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Beecher Chapel. [Postcards and text contributed by
Bob Miller.]
 "Beecher
Chapel, Galesburg, Ill." postcard postmarked September 18, 1909. Taken from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and Knox County, Munsell Publishing
Company, 1899, "First Congregational Church - Organized November 9, 1855, by forty-seven members of the "Old First" [Congregational Church].
By February, 1858, eighty-two more had joined from the old church. The first pastor was Rev. Edward Beecher. In 1856, the "Brick Church, "[it was the first
brick church built in Galesburg] on Broad street, between Simmons and Tompkins, was built at an outlay of fifteen thousand dollars. The great storm or May 13, 1858, blew
over the tall spire, which was replaced by the short tower now surmounting the edifice. To aid in this repairing, Henry Ward Beecher, brother of the pastor, lectured in
Galesburg, donating the proceeds to the church. Mrs. Henry Hitchcock presented the parsonage, on the corner of Broad and North Streets. Rev. H. A. Bushnell, the
last pastor, resigned in 1894."
 "Galesburg,
Ills., Beecher Chapel, Knox College" postcard published by Peck's
China Store, Galesburg, Ill.
When the congregation reunited with "Old First" to form Central Congregational Church in 1895, the building was purchased by Knox College. It was
subsequently known as Beecher Chapel. The building was razed in 1966.
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Central Congregational
Church. [Postcard and text contributed by
Bob Miller.]
 "Central Church, Galesburg, Ill."
postcard
post marked December 23, 1908. Old First Church was organized in Galesburg in February of 1837 with Rev. George W. Gale as first pastor. In November, 1855,
forty-seven members of the "Old First" left to start the First Congregational Church with Rev. Edward Beecher as first pastor. Central Congregational
Church was organized January 1, 1895, by the reunion of the "Old First" and First Congregational congregations. The "Old First" church building,
which had become unsafe, was torn down and, in December of 1898, construction of the Central Congregational Church pictured in the postcard was completed on the same site at a
cost of $74,000. The church is located on the southwest corner of Main and Broad Streets, facing east onto Broad. It was named to the National Register of Historic
Sites in 1976.
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Corpus
Christi Church. [Postcard and text contributed by
Bob Miller.]  "Corpus
Christi Church, Galesburg, Ill." postcard postmarked August 15, 1914. Taken from Portrait and Biographical Album of Knox County, Biographical Publishing
Company, Chicago, 1886, page 1033. "The Church of Corpus Christi (Catholic). The first opening of the Catholic service in Galesburg was by a missionary at a
very early day. Services were held in a shanty, which was afterward blown down. Rev. John O'Neil was the first settled priest, and it was during his pastorate that
the first church building was erected [St. Patrick's Church], which was in 1857. This was located in the southwest part of town.
Father O'Neil was succeeded in
1863 by Rev. James Power, who only remained one year, when Rev. Maurice Howard assumed charge. Mr. Howard served the church until 1877, when Rev. Joseph Costa, the
present pastor, was appointed. Father Costa neither liked the old church building nor its location, and it was not long after he assumed charge before he began to lay his
plans for a new edifice and a new location. What he wanted was a good location in the center of the city. All available ground, however, was occupied. But he
made up his mind he would not build until he secured grounds that suited him. A few years' waiting and the exercise of a little strategy finally brought him into
possession of just the site he wanted, which was on the corner of South and Prairie streets. Work was then commenced, which finally terminated in the completion of the
present edifice. The cornerstone was laid in May, 1884, by Bishop Spaulding. It was dedicated Sunday, October 4, 1885, the services being conducted by Bishop
Spaulding, of Peoria. The building is 122 feet long by 57 feet in width. The foundation is of cut stone, and the superstructure is of brick. Its graceful and
well-proportioned spire rises 150 feet. The auditorium is large, light and airy and elegantly finished, having a heavy Gothic ceiling with groined side arches on each
side, and across the front is a gallery. From each side of the altar there are also two invisible galleries, which command a view of the altar through arched
openings. The altar is beautifully and artistically designed. The panel in front represents the Lord's Supper. The figures are in basso-relievo, carved
in wood and exceedingly well executed. The basement, which is quite high, is fitted up for a vesper room and other like services. It is lighted with gas and heated
by steam. Mr. Guido was the architect and Matthias Schnell the builder. To Father Costa, however, the credit must be given for the design and plan of the
edifice. Total cost of building and grounds, $35,000. A bell has been put in, weighing 600 pounds, and costing $600. A large pipe organ is to be an additional
attraction. Father Costa is assisted by Father Selva. The present membership of the church consists of 200 parochial families and about 100 mixed families."
Taken from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and Knox County, Munsell Publishing
Company, 1899, "... in May, 1884, the cornerstone of Corpus Christi was laid, the building being dedicated by Bishop Spaulding, of Peoria, October 4, 1885.
