USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > Cleveland > History of the city of Cleveland : its settlement, rise and progress > Part 24
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HISTORY OF CLEVELAND.
CHURCHES.
The first church organization in the village of Cleveland was Trinity parish, established on the ninth of November, 1816, at the residence of Phineas Shepherd. The commu- nicants were very few. Darius Cooper was chosen lay reader. There was no Episcopal clergyman, not even a missionary, in this part of the country. In March, 1817, Rev. Roger Searle, from Connecticut, visited Cleveland and reorganized the parish, there being thirteen families and eleven communicants, and repeated his visits annually for three years. After a time the services were conducted by Rev. Mr. Searle until 1825, when Rev. Silas C. Freeman was installed as rector, also having a church at Norwalk.
On the twelfth of February, 1828, the parish was legally incorporated, and the same year Mr. Freeman went East and obtained a thousand dollars to assist in building a church. A frame structure was accordingly commenced in 1828 at the corner of St. Clair and Seneca streets, and completed the following year at a cost of three thousand dollars. It was the first house of worship in the city, and was consecrated on the twelfth of August, 1829. In 1852 the church lot, costing originally two dollars and a half per foot, was sold for two hundred and fifty dollars per foot. The building was destroyed by fire, however, before the sale was consummated.
In 1853 the present stone church was commenced on Superior street near Bond, being consecrated on Ascension Day, 1855. In 1872 it was thoroughly refitted and ele- gantly decorated. The church is in a flourishing condi-
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tion with a large number of communicants. The present rector is Rev. Y. P. Morgan : Rev. James A. Bolles, rector emeritus.
St. John's church, on the West Side, was organized in 1834. In 1836, under Rev. Seth Davis, rector, the com- modious stone church, at the corner of Church and Wall streets, was erected, at a cost of $17,000. On April 3, 1866, the church was partly destroyed by fire, necessitat- ing a cost of $25,000 in rebuilding. In 1875 a chapel was built at a cost of $7,000. The present rector is Rev. H. D. Aves.
The parish of Grace church was organized July 9, 1845, by former members of Trinity church. A substantial brick building was erected at the corner of Erie and Huron streets, costing about ten thousand dollars. Sub- sequently a chapel and chancel were added to the church at a cost of about fifteen thousand dollars. The money to build Grace church was subscribed on condition that the seats should be forever free.
St. Paul's church was organized October 26, 1846. In March, 1848, a lot of ground was purchased at the corner of Sheriff street and Euclid avenue, and a frame church was erected on it. It was burned in August, 1849. A brick church was built on the same lot at a cost of about seventeen thousand dollars. In 1874 the church property was sold for $115,000 and the new building, on the corner of Euclid and Case avenues, commenced in 1875, and com- pleted for worship in December, 1876, at a cost of nearly one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars. Rev. C.
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HISTORY OF CLEVELAND.
S. Bates, D. D., is the present rector, and Rev. J. B. Shep- herd, assistant minister.
St. James' church is situated at the corner of Superior and Alabama streets, and was established mainly by the efforts of the Rev. R. Bury. The present rector is Rev. James A. Mathews.
Christ church (German) was organized in 1868. With the help of other churches, and by personal contribu- tion, the building at the corner of Orange and Belmont streets was completed in 1871, at a cost of $12,000. The present rector is Rev. J. W. C. Duerr.
Grace church, in the Eighteenth ward, was organized in 1869. The society purchased a Presbyterian church build- ing and moved it to the corner of Harvard and Sawyer streets. Rev. J. B. Shepherd is the present rector.
St. Mary's church was organized in May, 1868, and the corner-stone of their church building was laid by Bishop Bedell on September 29, 1869, and the building was opened for services on March 20, 1870. It stands on Woodland avenue, at the corner of Wallingford court. Rev. Ralph E. Macduff is the rector.
