USA > Wisconsin > Sauk County > The history of Sauk County, Wisconsin, containing an account of settlement, growth, development and resources biographical sketches the whole preceded by a history of Wisconsin > Part 80
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There have been three annual conferences held in Baraboo-the first in 1853, Bishop Scott presiding. This conference included all of the State of Wisconsin and the then Territory of Minnesota. There were present one hundred and twenty-five ministers. The second confer- ence was held in 1860, Bishop Scott again presiding, and the third in 1873, Bishop Merrill pre- siding.
The pastors of this church since the time of the Rev. Mr. Badger have been the Revs. P. S. Richardson, Edrich Holmes, Joseph Williams, Asa Wood, Nelson Butler, C. P. Newcomb, W. H. Thompson, Augustus Hall, W. B. Hazletine, I. A. Sweatland, W. M. Osborne, C. E. Wei- rich, W. H. Kellogg, Washington Wilcox, J. E. Irish, J. B. Bachman, Elmore Yocum, J. H. Whitney, James Lawson, James Evans, Joseph E. Irish and S. W. Horner. The membership is given at 250.
The Baptists .- In the fall of 1845, the Rev. P. Conrad, then residing at Prairie du Sac, commenced his labors in the Baraboo Valley as a missionary preacher. Meetings were held in the pioneer schoolhouse. The Baptist Church of Baraboo was organized by Mr. Conrad on the 17th of July, 1847, and consisted of five members-Geo. F. Nelson, Mary Ann Clark, Warren
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Brewster, Robert Crawford and Annis C. Crawford. The following day, two more mem- bers were received-Simeon and Ruth Crandall. Elder Conrad moved his family to Baraboo in May, 1851, and continued his pastorate until September, 1852, at which time forty members had been received (mostly by letter from other churches) and twelve had been dismissed. The first baptism in this church is said to have been that of Harriet J. Smith, December, 6, 1851.
The church was incorporated, under the laws of the State, as the First Baptist Church of Baraboo, on the 8th of September, 1860. On the 8th of October, 1857, it was voted to build a church edifice, which was completed and occupied in January, 1858. The structure was origin- ally 24x36 feet, and cost about $500. In the summer of 1872, an addition was built in the rear, doubling the capacity of the church, at a cost of $500.
The pastors since the time of Mr. Conrad have been the Revs. Thomas Harwood, N. Wood, J. B. Patch, A. A. Drown, E. B. Edmunds, Spencer Carr, L. M. Newell, S. F. Stimpson, Levi Parmley, J. B. Mann (died in New Woodstock, N. Y., May 20, 1877), A. Gibb (who served as Pastor pro tem. for some three months with great acceptance and success) and E. J. Stevens (called October 30, 1877, and succeeded in June, 1878, by the present Pastor, A. A. Drown). The whole number of persons who have been members of the church is 392 ; present member- ship, 90.
The record-book of the Baptist Church is a curiosity in its way. The first part of it was written by Lewis N. Wood, and in it is revealed the genius of the man. As an illustration of what this record contains, the detail in which it is given and as a matter of history as well, the following items have been selected from it: "In the early history of the church, a burial-place was purchased on the northeast quarter of the southwest quarter of Section 35, Town 12, Range 6, for that purpose. It formerly belonged to Ira S. Angell, whose mother, a member of this church, was the first one buried there. She was about sixty-six years of age, and was named Mercy, from which the cemetery took the name of Mount Mercy. The dead, however, were subsequently removed to another burying-place, on the southeast quarter of Section 26."
Another remarkable entry in this record book is the account of the conversion of Curtis F. Shipman, " the Kickapoo hunter." This event occurred during the pastorate of Rev. Mr. Conrad, and is thus described: " On the evening of March 8, 1852, during a heavy fall of rain, while the Pastor was in his study, a man by the name of Curtis F. Shipman, dressed in deerskin coat, pantaloons and moccasins, came to the door and was admitted. He said he was from the head- waters of the Kickapoo River, where the Lord had found him out, and asked the Pastor, ' What must I do to be saved ?' After ascertaining his former advantages for religious instruction, Elder Conrad gave him the advice which he deemed adapted to his case, and held a family prayer meeting on his behalf. He tarried through the night, but seemed on the verge of despair and would not believe, but on the 10th of March he went into the woods alone and poured out his heart before God, when it pleased God to reveal His Son in him, and he returned to the house with a heart full of joy, which was manifest in his whole appearance. He took part in all the prayer meet- ings and remained in Baraboo two weeks, attending divine service and relating on one occasion before the church a reason for the hope that was in him. He was duly received and baptized, and when he left for the Kickapoo country, took with him a Bible, hymn book, and a bundle of religious tracts, resolved to become a missionary."
