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Chapter 27

This webpage reproduces a chapter of
Iowa As It Is in 1856
by
N. Howe Parker
Chicago and Philadelphia, 1856

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Chapter 29

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p253 Chapter XXVIII

Religious Worship

Congregational Churches

The State of Iowa is divided into five associations. The latest reports are from proceedings of the annual Association, in June, 1854, as follows:—

	No. of Members
Council Bluffs Association	40
Davenport Association	471
Denmark Association	759
Des Moines River Association	862
Dubuque Association	604
	2236
Estimated addition in 9 months	250
	2486

No. of Ministers in the State	57
No. of Churches in the State	72
Meeting Houses built	39
Meeting Houses building	6

Congregational churches are thus located: Council Bluffs Association. — Civil Bend, Council Bluffs, Tabor (Florence, N. T.). Davenport Association. — Anamosa, Copper Creek, Davenport, Deep Creek, De Witt, Le Claire, Lyons, Marion, Muscatine, Sabula, Sterling, Sugar Creek, Summit, Tipton, Toledo. Denmark Association. — Brighton, Burlington, Clay, Columbus, Crawfordsville, Danville, Denmark, Flint, Hillsboro', Long Creek, Mount Pleasant, North Marion, Old Man's Creek, Salem, Trenton, Wapello, Warren, Wayne. Des Moines River Association. Bentonsport, p254 Chariton, Eddyville, Elk Creek, Fairfield, Farmington, Keosauqua, Knoxsville,º Marysville, Oskaloosa, Ottumwa, Pleasantville, Red Rock. Dubuque Association. — Bellevue, Bowen's Prairie, Cascade, Centre, Colesburg, Cottonville, Decorah, Dubuque, Durango, Farmersburgh, French Settlement, Garnaville, Lansing, Manona, Maquoketa, Quasqueton, Sherold's Mound, Teroli, West Union, Yankee Settlement.

Statistical Table of Baptists in Iowa

Associations	Churches	Pastors	Baptised during year	No. of Members	Date of Report
Des Moines	21	11	247	1159	Aug. 25, 1854
Davenport	24	17	73	1078	Sept. 15, 1854
Oskaloosa	16	5	32	502	Aug. 30, 1854
Central Iowa	14	6	98	384	Sept. 29, 1854
Fox River	17	7	69	628	Sept. 8, 1854
Eden	10	3		300
6 Associations	102	49	519	4051
Not included in above	3	11		49	A low estimate
	105	60	519	4100

Statistical History of the Iowa Baptist Convention

Anniver'y	Where Held	Moderator	Clerk	In. Preacher
1st — 1843	Iowa City	Rev. B. Carpenter	Rev. W. B. Morey	Rev. H. Johnson
2d — 1843	Davenport	Rev. H. Johnson	J. T. Fales	Rev. A. Sherwood
3d — 1844	Mt. Pleasant	Rev. E. Fisher	D. G. Blood	Rev. C. E. Brown
4th — 1845	Bloomington	Rev. H. Burnett	Rev. D. E. Brown	Rev. W. B. Morey
5th — 1846	Iowa City	Rev. B. F. Brabrook	J. T. Fales	Rev. J. N. Seely
6th — 1847	Farmington	J. T. Fales, Esq.	Rev. W. B. Morey	Rev. H. Burnett
7th — 1848	Davenport	Rev. D. P. Smith	Rev. T. H. Archibald	Rev. D. P. Smith
8th — 1849	Iowa City	Rev. B. F. Brabrook	Rev. T. H. Archibald	Rev. C. E. Brown
9th — 1850	Mt. Pleasant	Rev. D. P. Smith	Rev. S. B. Johnson	Rev. T. H. Archibald
10th — 1851, 1 ses.	Muscatine	J. T. Fales, Esq.	Rev. S. B. Johnson	Rev. G. J. Johnson
10th — 1851, 2 ses.	Burlington	J. T. Fales, Esq.	Rev. S. B. Johnson	Rev. W. A. Wells
11th — 1852	Marion	Rev. E. Gunn	Rev. J. C. Curtis	Rev. J. A. Nash
12th — 1853	Keokuk	Rev. E. M. Miles	Rev. Wm. Turton	Rev. G. J. Johnson
13th — 1854	Davenport	Rev. H. Burnett	Rev. H. R. Wilbur	Rev. W. Elliott

p255 Presbyterian Churches

The Synod of Iowa is divided into three Presbyteries. According to the statistical reports for 1854, this Synod consists of the following:—

	No. Members	No. Churches
1. Presbytery of Iowa	247	24
2. Presbytery of Cedar	799	47
3. Presbytery of Des Moines	787	100
In Synod of Iowa	1833	171

Location of Presbyterian Churches

First Presbytery. — Keokuk, West Point, Middletown, Morning Sun, Mount Pleasant, Charleston, Burlington, Lowell, Spring Creek, Fort Madison, and Kossuth. Second Presbytery. — Muscatine, West Liberty, Farmer's Creek, Tipton, Scotch Grove, Cascade, Grandview, Marion, Lime Grove, Dubuque, Davenport, Iowa City, Le Claire, Solon, Blue Grass, Maquoketa, Postville, Franckville, Coleburg, Lybrand, Pleasant Grove, Vinton, Independence, Hopkinton, Lisbon, Princeton. Third Presbytery. — Fairfield, Libertyville, Sigourney, Birmingham, Winchester, Oskaloosa, Washington, Brighton, Albia, Crawfordsville, Troy, Keosauqua, Bentonsport, Kirkville, Indianolo, Ottumwa, Knoxville, and Ft. Des Moines.