All Saints' church is situated on Scranton avenue. In 1868 the North Brooklyn Union Sunday-school became Episcopal, and the first subscription was taken for a church fund. In 1870 the corner-stone of the former building was laid. The new building was erected in 1885. Rev. John W. Kebble, rector.
St. Mark's church was organized in 1878, and the build- ing completed and opened July 3, 1878. It is on Franklin
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avenue at the corner of Liberty street. Rev. E. W. Col- loque, rector.
Memorial Church of the Good Shepherd, at the corner of East Madison avenue and Varian street, is a memorial of the life and labors of Rev. Alexander Varian. Rev. Thomas Lyle is rector.
Emmanuel church was organized as a parish in 1876. It is situated on Euclid avenue. Rev. B. T. Noakes is the rector.
St. Peter's chapel was established in 1884. It is at the corner of Chapel street and Scovill avenue. Herbert C. Foote is superintendent.
Calvary Mission Sunday-school, on West Madison avenue, is superintended by Chas. E. Ferrell.
The second church in Cleveland was Methodist, a society being formed in Newburg as early as 1818, but it was not successful in living. In 1832 Rev. Mr. Goddard re- sumed the good work. He did so, forming a class of six persons. The first church building, a neat frame, was erected in 1841 at a cost of three thousand dollars. From 1832 to 1860 Newburg was part of a circuit, but then it became a station. The South Park church was com- menced in 1872 and completed some years later. The present pastor is Rev. James H. Hollingshead.
The first Methodist preaching in the city proper was in 1822, Rev. Ira Eddy being the pastor. In 1830 the first station was established at Cleveland, and in 1834 it be- came a permanent charge, but was without a church build- ing until 1841, when the church on the corner of St. Clair and Wood streets was completed. In this church the con-
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gregation worshiped until the chapel was built at the ·corner of Erie and Euclid, in 1869. In 1874 the present handsome church was completed at a cost of one hundred and forty thousand dollars. This church has contributed extensively to the building of other Methodist churches over the city, and has been the mother of Methodism in all respects. Rev. Russell B. Pope is the present pastor.
The Euclid Avenue church was established as the East Cleveland church in 1827, and was part of a circuit until 1860. The first building was erected in 1836, the second on Doan street in 1870, and the present one on Euclid ave- nuein 1886. Rev. Dillon Prosser is the pastor. The Frank- lin Street church, at the corner of Duane street, was organ- ized about 1830. The pastor is Rev. W. A. Robinson, D. D.
The first German church was organized in 1845. In 1848 a building was erected on Prospect, between Ontario and Erie. In 1860 the society leased No. 303 Erie street and built a new church, which was used until 1878, when an exchange was made for the Baptist church property on the corner of Scovill and Sterling avenues. Rev. Herman Herzer is the pastor.
Christ church was organized in 1850 through the labors of Rev. Dillon Prosser. In 1851 the society moved from its chapel into the building subsequently used as the Homœo- pathic hospital, remaining until 1876. Westminster Pres byterian church, corner Huntington and Prospect, was purchased and used, having been remodeled and beautified, until 1882, when the present building was erected at the corner of Prospect street and Willson avenue, and the union of Willson Avenue chapel and Christ church was
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HISTORY OF CLEVELAND.
effected under the name of the Central church. Rev. D. H. Muller, D. D., is the present pastor.
The Taylor Street church was organized in 1853, and a church subsequently erected at the corner of Bridge and Taylor streets, and in 1868 the present building was erected .. Rev. P. F. Graham is the pastor.
The West Side German church was formed and its edifice built under the charge of Rev. C. Gahn, in 1851, as a mis- sion of the M. E. Society on Prospect street. In 1853 it became a church, and subsequently erected the building known as St. Paul's, at the corner of Bridge and Harbor streets, Rev. D. Graessle, pastor.
The Superior Street church was organized by Rev .. Dillon Prosser as a city mission in 1860. The building- now used was opened for worship in 1877. The pastor: is Rev. W. L. Day.
