USA > South Dakota > Minnehaha County > History of Minnehaha county, South Dakota. Containing an account of its settlements, growth, development and resources Synopsis of public records, biographical sketches > Part 35
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FREE WILL BAPTIST CHURCH .- In the summer of 1883 a meet- ing was called to consider the advisability of organizing a Free Will Baptist church in Sioux Falls. At this meeting Joel W. Parker and Mrs. Mary H. Darling were requested to attend the general confer- ence of Free Will Baptists, which was to be held in Minneapolis in October of that year, and present the matter of the organization of a church in Sioux Falls to that body. As a result of this action the conference authorized the Rev. A. A. Smith to organize a church, and he came to Sioux Falls in January, 1884, for that purpose. After spending Sunday in the city, he requested all persons interested in the organization of a Free Will Baptist church to meet at the home
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of Mrs. G. W. Mathews on Monday evening January, 28. At this meet- ing Joel W. Parker, Mrs. Mary H. Darling, Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Leav- itt, Mr. and Mrs. G. W. Mathews, Miss Laura Darling and Charles H. Bancroft were present, and a church was organized. Among the members enrolled at that time were also the Rev. and Mrs. J. G. Hull, his health being such as to prevent their being present. He died on the 29th day of February following, and his son, the Rev. J. J. Hull, having come to the city to attend the funeral, was engaged as the first pastor of the church. He removed to Sioux Falls the following May, and remained until April, 1886, when he was succeeded by Rev. J. H. Walroth, who remained until December, 1886. The next settled pastor of the church was the Rev. David Powell, who had charge of the church from March, 1888, until May, 1889. In April, 1890, the Rev. J. J. Hull again became pastor of the church and remained until June, 1893. The next pastor was the Rev. S. R. Toothacre, who remained about six months. Following him was the Rev. Everett Lesher, who remained one year, and then went to the Cobb Divinity School at Lewiston, Maine.
During the month of October, 1885, a foundation for a church was laid at the corner of Minnesota avenue and Fourteenth street, but the church was not built and furnished until 1887. The Rev. J. H. Darling from Michigan came to Sioux Falls that year and remained three months during which time he supplied the pulpit and superin- tended the work upon the church. He was succeeded by the Rev. C. E. Blake from New Hamshire, in the pulpit as well as looking after the work of completing and furnishing the church. To these two men the society is greatly indebted, for it was in a great meas- ure through their untiring effort that the erection of the church was accomplished, and enabled its members ever since to meet in a com- modious and well furnished church of their own. A comfortable parsonage occupies the lot adjoining the church, and the cost of the whole property amounts to about S7,000. A Sunday school was organized in the summer of 1884, and George W. Mathews was its first superintendent. A Ladies Aid society was organized January 30, 1884, which aided largely in the financial success of the church.
The first officers of this society were Mrs. A. J. Rowland presi- dent, Mrs. G. W. Mathews secretary and Mrs. L. R. Ross treasurer. A Woman's Missionary society was also organized in the fall of 1884 by the members of this church. After being without a pastor for several years, the Rev. L. G. Lowell of Franklin Falls, N. H., was secured to take charge of the church. He arrived in Sioux Falls November 24, 1898, and preached his first sermon the following sun- day. The society has kept up its organization and held regular services under adverse circumstances.
ST. MICHAEL'S PRO-CATHEDRAL .- In October, 1873, the Rev. P. S. Bedard, a Roman Catholic priest, visited Sioux Falls for the pur- pose of organizing a church and erecting a church building, but as there were only a few Catholic families there at that time no attempt to build was made, and his visit was of short duration. During the next three years Sioux Falls was visited occasionally by a Catholic priest, but not until 1877 were regular services established. During
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that year the Rev. C. J. Knauf of Adrain, Minnesota, held services in Sioux Falls once a month. He is undoubtedly the first priest who said Mass in the county. Services were at first held in the Commer- cial hotel, and then at the residence of Peter Gilman, and finally in VanEps' hall. In 1879, the Rev. William M. Maher came to Sioux Falls, directly from the seminary in which he had been studying, and took charge of the church work. He was an industrious church- worker, and soon had a small church building erected on lots pur- chased by Michael Gerin. However, it had been occupied less than two years when it was destroyed by fire. The society was again without a house of worship, but at once set about to build a commo- dious brick church. This building (the present structure) was so
ST. MICHAEL'S PRO-CATHEDRAL.
