- Religion - Janesville Sesquicentennial
-
- [Photograph; caption reads: St. Mary's Catholic Church, at
307 E. Wall, looked like this soon after it was built in 1876.]
-
- Circuit preacher gave first sermon in cabin
- The towering church steeple has grown upon the spot where
once the devout and devotional
- worshiped in the open air with nothing save the frail
branches of the friendly oak to protect them from torrent and
tempest. The melodious organ and cultured voice have taken the
place of the untutored choir, and every phase of religious history
denotes remarkable enterprise on the part of those at the head
of the various churches, and liberal support from the members.
- -- 'The History of Rock County'
-
- If Janesville is the City of Parks, it also should be called
the city of churches.
- With some 50 houses of worship in the city, that figures
to about one church for each 1,000
- residents.
- There are 11 Lutheran churches in Janesville, followed by
four United Methodist and a like number
- of Roman Catholic churches. But this was not always the case.
- It is next to impossible to say which church was the first
in Janesville, depending upon the definition
- of the word "church." Also "official"
histories vary. If circuit riders can be considered a church,
then the Methodists can lay claim to the honor.
- Trinity Episcopal, organized in 1844, was housed in the first
church building in the city, constructed
- in 1848 on Laurel Avenue. The present church and rectory,
built at East Court and Wisconsin streets in 1930-31, is the
site of the former Christ church, one of two original Episcopal
churches in the city.
- First Baptist Church, organized on Oct. 13, 1844, was first
housed in a building at Pleasant and
- Cherry streets. The building, constructed in 1851, was sold
to W. M. TALLMAN in 1866. It still stands,
- and today houses the HULICK Printing Co.
- While there are many relatively new, modern-looking churches
in the city, four downtown churches
- contain at least some elements of their original edifices.
They are St. Patrick's Catholic, 315 Cherry; St. Mary's Catholic,
307 E. Wall; First Presbyterian, 17 N. Jackson; and first Church
of Christ, Scientist, 323 W. Court. First Congregational, which
is not the original edifice, is also a downtown landmark.
- As in most communities, not long after Janesville was born
congregations were formed. And being
- comprised of the staunch Christians that they were, these
congregations soon began building meeting places to take place
of family homes as "sanctuaries."
- In 1835, church meeting places were the focal point of social
activity, as well as places in which to
- worship God.
- From Baptism to marriage to funeral, churches were integral
to the lives of the early inhabitants of
- the city.
- Sometimes, it's fun to lean back, close your eyes and envision
life revolving around those young
- churches. Gas-lighted lanterns cast a golden glow in the
small sanctuary for evening services. A woman, oftentimes the
pastor's wife, played the pump organ, ladies fussed with their
bonnets, children fidgeted with a wary eye out to see if the
stern face of the minister was looking in their direction. The
men wore go- to-meeting black suits, with uncomfortable starched
shirts.
- In the winter, up front, close to the pot-belly stove was
no doubt a popular place to sit, rather than
- toward the rear, as churchgoers are so prone to do these
days.
-
- Barroom services
- Although the Congregational Church lays claim to the first
building of its own, it was actually the
- Methodists who brought the first gospel message to Janesville.
History has it that the first sermon preached in Janesville was
delivered by the Rev. Jess HALSTEAD, a Methodist circuit
preacher, in September 1837. This "service" was held
in the barroom of a log tavern, with the bar for a pulpit, "all
liquors being cleared out of the way."
- Apparently, religious services held in school houses mainly,
were infrequent, as the next recorded
- service was in an oak grove in the summer of 1838.
- There are only indefinite notices of occasional preaching
by Baptists, Congregationalists,
- Episcopalians and Universalists for several years before
the organization of these bodies in Janesville.
-
- Congregational
- The history of the Congregational denomination dates back
to 1843, when a few sparsely
- attended meetings were held in the courthouse, the schoolhouse,
or at the residence of some member when the "temple of Justice
or seat of learning were otherwise occupied," "The
History of Rock County" relates.
- The first Congregational Church was constructed in 1842.
After a previous organizational meeting,
- the members voted to call themselves the Congregational Church
of Janesville.
