Plymouth Church was formed in Des Moines on December 6, 1857. It was started by eleven men and women who signed the “Articles of Government and Faith of the Congregational Churches.”[4][5] The first church building was a small frame building on Court Avenue.[6] In 1864 the church had 66 members and moved to the northeast corner of Seventh and Locust Streets.
First Two Plymouth Buildings 1858 and 1876
Under the leadership of Reverend A.L. Frisbie, 1871–1899, a new church was built in 1877 at the Northeast corner of 7th and Locust, this was Plymouth's first real church.[7] Pastor Frisbie and his wife Martha were both active in the anti-slavery and suffrage movements.[8] During his service as pastor, three groups went into the Des Moines community to form new congregations: Pilgrim, North Park and Greenwood churches. In 1900 the church planned a new grand building at Eighth and Pleasant Streets downtown. The church was built on what came to be known as "Piety Hill."[6] Parking became a problem at the downtown location as the church grew to 1300 members. Under pastor Frances VanHorn a new church was built at 8th and Pleasant Street.[9][10] An advertisement from 1909 mentions a sermon entitled "Lincoln's Religion, the religion of Jesus and Ours - for big hearted, broad minded folk."[11] During World War I a fourth neighborhood church, Waveland was started.
In 1919 there were three Congregational churches in Des Moines: Greenwood at 35th and Grand pastored by Rev. J. P. Burling; Plymouth at 8th and Pleasant pastored by J.E. Kirbye; and Waveland Park at 1117 42d Street pastored by H. J. Sealey.[12] The current Plymouth Church building has three rooms honoring these early congregations: Waveland, Greenwood and Burling.
When Dr. Burtis MacHatton came to Plymouth, he found the 8th Street building to be “bursting at the seams.” In 1925 the city wished to extend Eighth Street through to Keosauqua Way and the church property was acquired by the city. The new building opened in 1927 with a similar gothic style and stained glass windows moved from the old church. The old church site is now part of the Principal building complex.[6]
Plymouth Church, Des Moines Iowa Second BuildingSeven Church Spires, Des Moines Iowa
The building committee decided to build a new church on the western outskirts of Des Moines at 41st and Ingersoll.[13] The four neighborhood churches, North Park, Pilgrim, Greenwood and Waveland joined with Old Plymouth to build the new large church at a cost of $475,000.[14] Since that time, the church has undergone two major expansions.[15]
Stoddard Lane is remembered by the congregation as the Pastor who carried Plymouth through the depression and World War II. He promoted chose the Motto still used by the Plymouth congregation, “We agree to differ, resolve to love, unite to serve.”
The current Plymouth Church building is a contributing building in the Greenwood Park Plats Historic District. According to the application to the National Registry: "The Gothic Revival style is represented by the district's three churches as well as the West Chester Apartments (3831 Ingersoll Avenue, 1918). The most striking architectural feature of the district is the twin square English Gothic towers of Plymouth Congregational Church (4126 Ingersoll Avenue, 1926) and St. Augustin Catholic Church (545 42nd Street, 1922)."
Plymouth Church is sited: “This Gothic Revival plan has been somewhat compromised by a number of additions to the west and northwest. The notable feature is its prominent original square bell tower, a form that replicates that found in St. Agustin to the south. This is likely the only Des Moines example of matching church towers and the form itself seems to be unusual in the city. The original architects were Proudfoot, Rawson and Souers, aided by Dougher, Rich and Woodburn as associate designers. Construction was begun in May 1926. This church congregation combined two pre-existing congregations and represented the suburban shift of the downtown churches. Major additions date to 1978 was for $450,000 and 1986-88."[16]
In 1961 a 4,500 pipe organ was installed.[17] On October 16, 1988, a renovated building and grounds were dedicated after a 1.3 million dollar project. Education facilities were modernized, and mechanical systems were improved. Architects for the project were Woodburn and O'Neil for the sanctuary work and Stouffer and Smith for the education and general work.[18]
Henry Martyn Rollins Tower
The square English Gothic tower of the Plymouth Church building was built as a memorial to Henry Martyn Rollins. Rollins was a Des Moines business man and civic leader (1841-1915). Rollins was an active member of Plymouth Church and served as chair of the board of trustees for many years.[19][20] The tower is a key architectural element of the church. As the church building has grown, the tower has become a central focal point of the building. The tower is 82 feet tall and constructed of brick and limestone. Extensive repairs were made to the tower in 2019–20.[21]
Social action
Plymouth Church has always been a leader in social action in the Des Moines Community. In 1883 it founded and supported the Sunbeam Rescue Mission. In 1912 it opened its doors to families without fuel during a cold winter.[22] In 1968 the church opened a retirement home for low income seniors, Plymouth Place, located across the street from the church. In 1998, 250 members of the congregation worked to build a three bedroom Habitat for Humanity home in two weeks after raising the funds for materials.[23] In 2003 the church initiated a LGBQ friendly policy.[24] In 2018 the church began to display a “Black Lives Matter” banner.[25]