The Scovill Avenue church was organized by Rev. Dillon Prosser in 1866. In 1867 the members, about forty in number, purchased an old building and moved it to Scovill avenue. The next year a lot, corner Scovill and Longwood avenues, was purchased and the building again moved. The present building was commenced in 1871. The pastor is Rev. Homer F. Smith, M. A., Ph. D.
The Lorain Street church was organized in 1868 and known as the "Clark Mission" until 1874. The present building was erected in 1870, enlarged in 1874 and in 1878. The pastor is Rev. T. F. Hildreth.
Broadway church was organized in 1872, their building having been previously erected as a chapel. Rev. R. M. Freshwater is the pastor.
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HISTORY OF CLEVELAND.
Woodland Avenue church was organized in 1874 by Rev. Dillon Prosser, and the building moved to Woodland ave- nue and refitted. Rev. W. H. Kellogg is the present pastor.
The Kinsman Street church was organized in 1877, and the building subsequently erected. Rev. O. S. Elliott is the pastor.
The Wesleyan Methodist church, at the corner of Brownell and Ohio streets, was organized in 1839, and built on Euclid avenue near Sheriff street. In 1863 the lot was sold and the building moved to its present location. Rev. Thomas K. Doty is the pastor.
St. John's A. M. E. church was organized about 1865 and worships in a building at 496 Erie. Rev. Robert A. Johnson is the pastor. There are several chapels of the M. E. church conducted in various parts of the city.
The Free Methodist church was organized in 1870. In 1873 the church building, corner Bridge and Taylor streets, was purchased and used. Rev. S. F. Way is the pastor.
The First Presbyterian church was formed on the nine- teenth of September, 1820, in the old log court-house on the Public Square. Rev. Randolph Stone was the first minister and the number of members was fourteen. The society continued to worship in that building until the brick academy was built on St. Clair street, when it occu- pied the upper floor. It then removed to the third floor of a brick building on Superior street, and there remained until the basement of the first stone church was completed. In the winter of 1835 Rev. S. C. Aiken, D. D., was called as the first regular pastor of the church, and his pastorate continued until 1861, after which he became pastor-emer-
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itus. The first church building was completed and dedi- cated February 26, 1834. This was the "Old Stone church" which stood until 1853. In the spring of 1853 the old church was replaced by a new one, which soon burned down and was almost immediately replaced by the present structure. In 1884 the church was repaired and decorated at great expense. Rev. H. C. Haydn, D. D., was installed as associate pastor in 1872, after which he became sole pastor. Rev. Wilton M. Smith is now associate pastor.
The first sermon preached in the village of Newburg was delivered in July, 1802, by Rev. Joseph Badger, an ex- revolutionary soldier. On the thirty-first of December, 1832, a church was organized by Rev. David Peet.
In 1841-2 a frame church was erected upon a hill near where the Insane Asylum now stands, the first church in Newburg. It was afterward moved to the corner of Sawyer and Harvard streets. The present church was built in 1869, costing $15,000. Rev. Arthur C. Ludlow is the pastor.
The First United Presbyterian church, for long the only one in the city, was organized in 1843. Two years later a church was built costing $1,800, corner of Michigan and Seneca streets. In 1853 the present brick church on Erie street near Prospect was built at a cost of $13,000.
The Second United Presbyterian church meets at 2618 Broadway. Rev. A. H. Elder, pastor.
The Second Presbyterian church was organized June 12, 1844. The building first occupied stood almost upon the site of the present jail. It was used until a larger building
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HISTORY OF CLEVELAND.
upon Superior street was erected. This was destroyed by fire October 9, 1876. A lot was purchased by the society at the corner of Prospect street and Sterling avenue, and a large and imposing church was erected upon it and dedi- cated October 27, 1878. Rev. Charles S. Pomeroy, the present pastor, was installed June 22, 1873.
The Euclid Avenue Presbyterian church was organized on January 25, 1853. The present building was con- structed in 1851-2 and dedicated for worship in August, 1852. Rev. Samuel P. Sprecher is the present pastor.
