St. John's United Methodist Church (Davenport, Iowa)
Encyclopedia
St. John's United Methodist Church is located at 1325-1329 Brady Street, Davenport
, Iowa
, United States
. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
Conference who was sent to minister among the Sac and Fox tribes in 1835. He was also instructed to visit White settlements along the way and from them he was to receive his financial support. While he resided in the area that would become Davenport, his missionary
territory stretched from the Missouri
state border to St. Anthony Falls in Minnesota
, which is in present day Minneapolis.
In August 1836 the Methodist Society was organized in Rockingham, Iowa, the present southwest side of Davenport, with the assistance of the Illinois
Conference. It consisted of seven or eight people. D.C. James had been assigned to the Rock Island District and preached at Rockingham. Later that year the Rockingham Circuit was formed. The circuit included an area of about 200 miles. It stretched from the Iowa River
on the south to the Wapsipinicon River
on the north and went inland to where ever there was a White settlement. Chauncey Hobart was put in charge of the circuit.
The first services in the city of Davenport itself were held in the spring of 1837 at the house of D.D. Eldridge. The missionary E.C. Gavit led the service and preached.
The first organized church in Davenport started in 1839 when William L. Cook was authorized to form a church organization. He found seven people and they formed the first class in Davenport. In a year it would grow to 20 members. Rev. Francis H. Chenowith was sent to be the first preacher in Davenport and a church building was begun in 1841 on the west side of Perry Street between Fourth and Fifth Streets. The small structure was built of brick and measured 30 by 40 feet. The congregation took the name Davenport Methodist Episcopal Church and later First Methodist Episcopal Church.
The congregation continued to grow and in 1853 plans were drawn up for a new church building at the corner of Fifth and Brady Streets. The new building was completed the following summer, and a parsonage was built soon after. In 1856 Wesley Chapel was formed with 60 members. The parent church had 375 members
The congregation continued to grow and it was decided their church building was again too small. In 1867 property was purchased on top of the hill at the corner of 14th and Brady Streets. The Fourteenth Street Methodist Episcopal Church was formed at that location. Other small congregations also formed from the main church: Spring Street Church, Cook Chapel, and Gilruth Chapel. In 1873 a new main church was built further up Brady Street because the trains on 5th Street created too much noise.
in 1899.
The new building was dedicated on December 13, 1903 as St. John’s. It was built at a cost of $112,000. The building is constructed of limestone
in the English Gothic style. It has a large rectangular sanctuary and an imposing corner tower. In the early 20th century it had a congregation of 1,030 and a Sunday School of 623 pupils. Other Methodist congregations were formed in the 20th century: Grace (1925), Faith and Christ (1965). St. John’s has remained the largest congregation.
The church property expanded in the 21st century when the church renovated a former furniture store across 14th Street. Called The Center, it created more space to expand the church’s outreach ministries. An alternative worship site was created at Wertz Funeral Home at Kimberly and Jersey Ridge Roads. The location moved in 2007 to Eisenhower Elementary School.
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...
, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Development of the Methodist Church in Davenport
The beginning of the Methodist Church in Davenport can be traced to the arrival of the Rev. E. C. Gavit of the OhioOhio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
Conference who was sent to minister among the Sac and Fox tribes in 1835. He was also instructed to visit White settlements along the way and from them he was to receive his financial support. While he resided in the area that would become Davenport, his missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
territory stretched from the Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
state border to St. Anthony Falls in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, which is in present day Minneapolis.
In August 1836 the Methodist Society was organized in Rockingham, Iowa, the present southwest side of Davenport, with the assistance of the Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
Conference. It consisted of seven or eight people. D.C. James had been assigned to the Rock Island District and preached at Rockingham. Later that year the Rockingham Circuit was formed. The circuit included an area of about 200 miles. It stretched from the Iowa River
Iowa River
The Iowa River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the state of Iowa in the United States. It is about long and is open to small river craft to Iowa City, about from its mouth...
on the south to the Wapsipinicon River
Wapsipinicon River
The Wapsipinicon River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in northeastern Iowa in the United States. It drains a rural farming region of rolling hills and bluffs north of Waterloo and Cedar Rapids. The initial vowel rhymes with "pop".It rises in Mower County, Minnesota...
on the north and went inland to where ever there was a White settlement. Chauncey Hobart was put in charge of the circuit.
The first services in the city of Davenport itself were held in the spring of 1837 at the house of D.D. Eldridge. The missionary E.C. Gavit led the service and preached.
The first organized church in Davenport started in 1839 when William L. Cook was authorized to form a church organization. He found seven people and they formed the first class in Davenport. In a year it would grow to 20 members. Rev. Francis H. Chenowith was sent to be the first preacher in Davenport and a church building was begun in 1841 on the west side of Perry Street between Fourth and Fifth Streets. The small structure was built of brick and measured 30 by 40 feet. The congregation took the name Davenport Methodist Episcopal Church and later First Methodist Episcopal Church.
The congregation continued to grow and in 1853 plans were drawn up for a new church building at the corner of Fifth and Brady Streets. The new building was completed the following summer, and a parsonage was built soon after. In 1856 Wesley Chapel was formed with 60 members. The parent church had 375 members
The congregation continued to grow and it was decided their church building was again too small. In 1867 property was purchased on top of the hill at the corner of 14th and Brady Streets. The Fourteenth Street Methodist Episcopal Church was formed at that location. Other small congregations also formed from the main church: Spring Street Church, Cook Chapel, and Gilruth Chapel. In 1873 a new main church was built further up Brady Street because the trains on 5th Street created too much noise.
St. John’s Church
In 1899 First Methodist Episcopal Church and Fourteenth Street Methodist Episcopal Church were reorganized into Central Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1902 the cornerstone of the present church building was laid at the 14th and Brady location. P.T. Burrows was the designing architect and F.G. Claussen was the superintending architect. They were the same team that designed First PresbyterianFirst Presbyterian Church (Davenport, Iowa)
First Presbyterian Church is located at 316 E. Kirkwood Boulevard, Davenport, Iowa, United States. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.-Development:...
in 1899.
The new building was dedicated on December 13, 1903 as St. John’s. It was built at a cost of $112,000. The building is constructed of limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
in the English Gothic style. It has a large rectangular sanctuary and an imposing corner tower. In the early 20th century it had a congregation of 1,030 and a Sunday School of 623 pupils. Other Methodist congregations were formed in the 20th century: Grace (1925), Faith and Christ (1965). St. John’s has remained the largest congregation.
The church property expanded in the 21st century when the church renovated a former furniture store across 14th Street. Called The Center, it created more space to expand the church’s outreach ministries. An alternative worship site was created at Wertz Funeral Home at Kimberly and Jersey Ridge Roads. The location moved in 2007 to Eisenhower Elementary School.