First Presbyterian Church (Springfield, Illinois)

First Presbyterian Church, Springfield, Illinois
First Presbyterian Church, Springfield, Illinois
	Church Exterior
Location	Springfield, Illinois
Country	U.S.A
Denomination	Presbyterian Church U.S.A.
Website	www.lincolnschurch.org
History
Status	Church
Founded	December 15, 1828
Founder(s)	Rev. John M. Ellis
Architecture
Architect(s)	L. D. Cleveland
Style	Gothic Revival, Romanesque
Years built	1866-1868
Construction cost	$65,000
Specifications
Capacity	400
Administration
Synod	Lincoln Trails
Presbytery	Great Rivers

Last updated August 12, 2023

First Presbyterian Church is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) located in downtown Springfield, Illinois. This is the church that President Abraham Lincoln and his family attended while they lived in Springfield.

History

The First Presbyterian Church origins date back to 1828, just ten years after Illinois became a state. The first church building was in the block that is currently between 3rd and 4th Streets and between Washington and Monroe Streets in downtown Springfield.^[1] That building served the church from 1830 until 1843, when it could no longer accommodate the growing congregation. A new church building was built just north of the original building, at what is now the southwest corner of 3rd Street and Washington.

The church's current building at 7th Street and Capitol Avenue was originally built for the Third Presbyterian Church of Springfield, which offered to sell it to First Presbyterian in 1872. The cornerstone for the building was laid in 1866 and dedicated in 1868.

Lincoln's ties to the church

Abraham Lincoln's association with the church began in 1850 and continued until he left Springfield to assume the duties of President in 1861. In 1850, when Abraham and Mary Lincoln's second son, Edward, died, the minister of First Presbyterian Church was asked to conduct the funeral. The minister at that time was Rev. James Smith and his service made a deep impression on both of the bereaved parents.

Lincoln family pew Lincoln-Pew.jpg — Lincoln family pew

The Lincolns rented a pew and regularly attended church services. The annual pew rental was $36.00. Mr. Lincoln, however, never formally joined the church, although this wife became a member on October 13, 1852.^[2] The pew was saved from the wrecking ball and relocated to the current church building in 1912.^[3]

Current building

The current Sanctuary Sanctuary-view.jpg — The current Sanctuary

The current building, at 7th St. and Capitol Ave. was built in 1868. The building was purchased from Third Presbyterian Church of Springfield in 1876. While President Lincoln never visited the current church building, his wife Mary Todd Lincoln had her funeral here, on July 19, 1882. Mary welcomed her own death in many ways, say historians, after the loss of three sons and her husband to assassination. A letter written to her son, Robert, in August 1874 outlines specific instructions for a funeral that was still eight years away.^[4]

The exterior of the church sanctuary, dating from 1868, has changed little except for the removal of the original tall spires, but it is now buttressed by a steel superstructure. The interior, however, has been remodeled several times, with the most extensive changes being made in the early 1940s. Originally, it featured a center-raised pulpit on a stage-like platform and two side aisles dividing the nave into three sections, rather than the present central aisle dividing the nave in two. Exposed organ pipes were a focal point of the chancel area. The original building interior, with its rounded arches and central focus, contained elements of the Romanesque style. The original sanctuary windows were the same size and in the same places as the present memorial windows, while the current chancel windows replaced the organ pipes during the 1940s renovation. An addition was put onto the west side of the building in 1928. A chapel, north of the sanctuary, was added in 1945.

First Presbyterian Church’s decision to install memorial windows in the 1890s reflected a growing religious revival and a trend of paying tribute to the ministry of church leaders through colorful windows depicting biblical themes. Springfield participated fully in the general prosperity of the period: construction and business had flourished, and the legendary hardships of the frontier had been ameliorated by the supply of goods transported in by rail and the ever-increasing river traffic. During the Lincoln Era, many of Springfield’s citizens became familiar with the sophistication found in the cities on the Eastern seaboard and wanted to emulate those cosmopolitan styles.

Tiffany windows

The Sanctuary features seven windows designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany. Prominent families worked directly with Tiffany Studios to make each window to the family’s instruction – thus each window is unique. Later, the church commissioned a different East Coast studio to produce the remaining windows along the north and south elevations of the sanctuary in a more medieval style. Although these windows appear to be the oldest, they are the newest in the collection.^[5]

Angel of the Resurrection

The oldest window is the Angel of the Resurrection. The central panel was part of the Tiffany Chapel at the Colombian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago. Several members of the congregation went to the Exposition and purchased the window. When the Exposition closed, the panel was moved down to Springfield, and craftsmen from Tiffany came and made the memorial plaque and set the window in 1884.