Abolitionists
One cherished story in Plymouth history is that the first location of Plymouth Church in downtown Des Moines served as a stop on the Underground Railroad. The first church building was a small frame building on Court Avenue. "While at this location, the church was used by the underground railroad, hiding slaves on their journey north."[6]
It is unlikely that the church served as a physical railroad stop because the Underground Railroad conductors tried to avoid densely populated areas and there is no contemporaneous documentation that Plymouth Church was a stop. Certainly, however, the membership of early Plymouth held abolitionist sentiments:
“June 1851: General Association of Congregational Churches Affirms Being Guided by Higher Law Than Man-made Law Toward Slavery Meeting in Denmark, Iowa, members declare that a higher law than man-made law should guide their acts and that members do nothing to aid in apprehending fugitive slaves.”[26]
The Underground Railroad route through Des Moines started at Jordan House (West Des Moines, Iowa) The wagons drove along the south bank of the Raccoon river toward the confluence of the Raccoon and Des Moines rivers. They passed near downtown Des Moines to cross the Des Moines river by ferry or bridge to reach the capital grounds on the east side of the river. The railroad trail would have passed near the downtown location of Plymouth Church in order to cross the Des Moines river on the way to the next overnight stopping point near Yellow Banks Park.[27] The trail through Iowa continued east to Illinois and eventually the fugitives made their way to Canada.
One prominent Plymouth founding member who was voted in as a trustee on January 18, 1858 (Minutes, Plymouth Congregational Church, 1858) was John Teesdale, editor of the Des Moines Newspaper: The Des Moines Citizen, renamed the Iowa State Register in January 1860. John Brown and Teesdale attended the same Congregational Church in Akron, Ohio. Teesdale was an abolitionist and friend of John Brown (abolitionist). On one of Brown’s trips through Iowa in 1859, Teesdale met Brown at the Des Moines river and paid the ferry fare for his party to cross.[28]
In 1882, Teesdale provided a detailed account of his last encounter with Brown in a letter to the editor in the Des Moines Iowa State Register:
[Brown] sent me word that he had camped out near Mr. Jordan's west of Des Moines, and would be through the city at a stated hour. He would see me at the bridge on Court Avenue, but desired to avoid observation as much as possible for fear his train should be intercepted. He stopped his train near the bridge. None of the slaves were in sight, the covers of the wagons being closed. He said to me that that was probably his last trip. He was on his way to Virginia, where he meant to begin a conflict for freedom that would fire the whole country. I deprecated the struggle as madness that would probably cost him his life without benefiting the poor blacks. His soul was on fire. He seemed to be imbued with a conviction that the hour, big with the fate of the country, was about to strike, and there could be no failure.
—John Teesdale, Letter to the editor, "Old John Brown: Mr. Teesdale Supplements Our Last Sunday Story of the Old Hero's Visit to Des Moines - Smuggling a Load of Slaves Through this City." Des Moines Iowa State Register, April 2, 1882
Teesdale reported that he paid the wagons’ toll to cross the river.
Sunbeam Rescue Mission
The Mission was founded and supported by Mrs. A. Y. Rawson's (Mary Louise Scott Rawson 1839-1900) Plymouth Church Sunday School Class from 1893 to 1906. The mission was run single-handedly by Frank and Grace Cramer and was one of the first charitable missions in Des Moines. The mission was a multi-purpose social agency providing housing for homeless men, unwed mothers and babies. Its mission included job training, reclamation of prostitutes and religious services. The mission was a business enterprise that included a restaurant, laundry, a free medical clinic, and a kindling factory.
Frank and Grace Cramer worked for eleven years without a vacation working seven days a week from 5 AM to 10:30 PM. Finally, after 14 years, Grace lost 38pounds and was advised to move to a more temperate climate. The board was unable to find a replacement for her and the mission was closed. During those years the mission provided 39,502 nights for men, 31, 162 nights for women and 147,328 meals.
A newspaper article entitled "Cry for Justice" was published with the closing of the mission. "Here and there women will be saved who have seen nothing ahead but blight, darkness and death. But no permanent and lasting reform will ever be accomplished until society demands one code of morals for both sexes...then we can hope to restrict, nay even eradicate the social evil."[29][30][31]
Plymouth Church is an historic church located at 57 Orange Street between Henry and Hicks Streets in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City; the Church House has the address 75 Hicks Street. The church was built in 1849–50 and was designed by Joseph C. Wells. Under the leadership of its first minister, Henry Ward Beecher, it became the foremost center of anti-slavery sentiment in the mid-19th century. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1961, and has been a National Historic Landmark since 1966. It is part of the Brooklyn Heights Historic District, created by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1965.
