. A home will be furnished in the building for young ladies attending from a distance. This home will be under the supervision of the director, preceptress, and matron. At the beginning of each school year one free scholar- ship will be given some person in the State who has natural ability but not the means to acquire a musical education.
It is needless to state that this institution will be an important ad- dition to the educational advantages of Lincoln, and, indeed, of the entire State. Professor Howell is a man of energy and ability, and will doubtless make the conservatory successful.
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In this connection it is proper to state that in 1887 the first of a series of annual musical festivals was attempted, and it was so success- ful that it was repeated and improved in 1888, and again in the spring of 1889. The last festival was received with every mark of popu- lar approval, and drew crowded houses for three successive nights. Such music as the " Hallelujah Chorus," and some of the famous ora- torios, were rendered by able singers from abroad, assisted by the best home talent. The credit for the success of these musical events was largely dne to Mrs. P. V. M. Raymond, a most estimable lady of Lin- coln.
Elder Johnson established a denominational school for the Seventh- day Adventist Church, at the corner of Fifteenth and E streets, in 1887. which still continues, with a moderate attendance.
A number of private schools of more than ordinary excellence are also conducted.
It will be seen from the foregoing that Lincoln's claim of being the educational center of the West is well founded, and that the pride of her people in their institutions of learning is fully justified by the facts as they exist to-day. And the future holds much in store.
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CHAPTER XVIII.
LINCOLN'S CHURCHES-THE BROOKLYN OF THE WEST-HISTORICAL SKETCHES OF ALL THE CHURCHES OF THE CITY-THE Y. M. C. A. ORGANIZATION.
Lincoln is preëminently a city of churches. As an educational center the city is not equaled in the West. And while this is true, it is equally true that no city in the West can equal this in the number of its church organizations and the beauty of its churches. The present chapter is devoted to historical sketches of the various churches, which number about forty. A former chapter has given an account of the very early church work in the town of Lancaster, and the present will deal with the churches now occupying the field.
In harmony with the spirit of Methodism, as soon as the emigrants' wagons had made a permanent halt on the prairies of Lancaster county, the Methodist Episcopal itinerant was on his track, and in 1867 Rev. Robt. Hawks was appointed to what was then called Lancaster Cir- cuit. He formed a Methodist class at Lancaster, and at the close of the conference year, Lancaster class had sixteen members. During the year 1867, the town Lancaster was changed to Lincoln, and the capital of the State located at Lincoln. No sooner was this done than the prophetic eye of Methodism took in the situation, and was laying plans to meet the emergency. In the spring of 1868, Lan- caster class was made a station, and the society named the First M. E. Church of Lincoln, and Rev. H. T. Davis was appointed its pastor. When Elder Davis arrived on the ground he found a society of sixteen members, a small shell of a church on Tenth street, just inclosed, with a $400 mortgage on it, and no parsonage. Among the sixteen original members can be mentioned Captain Baird and wife, John Cadman and wife, Wm. Cadman, A. K. White and wife, J. Kimball and wife, Mrs. J. Schoolcraft, with J. Kimball as class leader. At the end of the first year the little church on Tenth street was too small for the people. It was cleared of the $400 mortgage and sold for school purposes, and a larger building, costing
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$3,000, built on the site the large St. Paul stone church now occupies. Elder Davis stayed three years, and closed his pastorate with a mem- bership of 202. Rev. J. J. Roberts was the next pastor. He came in 1871. from the Genesce Conference, N. Y. He came to Nebraska with hopes of improving his health, which was poor; but instead of his health being improved, he continued to grow worse, and at the end of one year he was compelled to give up work. His pastorate, though short, was successful, the membership having grown to 300, and a parsonage having been built-the present parsonage, less an addition since made. In 1872, Rev. G. S. Alexander was appointed to this church, and his pastorate is remembered because of the promi- nent part he took in the Woman's Crusade. In 1874, Rev. W. B. Slaughter was sent to the Lincoln M. E. Church. He came from Brownville and remained three years, the full pastoral term. His pastorate was a very successful one, and the increase in membership, and the growing audiences, demanded more room, and another wing was added to the church. Mr. Slaughter was succeeded by the Rev. H. S. Henderson, of Iowa, who came in 1877, and served the church two years. The Young People's Meeting was organized during Mr. Henderson's pastorate, with Dr. Paine as leader. Rev. A. C. Wil- liams was the next pastor. He came in 1879, and remained the full