There is also of record in this book an account of the singular sight of three denominations baptizing at the same time and place, and many other interesting incidents which go to make it a remarkably well-kept record, of which the church should feel proud.
The Congregationalists .- Warren Cochran was the avant-courier of Congregationalism in Baraboo. His first visit to the place was in August, 1847, when he preached a sermon in the log cabin of Marvin Blake. On the 18th of December of the same year, he came again to the place and organized the First Congregational Church of Baraboo, with nine members, as follows : Dr. Charles Cowles and wife, Marvin Blake and wife, B. L. Brier and wife, and Brazillia Hickok, wife and daughter. The organization took place in the little log schoolhouse, Baraboo's cradle of learning.
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When the first court house was completed, the Congregationalists, in common with the Baptists and Methodists, occupied the court room for religious worship. In 1852, a church edi- " fice was built at a cost of $1,200, including lot. When the proposition to build was first made, there was much opposition to it, many of the members believing it premature as well as expen- sive ; but Elder Cochran was firmly in favor of the project. He said to his parishioners, " We can build a meeting-house of our own," and with assurances of support from a few of his fol- lowers, he set about the work in earnest, helping to scrape the clay from the hillside and mold the brick, and when they had been burned, he aided the teamsters to load and unload them. The structure still stands on Second street, just west of the public schoolhouse. This house was subsequently sold and a larger one built at a cost of $4,000.
The new church was dedicated on the 10th of December, 1867, the discourse being delivered by the Rev. William De Loss Love, of Milwaukee. Prof. Hutchins announced that the debt of the church was $550. He made an appeal to the liberality of the congregation, resulting in four members of the church-Z. Lee, F. B. Baldwin, B. B. Brier and L. L. Lee-offering to make up one-tenth of the amount. Mr. Burnham, of the Methodist society, pledged that church to contribute $25. In addition to this, the Methodists present subscribed $100. Deacon Cowles gave $20, and, with other subscriptions, the entire debt was there and then wiped out.
Elder Cochran, who remained at the head of the church until 1864, with the exception of three years, during which time he resided at Brodhead, the pulpit being filled by the Rev. Henry Hutchens and the Rev. E. D. Seward, thus writes concerning his congregation : " The members from the beginning have all been pledged, especially to some principles of reform. Prominent among which were temperance and anti-slavery, the advocacy and practice of which were not always met with popular favor-sometimes with persistent opposition."
In April, 1869, forty of the fifty-six members of the Congregational Church withdrew and formed the "Second Presbyterian Church," but soon afterward united with the First Presbyterian Church. The forty members thus withdrawing, having aided in the building of the new Congregational Church edifice to the extent of about $2,200, proceeded to install themselves therein under the banner of Presbyterianism. The sixteen individuals who had remained faithful to the Congregational creed, turned the other cheek by causing a writ of ejectment to issue, and the Presbyterians were dispossessed. The matter was finally com- promised by the Congregationalists paying the Presbyterians $500 in consideration of their interest in the building, and the latter denomination went back to their own house of worship, leaving the faithful sixteen in undisputed possession.
Upon the resignation of Elder Cochran, in 1864, the Rev. E. D. Seward supplied the pulpit until the spring of 1865, when Mr. Cochran again took charge. He was succeeded in November, 1867, by the Rev. H. H. Hinman. Smith Norton was the next Pastor, and it was during his incumbency that the division above referred to occurred. The Congregationalists were then without a Pastor for a year or more, but finally secured the services of the Rev. A. J. Smith. The Pastors since then have been the Revs. F. W. Fairchild,* and O. G. May, Prof. Butler of the State University, the Revs. J. B. Bidwell, N. T. Blakeslee and M. B. Harrison. The membership is given at fifty-one.