This window was not donated by a family. Instead it was dedicated by the students of Mrs. Mary Mickey Holmes, principal of the Betty Stuart Institute. Betty Stuart Institute was a finishing school for young ladies from the 1850s to the 1930s.^[6]

Saint Barnabas

St. Barnabas St.Barney.jpg — St. Barnabas

Installed in 1906, this is the only Tiffany window in the group featuring a male figure. The window is named for C.C. Brown, husband of Betty Stuart. Mr. Brown was a lawyer and spent most of his later years dedicated to church work, making the choice of the window theme all the more appropriate. In Acts 13:2, the Holy Spirit requested, “Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work where unto I have called them” (KJV). Those great friends and missionary workers modeled the working relationship that grew between C. C. Brown and the then pastor, Dr. Thomas D. Logan.

Angel with Cherubs

Installed in 1920, this is a memorial for their parents by the Stuve children. Bernard Stuve was a successful frontier doctor, trained lawyer, writer of a respected state history, and owner of a large farm. Mrs. Stuve and her daughters played an active role in church life and the daughters offered this window as a way to continue the family name in church history. The window features multi-hued pieces of glass that change with the light. Tiffany used one or two sheets of clear glass over the faces of the cherubs to create the illusion of distance.

Angel of Victory

Installed in the late 1890s, this window is a memorial to Benjamin Stephenson Edwards, the son of Ninian Edwards. Mr. Edwards sister, Julia Edwards, married Congressman Daniel Pope Cook. Their son, John Pope Cook, would later become a mayor of Springfield. Mr. Edwards brother, Albert Gallatin Edwards, would later become the founder of brokerage firm A. G. Edwards. Both families were members of the church.

The Angel of Victory stands in a bower of palms, a symbol of victory, surrounded by the passionflower as a symbol of Christ’s suffering. The colors used in this window glow softly when the light shines through the glass. This window, along with the Angel of Communion, were installed at roughly the same time in 1890 and bear the nameplate of “Tiffany Glass & Decorating Company” a trademark of the 1890s.

Angel of Communion

Installed in the late 1890s, this window was donated by the Bunn family. Jacob Bunn, Sr., commissioned this window from Tiffany to memorialize the loss of his mother-in-law, wife and daughter. He lost his wife and mother-in-law the same year and lost his daughter six years later.

The Angel of Communion, so titled by church records, depicts a wingless angel holding a chalice and standing in a bower of grapes.

The Perfect Woman

The newest, and final of the Tiffany windows, this window dates from 1925, and was done at the time by the Tiffany studios when they were at their height. The artists at Tiffany didn’t like the way that the flesh colored tones of the stained glass looked in windows so they painted the faces instead of using stained-glass. The window is dedicated to Stuart Brown and his wife, Kay Hay Brown, and given by their children. Mr. Brown was a prominent lawyer in Springfield. His grandfather, Stuart T. Brown, was a mentor of Abraham Lincoln.^[7]

The Perfect Woman is described in Proverbs 31. In full sun, the glow of light enhances the sunset effect of the scene, and Scripture verses below each name reflect the family’s high esteem for their parents.

The Holy Spirit (Dove) Window

The location of the Dove window, near the ceiling’s peak at the east (back) end of the sanctuary, allows the full brilliance of sunlight to stream through, and ministers have reported that the blaze of light on a bright morning offers them inspiration at the pulpit.

The only Tiffany window which was not commissioned by a family, but was done by the congregation for the congregation. Also, when the Brombaugh pipe organ was installed, the organ pipes were designed to fit around the Window. Tiffany craftsmen achieved a technically and structurally difficult effect in designing the Dove Window’s circular pattern. They created visual depth by using up to three layers of glass in some places and the border sparkles with sapphire and emerald colored Tiffany jewel-like glass.

Other windows

The remaining windows in the Sanctuary are painted glass, rather than stained glass.