North Presbyterian church was originally a mission of the First Presbyterian church. In 1866 the sum of $8000 was subscribed for the erection of a chapel. The building was completed at a cost of $10,000 the following year, and was subsequently enlarged. Rev. William Gaston is the present pastor.
The Welsh Presbyterian church on St. Clair street was organized in 1866 by Rev. John Moses.
The Welsh (Calvinistic Methodist) was organized in 1858, and has a building at the corner of Cannon and Elmo streets. Rev. William Harrison, pastor.
The Case Avenue church was organized in 1870, and a chapel erected soon after.
The Woodland Avenue church was organized in April, 1872; the present building was constructed in 1879. Rev. Paul A. Sutphen is the pastor.
Beckwith church building on Fairmount street, erected in 1884, was organized as a mission in 1883, and after- wards became a separate organization. Rev. M. M. Cur- tis, pastor.
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HISTORY OF CLEVELAND.
Willson Avenue church, Willson and Lexington avenues, was erected two or three years ago. Rev. Carlos T. Chester, pastor.
The First Baptist church of Cleveland was organized Feb- ruary 16, 1833, under Rev. Richmond Taggart. The society worshiped in the old red court-house until the completion of their own church on the corner of Seneca and Cham- plain streets, in 1836. The building cost thirty thousand dollars, and was the finest in the city. In 1855 the society purchased of the Plymouth Congregational church, their new brick building at thecorner of Euclid and Eriestreets. The building was afterwards much improved. In 1886 the congregation moved out to Idaka Chapel, at the corner of Prospect and Kennard streets, during the building of their new church which promises to be one of the finest in the city. Rev. E. A. Woods is the pastor.
The Second Baptist church was organized in 1851. On April 30, 1867, after selling their former building and land, the church at the corner of Euclid avenue and Huntington street was decided upon, and was completed March 5, 1871. Rev. George Thomas Dowling is the pastor.
The Third Baptist church was organized in December, 1852. The present church was erected in 1855-6 at the corner of Clinton and State streets.
The Superior Street Baptist church was originally the Cottage Baptist Mission, organized in 1852. The building, corner Superior and Minnesota streets, was erected in 1870. Rev. George L. Hart, pastor.
Logan Avenue church was built in 1885 at the corner of Logan and Euclid avenues. Rev. G. O. King is the pastor.
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HISTORY OF CLEVELAND.
Shiloh (colored) Baptist church was organized in 1865 and subsequently burned. The present edifice is at 409 Sterling avenue. Rev. J. P. Brown, pastor.
The First German Baptist church was organized in 1866 and two thousand dollars was raised towards building their edifice at the corner of Forest street and Scovill avenue. Rev. Jacob H. Merkel, pastor.
Willson Avenue church was organized as a mission in 1858. In 1878 the building at the corner of Willson avenue and Quincy street was erected. Rev. George G. Craft is the pastor.
The Welsh Baptist church was organized in 1868. The building was erected in the same year.
The Scranton Avenue Free-will Baptist church was organized in 1868, and a building erected on the corner of Scovill avenue and Putnam street in the same year. In 1875 the building at the corner of Scranton and Clark avenues was erected. Rev. O. D. Patch is pastor.
Trinity Baptist church was organized in 1872, and their building erected in 1876 on Fullerton street. Rev. H. Brotherton is the pastor.
Erin Avenue church is at the corner of Dare. Rev. A. Schwendener, pastor.
The Bridge Street church is at the corner of Hitchcock. Rev. Benjamin H. Thomas, pastor.
The Second German church is on Case avenue, near Kelly. Rev. A. J. Ranaker, pastor.
The first Disciple church in Cleveland was organized in Newburg, April 21, 1842, by Elder Jonas Hartzler, with thirty-five members, and a building was erected soon after
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HISTORY OF CLEVELAND.
on the present site on Miles avenue, near Broadway. Rev. Frank A. Wight is the pastor.