far completed that services were held in it for the first time the lat- ter part of August, 1882, but was not consecrated until August 5, 1883. Father Maher was in charge of the parish until 1888, and dur- ing his pastorate the church prospered. The Rev. L. A. Ricklin succeeded Father Maher, and was pastor until November, 1891. During the time he was in charge of the church, St. Rose Academy was built. This school was for the education of young ladies, and was in charge of three Ursuline Sisters, and when opened its patron- age was quite large. A parochial school for both girls and boys was also taught in this building several terms. In November, 1891, the Rev. George Sheehan became pastor of the church, and remained in
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charge until April, 1893, when the Rev. Wm. V. Nolan, the present pastor, succeeded him. Under Father Nolan's charge the church has prospered, and there are now about one thousand members. There is a Sunday school connected with the church, and in aid of the church work are several flourishing societies, among them the League of the Sacred Heart, and the Young People's Sodality. It only remains to add that the seating capacity of the church building is about six hundred, and that it is none too large to accommodate the great number of people who ordinarily attend.
GERMAN EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN ZION'S CHURCH .- Up to about 1880 there were few Germans in the City of Sioux Falls, but since that time they have become quite numerous. The first Ger- man Lutheran minister coming to the city was Rev. J. Doescher, who came from Yankton in 1876, and remained until 1877, when the Rev. G. E. Friederich succeeded him for one year. These two did little if any ministerial work in the city. Next came the Rev. E. F. Mel- cher, who resided at Centerville and only made occasional visits to Sioux Falls until September, 1879, when he was succeeded by the Rev. A. Mueller until 1881. Up to that time there had been little prospect of a successful organization by reason of a scarcity of Ger- mans in this locality. In 1882, the Rev. E. G. Starck became pastor of the Lutheran Trinity church of Wall Lake township. He com- menced holding regular services in the city every other Sunday, and in general performing all the duties of a Lutheran minister. Not having a church of their own, they first used the Swedish Lutheran church on Sixth street, then the old Episcopal church. The Rev. E. G. Starck worked faithfully until 1889, the Germans becoming more numerous from vear to year, quite a large number attending the serv- ices. During all these years, however, no congregation was organ- ized. There was a strong factional feeling prevailing among the German Lutherans, which in the course of time led to the organiza- tion of the German Evangelical Emanuel congregation, the origina- tors being strongly opposed to Rev. Starck for several causes, one being the secret lodge question, Rev. Starck refusing to admit any person belonging to a secret lodge into his church. He, however, went on in his work, always having the majority of the Lutherans on his side. Such was the condition of affairs when in August, 1889, the Rev. G. H. Buscher, succeeded him in the city. Being convinced
that no effectual work could be done without a church of their own, he commenced securing subscriptions among his people for the erec- tion of a church. In a comparatively short time a church building was erected on Spring avenue, between Fourteenth and Fifteenth streets, the lot on which it stands being donated by the Lutherans of the Minnesota and Dakota district of the Missouri Synod. The edifice was dedicated in the latter part of 1889, and a congregation was organized adopting the name of Evangelical Lutheran Zion's Church. In 1890 a parsonage was erected adjoining the church. At the present writing (March, 1897) there are eighty-two communi- cants, and the total membership of the congregation is about two hundred. There is a flourishing Sunday school and a Ladies' Soci- ety connected with the church. The Rev. Mr. Buscher is still its
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pastor, and is laboring as zealously as at first when he secured a house of worship for his congregation.
ST. OLAF'S NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN CHURCH .- The Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Congregation of Sioux Falls was organized January 10, 1877, by the Rev. O. O. Sando, of the Norwegian Evan- gelical Lutheran Synod of America, and he became its first pastor. It was incorporated December 31, 1879, with K. Thompson, C. E. Jonsberg and J. Henjum as trustees. August 7, 1881, the Rev. A. J. Lee succeeded the Rev. Mr. Sando as pastor. Before the erection of a church building services were held in different places, but for some time before the society had a home of their own services were held in the Methodist church. In 1882, a commodious church building was erected on the corner of Dakota avenue and Twelfth street, where the congregation has since worshiped. In 1885, the Rev. Olaf
B-D
ST. OLAF'S NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN CHURCH.
Stub became pastor of the church, but he died during the fall of that year. During the summer of 1886 the Rev. Hans B. Thorgrimson assumed the duties of pastor, and he remained as such until in De- cember, 1891, when he resigned, and Professor A. Mikkelson sup- plied the pulpit for the next three months. In January, 1892, a call was extended to the Rev. N. N. Boe of Helena, Montana, to become pastor of the church, which was promptly accepted, and he arrived in Sioux Falls the latter part of March, 1892, and since then has been in charge. The membership of the church is about three hundred
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and fifty, of which two hundred are communicants. There is a Married Ladies' society and a Young Ladies' society, also a Young People's society, which has a library of two hundred volumes. Every- thing is in a prosperous condition, and it is one of the strong and well attended churches of the city.