Cost, including lot, of $35,000. Rectory just north of church. ... Rev. Joseph Costa, still pastor of Corpus Christi, deserves most of the credit for the
church." The church continues to stand and serve its congregation at the northeast corner of Prairie and South Streets, facing Prairie.
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 "East
Main Street Church, Galesburg, Ill." postcard. [Contributed
by Bob Miller.]
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First
Baptist Church. [Postcard and text contributed by
Bob Miller.]
 "First
Baptist Church, Galesburg, Ill." postcard postmarked October 6, 1913. Taken from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and Knox County, Munsell Publishing
Company, 1899, "First Baptist Church - Organized with thirty members, January 15, 1848. Edifice, northwest corner of Broad and Tompkins streets; dedicated in
1851; sold, with lot, for two thousand dollars in 1865, to Board of Education [as future site of Galesburg High School]. Frame building erected on Cherry street and
dedicated April 9, 1868; cost thirty thousand dollars; burned December 19, 1892. Present church dedicated January 21, 1894; cost $33,800. In 1857, seceding members
formed the Cherry Street Church, Rev. S. Kingsbury being the first pastor. The division sorely tried both churches, and Rev. I. Fargo, pastor of the Cherry Street
Church, earnestly sought reunion, which finally was suggested by the First Church in a courteous note sent the Cherry Street congregation on October 9, 1864. The reunion
was affected November 9, following, Rev. W. W. Moore being pastor. Rev. W. H. Geistweit is now pastor. It has five hundred and sixty members; one hundred and fifty
in the Young People's Union, and three hundred in the Sunday school, which has been made one of the strongest in Galesburg by the efforts of E. R. Drake, Superintendent
from 1880 to the present time, with exception of eighteen months."
The First Baptist Church building pictured in the postcard is located on the northeast corner of Cherry and Tompkins Streets. It was built at a cost of $ 33,800 and was
dedicated on January 21, 1894.
"City
Hall and First Baptist Church, Galesburg, Ill." postcard postmarked September 20, 1912. The Galesburg City Hall and Brown's Business College can be seen just
north (to the left) of the church on Cherry Street.
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First Methodist
Episcopal Church.
 "First
M. E., Galesburg, Ill." postcard. Taken from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and Knox County, Munsell Publishing Company, 1899, "Methodist
Episcopal - The first church organization was formed in 1847, by Rev. J. J. Hedstom. A small edifice was erected in 1851, on the [northeast] corner of Kellogg and
Tompkins streets, where the present church stands. Peter Cartwright [a formidable, itinerant Methodist clergyman] preached the dedicatory sermon. It was merely an
appointment in the Knoxville circuit until 1855, when Rev. M. S. Hanley was assigned as a regular pastor. In 1872, the old parsonage was torn down and its site, which
adjoined that of the church, was thrown into the church lot, and the adjacent property on the west was purchased. On the site thus obtained the present church building
was begun. Dedicated February 27, 1876. Its cost was $32,000. In 1895, extensive repairs and improvements were made, involving an outlay of $20,000. The
church has eight hundred and twenty members and six hundred and twenty-five in the Sunday school. The Epworth League is flourishing. Rev. T. W. McVety is the
present pastor."
The church building was destroyed by fire in late July 1909. [Postcard contributed by Jim Ferris; text contributed by
Bob Miller.]
"First Methodist Church, Galesburg, Ill." postcard. Construction was started on a new church in 1911 at the northwest corner of Kellogg
and Ferris Streets, facing east onto Kellogg. It is now known as the First United Methodist Church. Postcard and text contributed by
Bob Miller.]
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Presbyterian Church of Galesburg. [Postcard and text contributed by
Bob Miller.]
 "Galesburg,
Ills., Presbyterian Church" postcard postmarked July 7, 1908.
 "Presbyterian
Church, Galesburg, Ill." postcard postmarked September 13, 1912. Taken from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and Knox County, Munsell Publishing
Company, 1899, "Presbyterian Church of Galesburg - Formed by the union of [Presbyterian Church and Second Presbyterian Church] ... on March 1,
1870. Rev. L. Pratt was the first pastor. At that time there were about three hundred members. Rev. W. H. Spence is the present pastor. The church has
about five hundred communicants, and the Sunday school enrollment exceeds three hundred. The Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor has a membership of one hundred
and fifty. The congregation occupied the edifice of the Second Church on Cherry street, until it burned, November 30, 1891. The present building, on the corner of
Ferris and Prairie streets, was dedicated December 3, 1893. It is a handsome structure, of gray sandstone, and cost $62,000. It was the first of the new stone
churches here, and is the finest, with the exception of Central Church. It seats nine hundred in the auditorium proper, and two thousand when the Sunday school rooms are
thrown open."
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 "St.