Franklin Street church was organized February 20, 1842, in a small building on the West Side. Rev. Lathrop Cooley was selected as the first minister, and in 1847-1848 a build- ing was erected on Franklin avenue, at the Circle, and used for twenty-eight years. In 1874 a new lot was secured on the south side of the Circle, and the foundation of the present building was laid. It is of pressed brick with brown sand- stone trimmings, and is one of the handsome churches of the city. Rev. S. L. Darsie is the present pastor.
The Euclid Avenue church was organized September, 1843. In 1847 a frame building was erected at the corner of Doan and Euclid, and in 1867 it was moved to its present loca- tion at the corner of Euclid and Streator, and used for a chapel while a new church was built on the front of the lot. Rev. Jabez Hall has been pastor of the church since 1872.
The Cedar Avenue church is near Forest street. Rev. H. R. Cooley, pastor.
The first Catholic church of Cleveland was organized by Rev. John Dillon, who was the first resident priest at a time when there were but five resident Catholic families in the city. Rev. Dillon collected eleven hundred dollars in New York for the purpose of erecting a church, but died before it was commenced. He was succeeded by Father O'Dwyer, who carried on the building which was completed in 1838 and known as "St. Mary's on the flats." The entire prop- erty cost about three thousand dollars. It was subse- quently used by Bishop Rappe as his cathedral, with Very
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HISTORY OF CLEVELAND.
Rev. Louis DeGoesbriand, pastor of the church, until 1852; then by the German congregation known as St. Mary's of the Assumption until 1863; afterward by a congrega- tion of French Catholics, St. Malachi's congregation, a Bohemian congregation, and last a Polish congregation.
The most venerable Roman Catholic church in Cleveland is St. John's cathedral, at the corner of Erie and Superior streets. The lots upon which the cathedral and the bishop's palace now stand were purchased in 1845, and were cov- ered with woods. In the year 1848 the corner-stone of the cathedral was laid by Bishop Rappe, who continued in the diocese until 1870. Bishop Gilmour was appointed in 1872, and Rev. T. P. Thorpe was appointed pastor in 1875. In 1878 Father Thorpe, assisted by the people of the parish, commenced the work of renovating the interior and build- ing the spire. As it now stands the church is handsome and imposing.
St. Peter's (German) parish was organized February 17, 1853. A lot was purchased at the corner of Dodge and Su- perior streets, and a building erected in 1854. The corner- stone of the present church was laid in 1857, and the build- ing completed and dedicated October 23, 1859. Rev. F. Westerholt is the present pastor.
St. Mary's of the Assumption was established in 1857 at the "flats" church. The building at the corner of Carroll and Jersey streets was erected in 1863-4-5. Rev .. John B. Neustick, pastor, Revs. W. Becker and W. Bœh- mer, assistants.
St. Patrick's congregation was organized in 1854. The first church edifice was built in 1855, at the
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corner of Bridge and Fulton streets. In July, 1871, the corner-stone of a new edifice was laid, which was com- pleted some years later. Rev. T. M. Mahony, pastor, Rev. John Sheridan, assistant.
The Immaculate Conception parish was organized as a mission of St. John's in 1856. A temporary building was moved to the corner of Superior and Lyman streets. In August, 1873, the corner-stone of the present massivestone church was laid, and the building completed some years later. Rev. A. R. Sidley is the pastor.
St. Bridget's church on Perry street, near Woodland ave- nue, was organized in 1857 by Bishop Rappe, and erected a small brick building the same year, and twenty years later, in 1877, the present building was erected. Rev. William McMahon is the pastor.
The Church of the Holy Name was organized in 1860 by Rev. E. M. Callaghan; in 1863 built the fine stone church which now stands. Rev. John T. Carroll, pastor, Rev. James P. Myler, assistant.
St. Augustine's church was organized in 1860, and soon afterward erected an edifice at the corner of Jefferson and Tremont streets. In 1877 the building was enlarged and greatly improved. Rev. Michael Murphy is the pastor.