pastoral term, three years. The A street society was formed during Mr. Williams's term, and a church built, but this was done contrary to his judgment and wishes. There was quite an opposition to the movement, though a majority thought the time had come for this church to enlarge its borders and establish another church. Owing to the strong opposition to the movement, or from some other cause, this church made no growth or advancement till, at a later day, it was moved and changed to Trinity, as will hereafter be noticed. Rev. R. N. MeKaig succeeded Rev. Williams in 1882. Rev. McKaig was an inveterate worker, and the church took a new impetus at once on his arrival. The congregation grew, and the question of a new church, which had been contemplated during Rev. Williams's pastor- ate, now revived, and the sentiment for a new church was strong. On April 23, 1883, an official meeting of the church was held, and it was decided to proceed at once to the erection of a new house of wor- ship. Committees were then appointed to look after the various departments of the work. On June 11th the plans of a Mr. Wilcox,
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of Minneapolis, were accepted, the cost of the proposed building to be $25,000. Excavating for the new church was begun on July 1st. It was soon found that the church would cost much more than con- templated, but it was decided to go on with the work as arranged, and a committee was appointed to solicit subscriptions for the excess of cost. The corner-stone of the church was laid by Dr. Marine, since pastor of the church, in the spring of 1884, and the church was dedicated by Bishop Bowman on Sunday, August 23, 1885. The church cost $45,000 instead of $25,000, but this amount was soon paid in, leaving the church free from debt. This church was then called, as it had first been named, the First M. E. Church, which name was changed, in the fall of 1883, to the St. Paul M. E. Church.
Rev. C. F. Creighton, of Circleville, Ohio, succeeded Rev. Mr. Williams by appointment. He came in 1885, and remained two years, being elected Chancellor of the Nebraska Wesleyan University in the fall of 1887. The first year of Rev. Creighton's pastorate was doubtless the most successful in the history of the church. It was during this year that the great Bitler revival took place This large revival swelled the church membership, including the proba- tioners received from the meeting, to about 1,200. This large mem- bership was too much for one pastor, and Rev. J. S. Bitler, the evangelist, was elected as assistant pastor till conference. It was during this year, on March 19th, that the church decided to build a new church, east of the Antelope. A site was selected, and a tem- porary tabernacle erected for services till a new church could be built. This new church was commenced on the corner of R and Twenty- seventh streets, and work on it was pushed with all possible speed. In less than four months from its commencement it was ready to be turned over to the trustees.
At the annual conference held the following September, J. T. Minehart was appointed pastor of the new church. The society was named Grace M. E. Church, and the new church building, costing $11,000, was dedicated September 19th, 1889, by Bishop Warren, free from debt. The second year of Rev. Creighton's pastorate, 1886, was an eventful one. Grace Church had become well estab- lished, and was moving on, but still there were calls from South Lincoln and West Lincoln for help on new churches, and during this year Trinity M. E. Church was established, which absorbed the old
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A street church, heretofore mentioned. . A new site was selected, and a new church built on the corner of A and Sixteenth streets. At the next conference, Rev. H. T. Davis, the present pastor, was ap- pointed to Trinity Church, and since Elder Davis's connection with it, it has steadily grown, and is to-day one of the most prosperous church societies in the city, having a membership of upward of 260.
This same year, Asbury M. E. Church, at West Lincoln, was built by the assistance and under the guardianship of St. Paul M. E. Church. This was dedicated in November, 1887, and Rev. Clay Cox was appointed its pastor. This church cost, with furniture, about $2,000. The Nebraska Wesleyan University thrust itself on St. Paul Church this year, and its pastor was the leading spirit in the interests of Lincoln, and every one seemed to look to him for lead- ership.
When the university was located. Dr. Creighton was elected its president, and resigned the pastorate of St. Paul's. He was sne- ceeded by Dr. Marine, who was transferred from the Indiana confer- ence. Ilis transfer was a very unfortunate one, on account of his health. The church, especially at the time of his coming, needed a man of great physical activity to shepherd the people and gather up the scattered ones. Dr. Marine took sick in the summer of the first year, which developed into brain trouble, and for weeks he laid at death's door. He finally recovered, contrary to the expectations of every one, and was able to attend the annual conference. He thought he was as well as ever, and on the statement of his physician that he was able to take the work, he was returned to St. Paul Church for the second year.