THE SWEDISH EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH .- The Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sioux Falls, S. D., was organized December 28, 1882. Due notice had been given to the Swedish people of Sioux Falls to meet at the residence of the Rev. J. H. Randahl, for the purpose of effecting a church organization. At this meeting J. H. Randahl was elected chairman and A. H. Randahl secretary. The constitution of the church, which had been adopted by the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod of North America at its regular meeting in Andover, Ill., June 15-22, 1870, was read and accepted item by item to become the constitution of the organi- zation. Those who signed the constitution were John H. Randahl, Louis Peterson, Andrew Johnson, Louis Peter Carlson, Gustaf Gothberg, and their wives. It was decided to hold a meeting on the 1st day of March, following, to elect officers, and that all adult per- sons who signed the constitution before that time should have the right to vote at that meeting. At the time and place appointed those who had signed the constitution met and elected the following officers: Deacons, Louis Peterson for three years, Andrew Johnson for two years, G. Gothberg for one year; trustees, G. Gothberg three years, Louis Peterson two years, Peter L. Carlson one year. On the 21st day of September, following, the lot on the southeast corner of Spring avenue and Sixth street was purchased for the pur- pose of erecting a church building thereon. On Monday, the 3d day of December, work on the foundation was commenced, and on Jan- uary 6, 1883, the building being enclosed, the first divine service was held during the evening of that day. The cost of the lot and build- ing was $1,006.76. The first pastor of the church was the Rev. J. H. Ravndahl, who remained until January, 1891. He was succeeded by the Rev. G. A. Ekeberg of Pullman, Illinois, who took charge of the church May 1, 1891, and remained until the fall of 1893. From that time the church was without a pastor until the spring of 1895, when the Rev. John Franzen assumed the charge of the church, and still remains. There are about fifty communicant members, and a flour- ishing Sunday school with about forty scholars, also the usual Ladies' societies connected with the church.
THE UNITED EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN TRINITY CHURCH .- This church was organized in 1888, with twenty-five charter members. In 1894 a commodious and appropriate church building was erected on the southwest corner of Duluth avenue and Fourteenth street, at a cost of $4,000. The first pastor of the church was the Rev. O. T. Nelson, who was succeeded by the Rev. H. Lund, and the Rev. Henrik M. Solem is the present pastor. The church now has a membership of one hundred and ninety, and services are held every Sunday, with an average attendance of about fifty. There is also a flourishing Sunday school, numbering about sixty-five scholars, and a Luther League in aid of the church work.
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THE UNITED EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN TRINITY CHURCH.
SEVENTH DAY}ADVENTIST CHURCH .- This church was organized February 23, 1880, by Elder S. B. Whitney, with nine charter mem- bers. Services were first held in Sherman's hall, but in 1881 a church building was erected on Twelfth street between Dakota and Main avenues, at a cost of about $1,200, in which the congregation worshiped until a few years ago, when the building was sold, and the services have since been held in the new church located on Duluth avenue between Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets. The last men- tioned church building was erected at a cost of $3,000, which has been all paid by the members. Services are held every Saturday, and the present membership is one hundred, with an average attend- ance of eighty-five. The Elders who have had charge of the church are S. B. Whitney, W. T. Hinton, L. W. Jones, A. D. Olsen, W. B. White, N. W. Kouble, Geo. Bowen, and the present Elders are Fred Powers and L. W. Jones. There is a flourishing Sabbath school connected with the church, numbering about one hundred scholars, also Tract, Missionary and other societies in aid of the church work.
ALL SOULS CHURCH .- The first movement looking toward the establishment of a Unitarian church in Sioux Falls was inaugurated by Rev. John Visher, who came here in 1882 as a missionary of the American Unitarian Association. He organized the "First Unita- rian Church" in Sherman's Hall. It had a membership of seven- teen and existed for about a year. During that time it had as pastors Rev. J. H. Keves and Rev. A. A. Roberts. The former died in the east during his pastorate, and the latter died in Iowa in 1898.
On November 5, 1886, a meeting was held in the office of Wilkes &
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HISTORY OF MINNEHAHA COUNTY.