St. Elizabeth of Hungary

Created by the Pittsburgh Stained Glass Studios, under the direction of Howard G. Wilbert, the window serves as a memorial to Nancy Jane Mackie by her parents. Nancy died at age 26 and the design of the window depicts St. Elizabeth of Hungary who died at the age of 24. The window was dedicated in 1938. Sadly, Nancy's father, A.D. Mackie died less than a month after the dedication.^[8] Mr. Mackie was the president of Central Illinois Light Company (CILCO).

The featuring of a large, central figure would seem to indicate an intention to have the window fit harmoniously with the earlier Tiffany windows. Text at the top of window says, "I Go to Prepare a Place for You," and at the bottom of the window is "And a Little Child Shall Lead Them."

Plan of Salvation

As part of a major remodeling and redecoration project in the 1940s, Willet Studios designed a stained-glass program to enhance the "Gothic effect” of the church. This window, from 1945, gives the impression of ancient mosaics when viewed from a distance. The window was donated to the church by the widow of Harry P. Jones. Mr. Jones was an executive at Springfield's Franklin Life Insurance Company.

The window portrays Christ in three stages of his life: first as a baby, fulfilling God’s promise to humankind; then his sacrifice on the cross; and finally, at the resurrection, surrounded by angels proclaiming his triumph. Smaller medallions around the central theme depict the early followers Peter, Paul, Luke, John, and Stephen. A vibrant ruby red, representing the sacrifice of Christ and the early Christians, reverberates throughout the piece.

The Ministry of Christ

Donated by the children of John Glen and Nellie Grant Miller, this window was also part of the remodeling of the Sanctuary in the 1940s. This window illustrates the Ministry of Christ through medallions depicting him in many roles: as the Good Shepherd, as forgiving Father, and as teacher, ever showing love for God’s children and speaking with the disciples. At the bottom of the panel, St. Matthew (at left) and St. Mark (at right) symbolize both the human aspect of Christ’s gospel and his royal lineage.

Window of Love and Brotherhood

In 1940, the church proceeded with a major remodeling and redecoration project, engaging architects to draw up a plan for the chancel area. Their design, Gothic in nature, featured a separation of the lectern and pulpit and the removal of the central organ pipes to enclosed recesses on the sides. This created the need for attractive windows above the chancel. In addition, the balcony at the back of the sanctuary had originally extended further over the pews, obstructing views of the two original side windows. The renovation included the removal of those extensions as well as a plan to coordinate those back windows with the ones over the chancel and those over the balcony, achieving a more harmonious Gothic effect.

This large piece, above the chancel, was installed in 1946. The windows create the impression of ancient mosaics when viewed from a distance. Designed by Willet Studios, it is made up of nine panels—three across and three down.

The top row has depictions of Jesus preaching, working miracles, and washing the feet of his disciplines.
The middle row shows St. Francis of Assisi blessing the animals, St. Paul composing his letter to the Corinthians, and Dorcas. Dorcas was a woman of means in the Bible and chose to use her wealth in service to the poor and widows.
On the bottom row, in the middle you see a young Mr. Lincoln which is unusual because he was never baptized. The inscription reads, “with malice toward none” which was part of his second inaugural speech about one month prior to the end of the Civil War. Mr. Lincoln knew that the north was going to win the war and was looking for a way to provide healing to the country.
- On the left-side is Florence Nightingale, who started what we know as the nursing profession, shown ministering to a soldier in the Crimean War.
- On the right side is Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, shown ministering to a soldier during the Civil War.

Brombaugh pipe organ

Brombaugh Opus 35 Console Organ-console.jpg — Brombaugh Opus 35 Console

In 1991, the church began discussions and exploration of a new sanctuary organ and in 1992 signed a contract with John Brombaugh & Associates of Eugene, Oregon. Construction of the new custom-made organ began in 1997.^[9]

In consultation with organist Dr. Rudy Zuiderveld and builder, John Brombaugh, the church approved an organ of three manual keyboards and pedalboard, with 46 stops and 3,240 pipes. The resulting organ is 30 feet long, 29 feet high and slightly less than a yard deep, with a smaller division of pipes, known as the "ruckpositive" located behind the organist on the front of the balcony. Brombaugh based the architecture of the organ case and its ornamentation on a late Renaissance style that was adapted to fit the First Presbyterian Church. One requirement was that the round Tiffany "Dove" stained glass window remain visible.^[10] The organ's surrounding facade is made of unfinished and oiled Appalachian white oak, with the mouths of all facade pipes gilded with 23-carat gold leaf.