- Cargill Memorial Church (Methodist) was erected during 1905
and 1906 on the corner of South
- Franklin and Pleasant streets, and was the birth of what
is now Cargill United Methodist Church, the largest church of
that denomination in Wisconsin.
- The First Presbyterian Church of Janesville was organized
May 5, 1855, with 12 charter members,
- in the old stone Academy building.
- Just three years before that, in 1852, the First Lutheran
Church, now one of Janesville's largest
- churches, was organized.
-
- Catholic
- The Catholic churches made their entrance into Janesville
in 1846, when a Father MORRISY, one
- of three priests in Wisconsin, made trips by horseback here
from Milwaukee.
- After a few months, a small brick building was erected and
the church was called St. Cuthbert's,
- later to become St. Patrick's. As the membership increased,
a new church, "a solid and beautiful structure," was
built in 1864. One historical account says that "on account
of a large mortgage, the church building had to be sold to a
non-Catholic in 1881. In June 1880, a Rev. E. M. McGINNITY
took charge. He personally guaranteed the owner of the building
$500, provided it was "thrown open" three Sundays.
This was done, and on the third Sunday a collection was taken
amounting to $800.
- In the spring of 1876, several members of St. Patrick's left
the fold and took measures for the
- organization of a new congregation. A lot was purchased and
a contract made for the erection of a building, at a cost of
$2,400. the result was the city's second Catholic church - St.
Mary's.
- First Baptist Church's second building, built in 1868 after
a temporary church was destroyed by
- fire, was replaced by another church, also destroyed by fire,
this one on Jan. 13, 1884. In 1908, with 710 members, however,
it boasted of being the largest Baptist church in Wisconsin.
The present church, at 3414 Woodhall, was constructed in 1974.
-
- When Luther rebelled against the mandates of the Romish
priests, and offered to discuss the
- practicability and efficiency of the tenets of their faith
with the Pope himself, he little thought he was paving the way
to a new religion, destined to be carried across the seas and
spread broadcast in every land. The followers of this wise man's
doctrines inhabit every clime of the globe. In proportion to
population, their progress in Janesville has been quite as rapid
as that of any other denomination.
- -- 'The History of Rock County'
-
- [Photograph; caption reads: The Court Street Methodist Church
building is known as much for its architecture as it is as a
place of worship. The structure, located at the corner of South
Main and East Court, was built in 1868-1870. The sanctuary was
located on the upper floors, while stores were rented on the
ground floor. Following the re-consolidation of the Methodist
churches in 1904, the sanctuary became the Masonic Hall. The
building is now the home of SMITH Copy Systems.]
-
- Lutheran
- Of the Lutheran churches in Janesville still in existence,
St. Paul's is the second oldest, being
- established in 1865. The church building was erected in 1883.
St. Peter's Lutheran Church was organized Feb. 6, 1903, with
19 charter members. The German Evangelical Lutheran Church (now
St. John Lutheran Church) was organized in the spring of 1890,
with 16 voting members.
- The First Church of Christ, Scientist, was organized in April
1897, with 22 charter members. With
- services first held at the city library, the congregation
soon built on the corner of High and Pleasant (West Court) streets
where it still stands.
-
- The Swedenborgians: For some time prior to 1876, the New
Jerusalem Society held meet-
- ings over the old Post Office. The Rev. W. D. HASTINGS
and the Rev. Mr. SCAMMON expounded the doctrine of John
Swedenborg to a very slim congregation, which seems to have dissolved
and disappeared, whether under the influence of a lack of faith,
or want of funds, is not known.
- -- 'The History of Rock County'
-
- [Two photographs on page 4K; caption reads: Two early church
buildings that no longer exist are First Baptist Church, right,
which was built in 1867 and burned in 1884, and the Hope Chapel,
below, which was demolished in 1971 after more than a century
of service. The First Baptist Church building was located at
the corner of Pleasant (now Court) and Jackson streets. Originally
located on the northeast corner of Milwaukee and Wisconsin, the
Hope Chapel was used by the Baptists and Lutherans. The structure
was later moved to the northeast corner of West Court and River,
where it served as a hotel.]
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