The Catholics .- The Rev. Maxwell Gaertner was the first priest who officiated in that capacity in Baraboo. He came hither from Sauk as early as 1850, and said mass in the Wis- consin House, but, the accommodations here proving too limited, the place of meeting was soon transferred to the house of Mrs. Gray, which now forms a part of the Lavco Hotel, on the south side of the river. Father Gardner visited the place once a month, and performed the rites of the church until his return to Austria about 1854. He traveled on foot through snow and mud, and put in an appearance with remarkable regularity for one of his age. He was about sixty- five when he closed his labors and returned to his native land. In 1858 and 1859, the Catholics purchased, for $500, the little brick church originally occupied by the Congregationalists. It was dedicated in October, 1862, and served their purpose as a house of worship until 1877,
*Since Professor of Languages in the Howard University, Washington.
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when their present church edifice was completed, at a cost of nearly $5,000. The old property was sold to J. J. Gattiker. The priests who have supplied the parish since the time of Father Gardner are Fathers Montague, Weinhart, Nassau, Heiss, Eitchman, Schriner, White, Coghlan (who died here), Burbach, Lineal, Gungel, Michaels and Lavin. The membership is between ninety and one hundred families.
The Presbyterians .- This denomination date the organization of their church from the early part of 1851. On the 26th of February of that year, a meeting was held in the Method- ist house of worship by a number of former members of the Congregational Church, and an organization perfected, styled the First Presbyterian Church of Baraboo. Rev. Dexter Clarey, agent of the American Home Missionary Society, of Wisconsin, preached from Matthew, xvi, 18 " Upon this rock I will build my church." Letters were presented by the following persons : John D. Perkins, Lucy Perkins, Ralph G. Camp, William Griffith, Hannah Griffith, Benjamin L. Brier, Eveline Brier, George W. Cook, Catherine Cook, Elizabeth F. Tuttle, Lucinda Noyes aud Anna Wood, all from the First Congregational Church of Baraboo; Jane F. Camp, First Congregational Church of Bristol Conn .; Albert G. Tuttle, Third Congregational Church of New Haven, Conn. A covenant and thirteen articles of faith were adopted, the thirteenth article being as follows : "We believe that the soul is immortal, and that at the last day, Christ will raise the dead and judge the world in righteousness ; that all who die impenitent will go away into everlasting punishment, and the righteous be received to heaven to enjoy eternal felicity."
The following interesting resolutions were also adopted : "That in the view of this church, American Slavery is a sin of great magnitude; that while we deprecate all harsh language, and rash measures in the removal of this evil, we will, nevertheless, avail ourselves of all suitable measures to enlighten and correct the public mind in regard to the sin of slavery, and that we will use all the measures within our power to banish it from the land."
John D. Perkins was chosen Elder, and R. G. Camp, Clerk, and the first meeting of the First Presbyterian Church of Baraboo adjourned.
In August, 1851, the Rev. James Kasson preached to thesociety in the schoolhouse, and in October, he became their Pastor for one year. During that winter and fall, a frame church edi- fice was erected, and occupied for the first time February 22, 1852. The structure still stands on its original site, opposite the public school building.
In August, 1854, the Rev. Charles M. Moorehouse, having been invited to take spiritual charge of the church, assumed the duties of Pastor. Mr. Moorehouse was succeeded in October, 1855, by the Rev. George Spaulding, the latter being followed by the Rev Sidney H. Barteau, in October, 1856. In May, 1857, the Rev. Hiram Gregg became Pastor, and remained as such until May, 1860, when he was succeeded by the Rev. James A. Hawley. The Rev. E. B. Tut- hill became Pastor in March, 1861, and in August, 1862, was succeeded by Rev. E. B. Miner. Mr. Miner resigned in July, 1864, and was followed by Rev. H. S. Clark, and he in July, 1865. by the Rev. F. Z. Rossiter.
In March, 1870, the Congregational Church having proposed uniting by letter with the Presbyterian Church, it was agreed that joint-meetings should be held-the morning Sabbath service and Sunday school in the Congregational Church, and the evening Sabbath service and week-day meetings in the Presbyterian Church-" the arrangement to be entirely informal, and to continue one month, in the hope that it will expedite an organic union." At that date, there were ninety-two names of members on the roll of the Presbyterian Church, and one hundred Sabbath school pupils. This attempt to unite the two churches was not entirely successful, a few of the Congregationalists withholding their presence, the united portion, however, occupy- ing the Congregational Church for nearly one year, when they went back to the old Presby- terian Church. The Rev. Mr. Rossiter was, soon after this event, succeeded by the Rev. George F. Folsom, and during the second and third year of his pastorate the present Presbyterian Church edifice was built at a cost of something over $12,000. For about a year prior to May, 1879, the church was without a pastor, the Rev. R. L. Williams, the present incumbent, begin_
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ning his labors on that date. The present membership of the church is given at 175. The con- gregation is usually very large.