Protestant Episcopal Church

The territorial limits of the diocese embrace the entire State. The Right Rev. H. W. Lee, D. D., is bishop of the same. It was organized into a diocese, August 18th, 1853, under the provisionary charge of the Rt. Rev. J. Kemper, D. D. The present bishop was elected June 1st, 1854.

p256 There are organized parishes in the following places:— Dubuque, Bellevue, Davenport, Muscatine, Burlington, Ft. Madison, Keokuk, Ft. Des Moines, Washington, Iowa City, and Cedar Rapids. Churches are built in the following places:— Dubuque, Davenport, Muscatine, Burlington, and Keokuk, and one is in progress at Cedar Rapids.

The number of clergy in the diocese is 11; number of communicants, about 300. Immigration is adding to families and communicants every month. Number of Sunday Schools not ascertained as yet. The second annual convention meets at Burlington, on the 29th of May next.

Methodist Churches

In the following table we give a full history of the condition of the Methodist Churches in Iowa, as rendered at the Eleventh Annual Conference, held September 27th, 1854:—

M. E. churches

Districts	Churches	Parsonages	Preachers	Members
Keokuk	22	7	49	4171
Burlington	23	10	35	2830
Dubuque	8	5	21	1518
Upper Iowa	15	4	21	1332
Mt. Vernon	4	4	30	1374
Iowa City	14	6	33	1948
Ft. Des Moines	7	9	41	2882
Council Bluffs	3	0	13	408
Total	80	41	222	15131

M. E. Sabbath schools

Districts	Schools	Scholars	Volumes in library	Converted past year
Keokuk	52	2560	6263	112
Burlington	39	2496	5615	94
Dubuque	28	1363	4657	9
Upper Iowa	42	1851	4595	38
Mt. Vernon	35	1146	4229	48
Iowa City	39	1215	3715	35
Ft. Des Moines	41	1656	4151	34
Council Bluffs	11	417	850	3
Scattering	4	430	100	6
Total	271	13,254	35,173	398

p257 Catholic Churches and Clergy

The diocese of Dubuque, comprises the State of Iowa, and is administered by the Rt. Rev. Mathias Loras, D. D. The principal buildings at Dubuque embrace the "Cathedral of St. Raphael," now nearly completed, the "Holy Trinity," (German) and a new and spacious church in the upper part of the city, "under the patronage of St. Patrick." Also the "Mount St. Bernard Theological Seminary," situated four miles from Dubuque, with ten seminaries and three professors; the "Cistercian Monastery of Our Blessed Lady of La Trappe," New Melleray, near Dubuque;a "Brothers of Christian Instruction," at New Paradise Grove, four miles from Dubuque, and "St. Joseph's Female Academy," situated eight miles from Dubuque. Beside the above, the Catholics have the "Convent and Academy of the Visitation," at Keokuk, and churches and stations at the following named places:—

Dubuque County, at Dubuque, Cascade, Green Oak, New Vienna, St. Joseph's, Shellsmound, St. Nicholas, and Téte-de‑Mort;

Jackson County, at Garry Owen, St. Lawrence, Cascade, Belleview, and Sabula;

Jones County, at Castle Grove, and St. Thomas;

Delaware County, at Buffalo Grove;

Clayton County, at Carnoville, and Guttenberg;

Clinton County, at Lyons, and Camanche;

p258 Scott County, at Davenport,1 and Le Claire;

Muscatine County, at Muscatine;

Johnson County, at Iowa City, English River, and Old Man's Creek;

Des Moines County, at Burlington, Dodgeville, and Augusta;

Lee County, at West Point, Fort Madison, Keokuk, and Farmington;

Winnesheikº County, at Big Springs, and Old Mission; at Ottumwa, Wapello County; Ft. Des Moines, Polk County; Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County, and New Paradise Grove, near Mount St. Bernard.

Recapitulation. — Churches, 35; stations, 17; clergymen, 29; religious communities, 5; Catholic academies 4; Catholic population, 20,000.

The Author's Note:

1 The Catholic is the largest church in Davenport, covering an area •44 by 84 feet. The cost of the edifice was about $10,000. Number of members, 3000, (many of them residing in the country). Connected with the church is a youths' school, conducted by Rev. J. A. M. Pelamourgues, and three assistant teachers. The entire square upon which these buildings are located, was donated to the church, by Antoine Le Claire.

Thayer's Note:

a An entire issue of The Palimpsest is devoted to New Melleray (Vol. 3 No. 9, Sept. 1922); it is onsite.

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