St. Joseph's church was first built in 1862, for the use of the German and Bohemian Catholics. The corner-stone of the present building was laid in 1871, and the church dedicated in 1873. It stands on Woodland avenue, near Chapel street. Rev. Alardus Andrescheck is the pastor, Rev. Romualdus Rheindorff, assistant.
St. Wencesla's church was organized as a separate par-
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ish in 1867, erected a brick church on the corner of Arch and Burwell streets. Rev. Anthony Hynek, pastor.
St. Stephen's church was founded by Rev. H. Falk in 1869, and a building was erected in 1873-6 on Courtland street. Rev. C. Reichlin is the pastor
St. Columbkill's church was organized by Father O'Reilly in 1870, and in the same year a brick structure was built at the corner of Superior and Alabama streets. The church is attended from the cathedral.
St. Malachi's was organized in 1865, and in 1868 built a brick church on Washington street, near Pearl. Rev. James P. Molony, the founder of the church, is still its pastor.
Church of the Holy Trinity was founded in 1870, and a brick building constructed, which was used as a house of worship, school and parsonage for about ten years, when the present structure on Woodland avenue, near Giddings avenue, was built. Rev. Peter Becker is the pastor.
The French Church of the Annunciation was established in 1870, and a house of worship built soon after. Rev. A. Gerardin has been pastor since 1878.
St. Prokop's Bohemian church was established in 1872, and their house of worship was completed in 1874, on Burton street. Rev. Anthony Vlcek is the pastor.
Our Lady of Lourdes' church (Bohemian) is situated at the corner of Randolph and Hamm streets. Rev. S. Furdek, pastor.
St. Albert's church is a Bohemian mission on Lincoln avenue.
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HISTORY OF CLEVELAND.
St. Anthony of Padua is an Italian church on Ohio street, near Brownell. Rev. P. Capitani, pastor.
St. Edward's church is situated at the corner of Wood- land avenue and Geneva street. Rev. M. A. Scanlon, pastor.
St. Colman's church is on Gordon avenue. Rev. E. M. O'Callaghan, pastor.
St. Michael's church is at the corner of Scranton and Clark avenues. Rev. Joseph M. Koudelka, pastor.
St. Stanislas' Polish church is on Forman street, near Tod. Rev. Kolaszewski, pastor.
St. Mary's Theological Seminary is on Lake street, near Dodge. The following convents also are maintained by the church: Convent of the Good Shepherd, Convent of the Little Sisters of the Poor, Convent of the Poor Sisters of St. Clare, Convent of the Sisters of St. Mary, Convent of the Sisters of Notre Dame, Convent of the Sisters of St. Joseph, Franciscan Monastery and the Ursuline Convent.
The First Congregational church was organized Decem- ber 21, 1834, in pursuance of a resolution adopted at a previous meeting. A temporary house of worship was erected, and dedicated May 3, 1835, and the same day Rev. John Keep commenced his labors as pastor. In 1856 the society built the church at the corner of Detroit and State streets, and, in 1882, the edifice on Franklin avenue, at the corner of Taylor street. Rev. Henry M. Tenney is the pastor.
The Euclid Avenue Congregational church was organ- ized November 30, 1843, by Rev. Drs. C. Aiken and Rev. S. C. Cady. In the summer of 1846 the foundation was
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laid of the little brick church on the corner of Doan and Euclid. On September 20, 1849, the church was dedi- cated. In 1852 the church withdrew from the Presbytery, and a few years later it united with the Congregational Conference of Ohio. In 1865, the church building growing too small, the congregation decided to build again upon a lot donated by Dr. W. S. Streator, and a large structure waserected, and dedicated in 1873. This proving toosmall, it was enlarged in 1874. In 1885 the substantial brick edifice was torn down to make room for an elegant stone structure, which has not long been completed. Rev. Henry M. Ladd is the pastor.
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