Dedication took place at Pentecost 2001. Dr. Zuiderveld, organist for First Presbyterian Church since 1988 and professor of music at Illinois College, played hymns specifically commissioned for the dedication.

Related Research Articles

Louis Comfort Tiffany was an American artist and designer who worked in the decorative arts and is best known for his work in stained glass. He is the American artist most associated with the Art Nouveau and Aesthetic movements. He was affiliated with a prestigious collaborative of designers known as the Associated Artists, which included Lockwood de Forest, Candace Wheeler, and Samuel Colman. Tiffany designed stained glass windows and lamps, glass mosaics, blown glass, ceramics, jewellery, enamels, and metalwork. He was the first design director at his family company, Tiffany & Co., founded by his father Charles Lewis Tiffany.

Old South Church in Boston, Massachusetts, also known as New Old South Church or Third Church, is a historic United Church of Christ congregation first organized in 1669. Its present building was designed in the Gothic Revival style by Charles Amos Cummings and Willard T. Sears, completed in 1873, and amplified by the architects Allen & Collens between 1935–1937. The church, which was built on newly filled land in the Back Bay section of Boston, is located at 645 Boylston Street on Copley Square. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970 for its architectural significance as one of the finest High Victorian Gothic churches in New England. It is home to one of the oldest religious communities in the United States.

Second Presbyterian Church is a landmark Gothic Revival church located on South Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois, United States. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, some of Chicago's most prominent families attended this church. It is renowned for its interior, completely redone in the Arts and Crafts style after a disastrous fire in 1900. The sanctuary is one of America's best examples of an unaltered Arts and Crafts church interior, fully embodying that movement's principles of simplicity, hand craftsmanship, and unity of design. It also boasts nine imposing Tiffany windows. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and later designated a Chicago Landmark on September 28, 1977. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in March 2013.

The Arlington Street Church is a Unitarian Universalist church across from the Public Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Because of its geographic prominence and the notable ministers who have served the congregation, the church is considered to be among the most historically important in American Unitarianism and Unitarian Universalism. Completed in 1861, it was designed by Arthur Gilman and Gridley James Fox Bryant to resemble James Gibbs' St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London. The main sanctuary space has 16 large-scale stained-glass windows installed by Tiffany Studios from 1899 to 1930.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heinz Memorial Chapel</span> United States historic place

Heinz Memorial Chapel is a Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmark and a contributing property to the Schenley Farms National Historic District on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States.

Tiffany glass refers to the many and varied types of glass developed and produced from 1878 to 1933 at the Tiffany Studios in New York City, by Louis Comfort Tiffany and a team of other designers, including Clara Driscoll, Agnes F. Northrop, and Frederick Wilson.

Brown Memorial Park Avenue Presbyterian Church of Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., is a large, Gothic Revival-style church built in 1870 and located at Park Avenue and Lafayette Avenue in the city's Bolton Hill neighborhood. Named in memory of a 19th-century Baltimore financier, the ornate church is noted for its exquisite stained glass windows by renowned artist Louis Comfort Tiffany, soaring vaulted ceiling, and the prominent persons associated with its history. Maltbie Babcock, who was the church's pastor 1887–1900, wrote the familiar hymn, This is My Father's World. Storied virtuoso concert performer Virgil Fox was organist at Brown Memorial early in his career (1936–1946).

Unitarian Memorial Church is a historic church on 102 Green Street in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, home to the Unitarian Universalist Society of Fairhaven.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Street Presbyterian Church (Detroit)</span> Historic church in Michigan, United States

The Fort Street Presbyterian Church is located at 631 West Fort Street in Detroit, Michigan. It was constructed in 1855, and completely rebuilt in 1877. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1971. Its steeple stands 265 ft (81 m), making it one of the tallest churches in the United States.

The First Presbyterian Church in Batavia, New York, United States, is located at East Main and Liberty streets. It is a joined complex of several buildings. The main one, the church's sanctuary, is a limestone Gothic Revival structure built in the mid-19th century. Its congregation was the first church to be organized in Batavia, albeit as a Congregationalist group at that time.

St. Michael's Episcopal Church, Parish House and Rectory is a group of architecturally-significant religious buildings located at 200-216 North Mill Street in Birdsboro, Berks County, Pennsylvania. It was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

First Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian church in Wilmington, North Carolina. It was the first Presbyterian congregation in the city of Wilmington.