On September 10th, 1888, W. H. Prescott was elected by the official board as associate pastor and financial secretary, and was appointed by the Presiding Eller. On the return of Dr. Marine for the second year, he found himself able to occupy the pulpit only occasionally, and he soon was taken down with another serious attack of brain trouble, which entirely unfitted him for the duties of pastor. The official board granted him a vacation of three months, for him to go East, in hopes of his recovery. On February 4th, 1888, Rev. W. H. Prescott resigned as assistant pastor and financial secretary. The pulpit was supplied by transient ministers for several months. Dr. Marine's health was made worse by his trip East, and he soon returned, worse
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ST. PAUL M. E. CHURCH.
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than when he left. It now being evident to himself that he would not be able to assume his duties again, he tendered his resignation as pastor, which was accepted April 1st, 1888. The official board then requested the Presiding Elder, with the aid of the Bishop, to secure a new pastor for St. Paul Church as soon as possible, and at a meeting of the Bishops at Delaware, Ohio, in May, several united in recom- mending Rev. F. S. Stein, of Milwaukee, Wis., who was appointed. Ilis transfer to the Nebraska Conference was arranged, and on June 1, 1889, Rev. Stein was on the ground as pastor. The membership of St. Paul's is now nearly 600.
The Rev. Father Emmanuel Hartig, O. S. B., the present German pastor of Nebraska City, is the founder of the Catholic Church of Lin- coln. He was born at Inchenhofer, Bavaria, May 1, 1830. In Sep- tember, 1857, he came to the United States, and went to St. Vincent's monastery, Westmoreland county, Penn. Here he remained until September, 1860, when Rt. Rev. Abbott Wimmer sent him to Atchi- son, Kansas. At this place he was ordained priest by Rt. Rev. John Miege, first Bishop of Leavenworth, July 10, 1861. His Superior, Rev. Augustine Wirth, sent him on the same day to take charge of Nebraska City mission. From Nebraska City he administered for several years to the spiritual needs of all the Catholics in the South Platte country, including Salt creek. When, in 1867, Lincoln be- came the capital of the State of Nebraska, he came hither in the inter- ests of his charge. He found but few houses in Lincoln ; at one of these, the house of Mr. Daily, he held service until the erection of the first church, in 1868, a frame building, 24x50, costing $1,000. On the completion of this church Lincoln had service once a month. Rev. Father Hartig being no longer able, to operate successfully over so broad a field, Rt. Rev. Bishop Fink sent him an assistant in the per- son of Rev. Michael Kaumley. From August, 1868, to February, 1869, either Rev. Father Hartig or Rev. Father Kaumley held service in Lincoln once a month. At the latter date, Rev. Father Kaumley was recalled and his place taken by Rev. Father Michael Hofmeyer, of St. Vincent's Abbey, Westmorland county, Penn. For some time he attended Lincoln from Nebraska City, but finally located at the capital, and thus became the first resident Roman Catholic priest of our city. He added thirty feet to the church and began to keep the
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parish records of Lincoln. Until his arrival the records had been kept at Nebraska City. The first marriage mentioned in the Lincoln records is that of Silas Huff and Catherine Curtin, in the presence of Thos. G. Murphy and Honora Murphy, Rev. Father Hofmeyer being the minister. The first interment was that of Henry Armon, who died in October, 1869. The first recorded baptism took place Sep- tember 26, 1869. The last record made by Rev. Father Hofmeyer is that of a marriage on December 26, 1870. During his charge at Lincoln he performed seven matrimonial and sixty-five baptismal services.
Rev. Father Hofmever was succeeded by Rev. William Kelly. Rev. Father Kelly's first recorded act is that of the marriage of John J. Butler and Mary J. Kennedy, which took place, May 16, 1871; his last official act was a baptism on April 29, 1874.
From this date the growth of the church has been steady, keeping pace with all the other interests of our city.
Within the past ten years the growth of the Catholic population of Lincoln and of the whole South Platte country became so pronounced that the Rt. Rev. James O'Connor, Bishop of Omaha, petitioned the Bishops of the Third Plenary Council, of Baltimore, to erect the South Platte country into an independent diocese, with the See at Lincoln. The wishes of the learned prelate were acceded to. Rt. Rev. Thomas Bonacum was appointed to the new See.