The Elders of the church, since its organization, have been John D. Perkins, Merritt Clark, Eliphalet Dustin, B. L. Brier, Marvin Blake, Chauncy Hall, Darwin Hill, Leonard Newcomb, Harper T. Savage, Jedediah Hubbard, Miller Blachly, Ezra O. Holden, John B. Crawford, Henry Cowles and Ira L. Humphry.
Unitarianism .- The organization known as the Free Congregational Society was accom- plished February 16, 1860. The founder of the society, Rev. Ichabod Codding, who had be- come widely and favorably known as a powerful advocate of liberty and reform during the Presi- dential canvass of 1860, preached in the court house October 28 of that year and on several occasions thereafter, taking charge of the society's destinies May 18, 1861. Mr. Codding at once drew about him a large circle of warm friends and supporters. The congregations were large, and the efforts of both society and pastor for the Anti-slavery cause and the local sanitary commission, showed that they could both preach and practice. Mr. Codding, on account of ill health, resigned his charge in March, 1865, and died * in Baraboo June 17, 1866. The Rev. A. A. Roberts was settled in October, 1865, and ordained February 13, 1866, as Pastor of tlie society, which now became generally known as the Unitarian Church. This charge was partly brought about by the generous aid of the American Unitarian Association in building the church edifice, which was dedicated on the 11th of December, 1867. Mr. Roberts closed his pastorate in September, 1868, and was succeeded in October following by the Rev. Fred May Holland. Since the pastorate of Mr. Holland, the society has had no regular minister. The Rev. Mr. Albee, of Sparta, favors them with an occasional lecture. For the past six or seven years, the church has been used for theatrical and other similar purposes-in fact, it is about the only hal in Baraboo that will accommodate entertainments of this character.
In connection with the history of this society, a rather amusing incident, implicating a well- known citizen, is related. During the incumbency of the Rev. Mr. Roberts as Pastor, an effort was made by a few of the members to oust him. At a meeting at which the matter was dis- cussed, and after the disgruntled members had given their reasons for making a change, the afore- said well-known citizen arose and opposed the proposition to dispense with Mr. Roberts' services. He cited, in defense of his position, the fact that the pastor had done a great deal toward build- ing the church and bringing the society up to its then prosperous condition ; " and," he contin- ued, warming up to a moderate degree of earnestness, "if you turn him out now, d -- d if I don't quit this church and go over to the hell-fire and brimstone fellows at once."
The German Methodists .-- The pioneer German Methodists in Baraboo were Frederick Fil- bert and wife and George Wolf and wife. Meetings were held as early as 1865, in the basement of the English Methodist Church building. The first Pastor of the little congregation was the Rev. Charles Mueller, who was accidentally drowned in the Missouri River in 1866. The suc- cessors of Mr. Mueller have been the Revs. G. A. Saultzer, Mr. Wentz, Conrad Hedler and Frederick Griekmann. In 1868, the society purchased, for $1,300, the old Presbyterian Church building, opposite the public schoolhouse, where they have been permanently located ever since. The society had grown to considerable proportions in 1874, when a disaffection occurred and one- half the members withdrew and joined the Albrechts .. The original organization still continues to hold together.
The Episcopalians .- On the first Sunday in June, 1867, a missionary of the Protestant Episcopal Church began services in a small upper room on Oak street, Baraboo, then used as a Good Templars' Hall. Taylor's Hall was soon afterward rented and transformed into a house of worship. A few months later, a parish, under the name of Trinity Church, was duly organ- ized according to the canons of the church, and became an incorporated body, according to the laws of the State. In September, 1868, it was resolved to purchase the property on the north- east corner of Oak and Sixth streets, known as the seminary property, then owned by P. A. Bas- sett, and $4,000 was the amount of purchase money agreed upon, one-fourth of which was raised
*See article on "Illustrious Dead " of Sauk County for life and services of Mr. Codding.
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in local subscriptions, one-fourth in Milwaukee and the balance in various Eastern cities. A deed for the property was executed in June, 1869. Mr. Hudson remained as Rector of the church until April, 1873. His successors have been the Revs. Ritchie, Lemon and Cow- drey.