Wells, which was addressed by Rev. J. R. Effinger, Secretary of the Western Conference. At that meeting, H. T. Root, Rev. Eliza T. Wilkes, William Beckler and John Bippus were appointed to con- sider the matter of securing a preacher. Mrs. Wilkes preached for a month, at the expiration of which time Rev. Caroline J. Bartlett as- sumed the duties of preacher, and a month later those of pastor of the newly organized church. On December 12, under the direction of S. S. Hunting, a church organization was effected and a constitution adopted. The following persons were charter members of the church: E. A. Ayerst, Emma F. Beckler, William Beckler, Zane R. Biggs, John Bippus, Helen A. Carpenter, A. C. Hove, Johanna Hove, T. J. Leavitt, Alice T. Newell, H. C. Newell, Vianna Smith, John Sundback, Eliza T. Wilkes and W. A. Wilkes. On December 19, the following board of trustees was elected: W. A. Wilkes presi- dent, H. T. Root secretary, John Bippus treasurer, John Sundback and H. C. Newell. Articles of incorporation were executed April 22, 1887; certificate of corporate existence signed by the secretary of state, May 3, 1887, and the certificate was filed in the office of the register of deeds June 4, 1887.
ALL SOULS CHURCH.
For about a year the services were held in the Adventist church on Ninth street. Almost immediately, however, steps were taken to secure a church edifice, largely through the efforts of Mrs. Wilkes, and with the assistance of the American Unitarian Association, suf-
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ficient funds were secured to erect a handsome building of Sioux Falls stone, which was ready for occupation early in the winter fol- lowing the organization of the church. The church was dedicated May 2, 1889.
Miss Bartlett having resigned in June, 1889, to accept a call to Kalamazoo, Michigan, Rev. J. E. Bagley was called to succeed her, and was pastor from October, 1889, to June, 1890. Mr. Bagley died in Massachusetts in the spring of 1891. For a year the church was without a pastor, although occasional services were held.
In July, 1891, the Rev. Arthur H. Grant came to Sioux Falls and became pastor of the church. He was a young man of considerable ability, and while in charge, had good congregations. He had views of his own in reference to the topics of the day, and while residing in Sioux Falls was a prominent figure in everything pertaining to the general welfare of the community. The hard times made it impos- sible for the church to retain his services, and on the last day of July, 1893, he left Sioux Falls and soon after became the pastor of the Unitarian church at Newburgh, N. Y. The next pastor of the church was the Rev. J. T. Andrew, who remained until October 31, 1895, when he departed for California, and since then the church has been without a pastor.
During its most prosperous days the church had a membership of seventy. In January, 1887, a Sunday school was organized, and the May following. a Ladies' Unity Circle was effected, and was for a while quite prosperous.
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH .- At a meeting of the Presby- tery of Southern Dakota held in Huron the first week in May, 1883, the Rev. W. J. Skillman was appointed to establish a Presbyterian church in Sioux Falls. On Sunday, June 3, following, in the Meth- odist church in Sioux Falls, nineteen persons requested the organi- zation of a Presbyterian church, and under the direction of the Rev. W. J. Skillman a church was organized. O. E. Rice, Thomas H. Fairfax and J. W. Mansell were elected elders, to serve one, two and three years respectively. A board of trustees was also elected. The first pastor was the Rev. W. J. Skillman, who remained in charge of the church until the 30th day of March, 1884, at which time he preached his farewell sermon. He was succeeded by the Rev. Wil- liam Miller, of Princeton, N. J., who arrived in Sioux Falls in June, 1884. During the summer of that year the society built a church at the corner of Ninth street and Minnesota avenue, which was dedi- cated December 7, 1884. Mr. Miller remained with the church one year, preaching his last sermon in Sioux Falls May 31, 1885. He was succeded by the Rev. William P. Craig of Princeton, N. J., who came to Sioux Falls to remain a month or so, and preached his first sermon on the 16th day of August, 1885. He was not, however, in- stalled as pastor of the church until the 21st day of April, 1887. In July, 1888, he tendered his resignation, to take effect the first day of the month following, which was accepted. The next pastor was the Rev. J. N. Hutchinson, who preached his first sermon on the 6th day of January, 1888. He was installed pastor of the church on the 23d day of April, 1888, and remained in charge until January 1, 1896.
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HISTORY OF MINNEHAHA COUNTY.
During the time he was pastor the church was prosperous. A few months after Mr. Hutchinson's departure, the Rev. Baillie Brown assumed the duties of pastor, but he remained only a few months. He resigned in September, 1896, and his resignation was accepted. The church was then without a regular pastor until the present pas- tor, the Rev. A. T. Wolff, D. D., took charge in the fall of 1897. Since its organization about two hundred and forty persons have been connected with the church.