Rt. Rev. Thomas Bonacum was born near Thurles, Tipperary county, Ireland, January 29, 1847. During his infancy his parents emigrated to the United States and settled at St. Louis. His early education was conducted by the Christian Brothers until his fifteenth year, when he entered the ecclesiastical seminary of St. Francis de Sales, near Milwaukee, Wis. At this renowned institution, during a period of six years, he applied himself to the classics, English litera- ture, and the sciences. He devoted himself to the studies of philoso- phy and theology under the Lazarist Fathers, at Cape Girardeau, Mo., until the time of his ordination. He was ordained June 18, 1870, at St. Louis. Some time after this he went to Würzburg, Bavaria, and spent a number of years in the profound theological course, the study of canon law, and German literature. At the end of this course he made the tour of Europe. When he returned to the United States, he successively had charge of various missions, all of
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THE CATHOLIC PRO-CATHEDRAL.
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which he administered in a manner commendable to himself, beneficial to the interests of religion, and satisfactory to his ecclesiastical supe- riors. In 1881, as an appreciation of his success in more contracted fields, he was appointed rector of the very important parish of the Holy Name of Jesus, in St. Louis. Here he continued to labor suc- cessfully until his election to the See of Lincoln.
In 1884, The Most Rt. Rev. Richard Kenrick chose Rev. Father Bonacum as one of the two theologians who always go with a Bishop to a council. This choice, coming from one of so distinguished saga- city, marked the Rev. Father Bonacum as one who would soon receive even still more remarkable favors. The subsequent facts soon veri- fied this anticipation. The fathers of the Third Plenary Council, of Baltimore, decreed to divide the diocese of Alton, locating the See at. Belleville, in Southern Illinois. By the unanimous consent of the assembled fathers, Rev. Father Bonacum was chosen to preside over the new diocese. Rome, at that time, did not ratify the erection of the proposed See, and the matter was held in abeyance. Nevertheless Leo XIII did not overlook the young candidate proposed by the council of Baltimore. When, therefore, the request of Rt. Rev. Bishop O'Connor was granted by Rome, Rev. Father Bonacum, the previous choice of the fathers of the council for Belleville, was ap- pointed Bishop of the See of Lincoln.
The bulls were issued August 9, 1887, by Leo XIII, and the consecration took place November 30, 1887, at St. Louis, in St. John's pro-cathedral, in the presence of a vast concourse of prelates, clergy, and laity. The Venerable Peter Richard Kenrick, Archbishop of St. Louis, was the consecrator. The general approval of the choice of Rome was evidenced by the largest gathering of prelates and priests that ever took place on a similar occasion in that sacred edifice.
Rt. Rev. Bishop Bonacum's reception, which took place at Funke's opera house, December 20, 1887, will long be remembered by all who were present as one of the most notable events connected with the history of our city. With the coming to Lincoln of the Rt. Rev. Bishop Bonacum, a new and powerful energy was infused into all the Catholic enterprises of the South Platte country. Not less than thirty churches have been dedicated in the period of twenty months. But it is in the city of his See, as one would naturally expect, that the most re- markable proofs of his zeal are to be found. The enlargement of the
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pro-cathedral, the furnishing and decoration of the interior, the procur- ing of suitable sacred vestments, etc., were the first objeets of his solicitude. All these ends were attained at a cost of about $18,000. While this work was in progress, the organization of a German con- gregation, and the building of St. Francis de Sales Church for this people, was part of his occupation. The erection of St. Francis de Sales Church has effected a complete reunion and revival of German Catholic interests. The Rt. Rev. Bishop soon saw the great need of a hospital in so large a city as ours, and set himself to the task of getting one worth his accustomed energy and firmness of purpose. With this object, he purchased the beautiful home and grounds of J. A. Buckstaff, for $20,000. He gave charge of the sick to the Sisters of St. Francis, trained nurses, who opened the hospital September 1, 1889. The purchase was made June 15, 1889.
On the acquisition of this handsome property, he entered into a contract with the city by which he assumed the care of the sick for a period of seven years. The terms of the contract on the Bishop's part are exceedingly moderate. The getting of the hospital was a gratification to all humane people.