The First Presbyterian Church, known as "Old First", is a church located at 48 Fifth Avenue between West 11th and 12th Streets in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It was built in 1844–1846, and designed by Joseph C. Wells in the Gothic Revival style. The south transept of the building was added in 1893–1894, and was designed by the firm of McKim, Mead & White. The church complex, which includes a parish house – now referred to as the "South Wing" – on West 11th Street and a church house on West 12th Street designed by Edgar Tafel, is located within the Greenwich Village Historic District.

The Pullman Memorial Universalist Church of Albion, New York was constructed in 1894 as a memorial to the parents of inventor and industrialist George Mortimer Pullman. The structure, built of pink Medina sandstone and featuring fifty-six Tiffany stained glass windows and a Johnson pipe organ, is in the Orleans County Courthouse National Historic District. The building has been in constant use since its opening; the congregation affiliating with the Unitarian Universalist Association in 1961 but keeping its historic name.

Central Congregational Church is a United Church of Christ congregation established in 1852 in Providence, Rhode Island. The current church building at 296 Angell Street was built in 1893, designed by New York architectural firm Carrère and Hastings. It is part of the Stimson Avenue Historic District. The church has a long tradition of social and community work in the Providence area, the United States and around the world.

St Patrick's Roman Catholic Church is a heritage-listed church at Church Street, Gympie, Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Francis Drummond Greville Stanley and built from 1883 to 1935. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 20 February 1995.

Frederick Wilson was a British stained glass artist best known for his work with Tiffany Studios. He was a prominent designer of ecclesiastical windows in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Stephen's Church, Bush Hill Park</span> Church in Park Avenue, United Kingdom

St Stephen's Church is a Church of England church in Park Avenue, Bush Hill Park in the London Borough of Enfield.

References

↑ Chapin, Roger (1953). Ten Ministers. First Presbyterian Church.
↑ Schlindwein, Diane (January 11, 2015). "Downtown Springfield First Presbyterian offers historic venue for wedding site". The State Journal-Register.
↑ "The Lincoln Family Church". Abraham Lincoln Online.
↑ Landis, Tim (May 19, 2016). "1882 Mary Lincoln expense ledger surfaces with funeral home merger". The State Journal-Register.
↑ Crown, DiAnne (May 24, 2018). "Stained glass, a Springfield tour". Illinois Times.
↑ "Top of its class / Springfield's Bettie Stuart Institute was once one of the best-known schools in the area". The State Journal-Register. April 16, 2004.
↑ Pokorski, Doug (October 24, 2003). "A Springfield tradition / Brown, Hay & Stephens celebrates 175 years of legal practice". The State Journal-Register.
↑ "A.D. Mackie Dies at Winnetka, Ill". Daily Illinois State Journal. July 20, 1938.
↑ Interview, Paula Pugh Romanaux December 15, 2019.
↑ Buedel, Matt (June 4, 2001). "The rising sound of joy / First Presbyterian Church dedicates 3,250-pipe organ". The State Journal-Register.

External links

Church website

39°47′55.1″N89°38′49.1″W / 39.798639°N 89.646972°W / 39.798639; -89.646972

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] Chapin, Roger (1953). Ten Ministers. First Presbyterian Church.

[2] Schlindwein, Diane (January 11, 2015). "Downtown Springfield First Presbyterian offers historic venue for wedding site". The State Journal-Register.

[3] "The Lincoln Family Church". Abraham Lincoln Online.

[4] Landis, Tim (May 19, 2016). "1882 Mary Lincoln expense ledger surfaces with funeral home merger". The State Journal-Register.

[5] Crown, DiAnne (May 24, 2018). "Stained glass, a Springfield tour". Illinois Times.

[6] "Top of its class / Springfield's Bettie Stuart Institute was once one of the best-known schools in the area". The State Journal-Register. April 16, 2004.

[7] Pokorski, Doug (October 24, 2003). "A Springfield tradition / Brown, Hay & Stephens celebrates 175 years of legal practice". The State Journal-Register.

[8] "A.D. Mackie Dies at Winnetka, Ill". Daily Illinois State Journal. July 20, 1938.

[9] Interview, Paula Pugh Romanaux December 15, 2019.

[10] Buedel, Matt (June 4, 2001). "The rising sound of joy / First Presbyterian Church dedicates 3,250-pipe organ". The State Journal-Register.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]