DELAWARE AVENUE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH .- On the 4th of May, 1889, the following persons, viz., Mrs. Mary J. Buchanan, Geo. H. Brace and his wife Mary C. Brace, Mr. and Mrs. O. E. Rice, C. C. Carpenter, H. J. Davenport, H. L. Green and C. M. Day met in the Dakota National Bank, in the city of Sioux Falls, and agreed to form a corporate body under the name of the Delaware Avenue Presbyterian Church Society, to promote the spread of the Christian religion, as set forth by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the United States, and to do any charitable, humane or benevolent work, which it might elect. This corporation was duly perfected and in due form recorded in the office of the Secretary of the Territory, and a board of five trustees elected, consisting of O. E. Rice, president; Charles M. Day, secretary; and C. C. Carpenter, treasurer; H. J. Davenport and H. L. Green. During that summer a church building was erected. In the summer of 1890, a Sunday school was organized, under the superintendence of Rev. W. Howell Buchanan with three pupils, but the enrollment increased during the year to 100.
The church is located on the prairie northwest of the city, the members of the society thinking at the time, that it would soon be in the center of a prosperous population, who would enjoy having church privileges convenient to their homes. Again, the hard times. and possibly a lack of religious enterprise in that locality, has resulted in the discontinuance of services at the church. Usually in this west- ern country, the first building erected is for a saloon or drug store, but this church edifice stands to-day a witness to the fact, that the projectors of this enterprise were determined that a church building should ante-date the erection of any and all other structures for any purpose whatever.
FIRST REFORMED CHURCH .- The First Reformed Church of Sioux Falls was organized in June, 1883. Some preaching services had been held previous to that date and a Sunday school had been organized. At this date a committee of the Classis of Iowa, Synod of Chicago, Reformed Church in America, met in the East side school house, received seven members and formally organized a church, by the election and ordination of A. W. Manning as elder, and John O'Meara as deacon. The first pastor was the Rev. E. P. Livingston, of Pekin, Illinois, who arrived in the city and preached his first sermon July 1, 1883. The corner stone of the church, sub- sequently built of Sioux Falls jasper, was laid September 29, 1883. Afterwards a commodious parsonage was built; the two structures occupying five lots, are beautifully situated, commanding a fine view of the larger part of the city which lies upon the other side of the
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river. Dr. Livingston preached his last sermon August 16, 1885, falling ill shortly after and dying September 11. In a few weeks he was succeeded by the Rev. W. J. Skillman then living in Sioux Falls, where he had organized the Presbyterian church a few years before, and was then acting professor in Greek and English literature in the academy at Orange City, Iowa. He preached his first sermon Octo- ber 4, 1885, and remained its pastor until 1893. A flourishing Sun- day school grew up in connection with the church under Dr. Living- ston's pastorate, which has continued in a prosperous condition ever since. During the first year after Mr. Skillman's departure there was no preaching in the church, but in the summers of 1894 and 1895 a theological student from Holland, Michigan, by the name of Wil- liam Miedema, conducted services which were well received by the congregation. In September, 1895, the Rev. Lucius Kingsbury as- sumed the duties of pastor of the church, and is in charge at the present writing.
THE FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH .- In the month of November, 1887, two residents of the city of Sioux Falls attended and addressed a political meeting in the northeastern part of the county. One of them had been a resident of the city for some years, but the other had but recently removed from an eastern state. They remained in the country, at a farm house, over night after the political meeting had closed and drove back to the city together on the following day. While conversing together on their return trip it became known to them that each had while residents of the eastern states in previous years been members of the religious organization known as the Christian Church or the Disciples of Christ. There was at that time no such organization in the city of Sioux Falls or in the county, and only two or three small organizations of the kind within the state. They agreed that on their return to the city they would call a meet- ing through the daily newspapers and make an effort to organize a church. This meeting was accordingly called by a simple notice in the local items of each of the daily newspapers, and was set for the evening of November 16, at the reading room of the Young Mens' Christian Association, which was at that time in the Grand Army building. The call was published only a day or two before the time fixed for the meeting, but when the time arrived nine persons as- sembled in response to the call, the greater number of whom prior to that time had been strangers to each other. The persons present at that meeting were S. E. Young and wife, W. H. Frick and wife, James H. Hart and wife, H. C. Carver, D. A. Blackman and U. S. G. Cherry.
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