Weighty and various as these cares were, they could not divert the mind of the Bishop from one of the subjects of his deepest anxiety : the establishment and promotion of the cause of Christian education among his people. Reverently obedient to the instructions of the Third Plenary Council, of Baltimore, that the Bishops of the United States should supply all parishes with schools, he commenced the splendid school building which is in course of erection between the pro-cathedral and the pastoral residence, on M street. Whatever skill and experience can devise will be done to make the edifice one of the most complete of its kind in the State. The cost will range between $20,000 and $25,000. The Rt. Rev. Bishop has a very efficient body of clergymen, on whom he was dependent for the accomplishment of the works we have enumerated.
Rt. Rev. Bishop Bonacum is an early riser and late worker; very methodical in all that he does. He is simple in all his tastes and habits. In manuer he is dignified and courteous ; in etiquette he is very considerate of the wishes of others. Hospitality is a pronounced trait of the Bishop's. As a prelate he is very broad and far-seeing, thoroughly equipped with all the spiritual and worldly knowledge
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necessary for his exalted position. He has a mind which, while comprehensive, has a singular facility for grasping details. He is pliant enough when principle is not involved, but where it is a matter of right or justice, he is inflexible and inexorable.
The First Presbyterian Church is one of the most prominent, pros- perous, and influential, of the leading churches of Lincoln. It was organized with eight members April 4, 1869, by Rev. J. C. Elliott, of Nebraska City. It was not until January, 1870, that the church secured the regular services of a minister, the Rev. H. P. Peck com- mencing his labors January 15, 1870, with "only five effective mem- bers" on the ground. January 26, 1871, Rev. H. P. Peck was elected the first pastor of this church, and was duly installed on the last Tuesday of April, 1871. The first church edifice was erected near the corner of Eleventh and J streets, on lots donated by the State, and was dedicated to the worship of Almighty God October 9, 1870, the Rev. T. H. Cleland, D. D., (then of Council Bluffs, Iowa,) preaching the sermon. This first sanctuary was built at a cost of $5,000, and with various improvements from time to time, continued to be the house of worship for the First Presbyterian Church until December, 1884. Ground was broken for the erection of the present church edi- fice at the southwest corner of Thirteenth and M streets, in April, 1884; its vestry room was completed in September, 1885, and was occupied as a place of worship till the middle of January, 1886, when the main auditorium was finished and immediately set apart to its sacred uses. This new and beautiful sanctuary, costing $40,000, was formally dedicated to the worship of God July 18, 1886, the Rev. A. V. V. Raymond, D. D., (now of Albany, N. Y.,) preaching the sermon.
The following minsiters have served the church either as pastor or stated supply :
Rev. A. P. Peck. January, 1870, June, 1874.
Rev. J. W. Ellis April, 1875. March, 1876.
Rev. S. W. Weller April, 1876. July, 1878.
Rev. James Kemlo January, 1879 December, 1879.
Rev. John O. Gordon July, 1880. .November, 1882.
Rev. Edward H. Curtis, D. D. January, 1883.
It now has a membership of nearly 500, and a large and successful Sunday School, at the First Church, of which Mr. Milton Scott is
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THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
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Superintendent, Mr. W. G. Maitland First and Miss L. W. Irwin Second Assistant Superintendent. Mr. Charles A. Hanna is Secre- tary and Treasurer. Its Ladies' Aid Society, Ladies' Missionary Band, Young Ladies' Mission Band, Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor, and Children's Bands, are all prosperous and doing good work. The officers of the First Church are as follows :
Edward H. Curtis, Pastor.
Elders-N. S. Scott, C. S. Clason, Wm. M. Clark, J. J. Turner, C. M. Leighton, C. A. Barker, John R. Clark, H. E. Hitchcock, J. K. Barr.
Trustees-T. H. McGahey, F. W. Bartruff; M. D. Welch, W. G. Maitland, C. A. Barker, W. H. McCreery, Wm. M. Clark, J. W. Winger, C. W. Lyman.
This denomination has also established a mission in North Lincoln, where a Sunday School is maintained, with Mr. - - Osborn as its Superintendent. A church will probably be organized there in the near future.
The First Presbyterian Church building is one of the six fine structures erected by the leading denominations of the city, costing on an average $45,000, exclusive of grounds, and taken together per- haps are not equaled in a city of twenty-two years of age on the conti- nent. An additional half dozen costly and elegant church buildings exist in the city, although not so fine as the first six referred to. All the church buildings are of modern architecture, and exhibit great liberality on the part of the people of Lincoln.
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