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The Liberty Building is a historic building located in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It has been a downtown landmark since 1923. The Liberty Building is located at the SW corner of 6th Avenue and Grand Avenue in the heart of downtown Des Moines. The building was originally home to Bankers Life Insurance & WHO (AM) Radio. Designed by the prominent Des Moines architectural firm of Proudfoot, Bird & Rawson, the 12-story building rises to a height of 174 feet (53 m).
Des Moines University was an American college in Des Moines, Iowa, that operated from 1865 until 1929. It was established by members of the Baptist Church. It was originally located in an abandoned Lutheran college building at 15th and Pleasant near downtown Des Moines. It moved to College and 9th Avenues in 1884. In 1889, the school was renamed Des Moines College to better reflect its mission.
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Plymouth Congregational Church is a historic congregation located in downtown Seattle and associated with the United Church of Christ denomination. Plymouth is known for its history of social justice advocacy, music and its creation of programs to serve the homeless, such as Plymouth Healing Communities and Plymouth Housing. The Rev. Dr. Kelle Brown is the Senior Pastor. She leads collaboratively with associate pastor Rev. Kevin Bechtold.
West Chester, also known as the D.S. Chamberlain House and Wesley Acres, is a historic building located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. Designed by Boston architect William George Rantoul, it is considered an excellent example of Jacobethan Revival architecture in the city. It was featured in a couple of publications after its completion. The inspiration for the house's design were the half timbered homes in Chester, England. It features five gables and dormers on the main facade that rise above the ridged roofline and three tall chimneys with separate shafts for each flue. There are two gabled wings on the south elevation of the house. The second floor has six bed & breakfast rooms.
The Iowa-Des Moines National Bank Building, also known as the Valley National Bank Building and U.S. Bank, is a historic building located in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, United States. Designed by the prominent Des Moines architectural firm of Proudfoot, Rawson, Souers & Thomas, it was designed to be a 21- or 22-story building. It is one of the few downtown commercial buildings built in the Art Deco style. It is also thought to be one of the first bank buildings to put the banking room on the second floor while placing retail space on the first floor. Given its location in an area dominated by retail this made sense. This location had a bank on it since 1882 when the Des Moines National Bank built here. The present building was the result when Des Moines National Bank merged with Iowa National Bank and Des Moines Savings Bank and Trust Company in 1929. The original design for the building was a five-story base and a set-back rental office tower on top of it. The base was begun in 1931 and completed a year later. The building is composed of black polished granite on the first floor and the upper floors are Bedford stone. There is a recessed entrance in the center bay of the main facade. The fifth floor was meant to be the base of the office tower that was never built.
Plymouth Place is a historic building located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. Construction of the building was initiated by Plymouth Congregational Church, which faces Plymouth Place on the opposite side of Ingersoll Avenue. Ground-breaking occurred on June 12, 1966. Completed in 1968, the 12-story structure rises to a height of 161.01 feet (49.08 m). This circular residential building was designed by local architect Raymond Hueholt. It has an unusual interior plan where a common central living room area is surrounded by peripheral living units. The building is also significant for providing quality affordable senior housing for low-income people regardless of religion or creed. At the time the Greenwood Park Plats Historic District was nominated for the National Register of Historic Places in 2013 it was considered a non-contributing property in the district, but it was considered significant on its own. The building was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.
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The Greenwood Park Plats Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013. At the time of its nomination the district consisted of 393 resources, including 277 contributing buildings, one contributing site, 109 non-contributing buildings, and six non-contributing structures. Most of this district was originally known as Brown's Park, a private park that was the location of the Iowa State Fair from 1879 to 1885. Founded privately in 1854, the fair was held in several locations in the state making it more of a regional event. It was also not profitable. That changed when the fair moved to this location, and its profitability eventually led to funding from the Iowa General Assembly and a permanent location on the east side of the city. Brown's Park continued for a while longer and the streetcar line from Des Moines opened in 1889.
A. L. Frisbie was a pioneer minister at Plymouth Church, Des Moines, Iowa, from 1871 to 1899. After he retired he served as Pastor Emeritus for a total of 42 years of service. Martha Frisbie was a teacher and leader in the Iowa Congregational Church. Frisbie Park in Des Moines and the former Frisbie Public School were named for them. The Frisbies were active abolitionists and suffrage advocates in Des Moines. He shepherded Plymouth Congregational Church during years of growth and building. She was a teacher and a leader in women’s organizations. Her former students formed the Frisbie Club, a study club which still exists today.
↑ Preserving the Past, Building the Future. Plymouth Church. 2019.
↑ "Central Places of Refuge to be provided today: Heroic Measures Adopted to care for poor families without fuel". Des Moines Register. January 15, 1912.
↑ Offenburger, Chuck (June 27, 1998). "A House Raising and a Heart Raising". Des Moines Register.
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