The Lutherans .- In 1870, the Rev. Baumbach, of the town of Honey Creek, came to Baraboo at the solicitation of a few German citizens desirous of forming themselves into a religious society. Meetings were held in the institute building, and an organization perfected with the following constitutional members : Dr. Koch and wife, William Schultz and wife, Mr. Curtis and wife and Mr. Alpeter and wife. In 1878, a church edifice was built on East Fourth street, at a cost of $2,000. The stated Pastors have been the Revs. Giesel and Shaffelman, the latter now being in charge. The membership is given as thirty-seven.
The Albrechts .- "Emmanuel Church of Baraboo of the Evangelical Association of North America " is the title of a religious organization perfected in 1875, having for its purpose the dissemination of the quasi-Methodist doctrines of Jacob Albrecht, who, about 1790, established this form of religion in Pennsylvania. Among the leading names of those who figured in the early history of the society are the following : William Scharnke, George Wolf and wife, Gus- tave Scharnke and wife, Leonard Smith and wife, Tobias Clavadatcher and Peter Sprecher. Services were first held in what was then known as Post Office Hall. David Wolf's wagon-shop was subsequently rented and fitted up for the accommodation of the society. In 1879, a neat brick-veneered church edifice was built on Second and Broadway, at a cost of about $2,500 The Rev. C. F. Finger was the minister who first had charge of the organization. In the spring of 1876, the Wisconsin Conference sent the Rev. Mr. Reichert as permanent Pastor. Conrad Wiegand was Mr. Reichert's successor. The present Pastor is the Rev. Peter Massueger. The membership of the church is about 100.
HOTELS.
The early pioneers of Baraboo and vicinity took lodgings in Nature's vast chamber, with the star-studded canopy for a roof; and, though their couches were hard, their consciences were clear and their repose sweet and unbroken. Not a few of the old residents, who are still living, remember the luxury of a night's rest in the log schoolhouse north of the river, after the erection of that structure in 1843, or in the rude 10x12-cabin of some kindly neighbor on the south side. Some time in 1843, James Webster, father of H. H. Webster, of Baraboo, completed a frame building in Lyons and accommodated new-comers. This was the first house in the Baraboo Valley approaching the hotel order.
Early in 1847, Col. Edward Sumner purchased of the county a lot at the northeast corner of the court house square, and put up a small one-story frame. He also took boarders, and " slept " some of the strangers then coming to this region " looking land." This was known as the Adams House. It was twice enlarged, being raised from two to three stories at the second enlargement. Col. Sumner went to California in 1849, renting the Adams House to a man named Watson, who kept it until the return of the Colonel from the " land of gold " in 1852. In the meantime, the name of the village having been changed from Adams, for which the Adams House was named, the latter had been christened the Western Hotel. It was then the principal public house in the place, and as such was the headquarters for all classes of people, the bureau of information and the nucleus of village gossip. It was here, in later years, that Maj. Clark, " Jim " Brown, Levi Crouch, " Charley " Sumner and several others, familiarly known to the residents of Baraboo, were wont to stretch their legs beneath the mahogany of the old Western and discuss religion, crops and politics. But it is remarkable what different effects the food had upon different persons. Look at Crouch, for instance, and then Sumner; look upon this picture and then upon that. The efforts of the old Western landlord to increase the avoirdupoise of one seemed to have taken unanimous effect upon the other, and vice versa. Maj. Clark occupied the seat of honor at the table, and usually led off in the diurnal jokes. "Jim " Brown was always in a hurry. He kept a small stock of goods near by, the receipts from the
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sale of which averaged probably 15 cents a day ; but he ate as rapidly as a merchant doing business up among the thousands. He finally " starved out " and went West, where he was successful. He is now one of the permanent guests of the Palmer House, and deals largely in wheat.
In 1855, Col. Sumner sold the Western to Dunn & Davis. Dunn sold his interest at the end of a year to William Wallace, Davis' interest being subsequently mortgaged to J. E. Wright. Wallace ran the house until 1870, when both interests were leased to a man named Campbell. He remained in control one year. . The house was then closed. About six months afterward, William Pearl, now of the Cliff House, Devil's Lake, rented the premises and conducted the hotel until a week previous to its total destruction by fire, November 6, 1878.
The Baraboo House, built by Lyman Clark in the fall of 1847, is another landmark. It now does service as a brewery on the south side of the river.
The Wisconsin House, now the property of Herman Albrecht, was built in 1852 by a Ger- man named Cornell or Connell. The City Hotel, under the hill, also dates its existence from about this period.
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