Patrick's Church, Galesburg, Ill." postcard dated September 27,
1909. Located on South Academy Street in Galesburg, St. Patrick's was
the first Catholic Church opened in Galesburg. [Contributed by Bob
Miller.]
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 "Swedish
Baptist Church, Galesburg, Ill." postcard by Osgood.
[Contributed by Bob Miller.]
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 "Swedish
Lutheran Church, Galesburg, Ill." postcard. [Contributed by
Bob Miller.]
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Trinity
Lutheran Church. [Postcard and text contributed by
Bob Miller.]
 "Trinity
Lutheran Church, Galesburg, Ill." postcard. Trinity Lutheran Church stands at the southeast corner of Kellogg and Ferris Streets, facing north onto
Ferris. Construction of the church building was begun in 1899 by the congregation of St. John's Episcopal Church, but its completion was delayed because of funding
difficulties. The building was purchased in 1907 by the Trinity Lutheran congregation. It has been remodeled and expanded a number of times since then.
 "Trinity
Lutheran, Galesburg, Ill." postcard. This postcard shows
several changes in the exterior of the church, including new roof lines over
the steeple and the far left entry, different stonework over all of the
windows and entries, and a significant change in the entry under the large
stained-glass window on the left.
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 "Universalist
Church, Galesburg, Ill." postcard. [Contributed by Bob
Miller.]
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 "Congregational
Church & Parsonage, Abingdon, Ill." postcard. [Contributed by Jim Ferris.]
Taken from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and Knox County, Munsell Publishing
Company, 1899, page 915. [Contributed by Bob Miller.] "The Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Cedar [Township] dates its beginning from about 1834 or 1835,
with fifteen members. Not long thereafter they erected a house of worship, said to have been the first church building in the county. It stood about one mile and a
half northwest of Abingdon, and was used for a number of years as a class room for Cherry Grove Seminary. The denomination's influence, in both school and church affairs,
has been potent throughout this entire section of the county. In 1866 the congregation removed to Abingdon. Subsequently it affiliated itself with the Congregational
denomination and became the present Congregational communion of Abingdon."
Taken from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and Knox County, Munsell Publishing
Company, 1899, page 923. [Contributed by Bob Miller.] "The First Cumberland Presbyterian Church was organized in Cherry Grove, by Rev. James Stockton, in
1834. In 1866 the denomination erected a church edifice in Abingdon. This society was later changed to a Congregational church, which was organized in
1881. The society bought the Cumberland Presbyterian property, and in 1885 refitted the building, adding a lecture room. The house was again remodeled in 1897, and
a pipe organ placed in the church. The society is in a prosperous condition."
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 Maquon
Methodist Church.
[Contributed by Todd Walter.]
The first recorded occurrence of a worship service with preaching took
place in 1835 at a double log cabin just south and west of the present
village limits. This double cabin had been built in 1828 by Simeon
Dolph, the operator of the ferry across Spoon River, who sold it to William
McGowen. The cabin was in McGowen's possession at the time of the 1835
worship services. The preacher, Parnach Owen, was a Presbyterian who
had come to Maquon as a surveyor and who had, in fact, laid out the
town. From 1842 until 1848, worship services were held in a building
built by a Mr. Maddox for the purpose of housing machinery for carding wool
on the west side of the square.
In 1848, when William Purcell built a brick school house on what is now
West Street, church services were moved to this building. In 1866,
after the new school was built, members of the Ladies Sewing Society
purchased the building to be used as a church off and on until the present
church was built in 1877.
In the meantime however, the community had flirted with spiritualism, and
held nightly séances for a period during the 1850's. According to one
account "preaching services were practically broken up".
Christian services were not held regularly at this time and, during the
1860's, people drifted back and forth between spiritualism and Christian
worship.
A number of efforts were made to raise money to erect a church including
a joint venture between the Spiritualists and Unitarians, all of which
failed. The building of the present Methodist Church occurred after
Rev. Charles Swartz was appointed to take charge of services in Maquon and
Summit in 1875. Swartz was successful in getting a subscription of
$1600 for the project with more promised. The site for the building
was bought from Thomas Benson, and the church was built by Capt. James
Burkhalter and his brother William at a cost of $4500. Bishop Jessee
T. Peck officiated at the dedication ceremonies, September 11, 1877.
The stained glass windows were added to the church between 1901 and 1903
when John T. Killip was pastor. In 1919 the spire on the southeast
corner of the church was removed.
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 Saint
Augustine Catholic Church and Parsonage.
According to the 1912 History of Knox County Illinois, the
church was originally built in 1863 under the supervision of Father
Allbrecht, and was at one time across the county line in Fulton County.
A few years after being built, "Father Larmer removed it to
it's current site". I take this to mean the building itself was
actually moved. The original priest's house built about 1874-75,
burned down in 1911, and this new parsonage was built in 1912. [Contributed
by Patti Lawson.]
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