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Church History
The following history was taken from a written account
of Mrs. W. G. Correll and read at the Rededication of the
Church on Sunday, March 12, 1944 at the church's 85th Anniversary
of the Church, February 13, 1944.
On Sunday, February 13, 1859, a
group of earnest people met in Spring Green School House and
there organized what later became known the First Congregational
Church of Spring Green. The charter members of this society
were Mr. and Mrs. U. B. Strong, Mr. and Mrs. Presbury West,
Mr. W. C. Spaulding, Dr. and Mrs. Hubbard, Mrs. Mercy West,
and the Msses. Minnie and Kittle Hubbard. Meetings were held
in homes or the school house until the erection of a church
building which took place in 1868. The first Pastor was D.
T. Noyes, who served from 1859 to 1861.
At a
July, 1859 church meeting, a communication was read from a
committed of a proposed Congregational church in Madison,
inviting the pastor and one delegate to assist in the founding
of this new church and hold installation of its new pastor.
On August 31st, 1859, the Pastor Rev. Noyes and Dr. Hubbard
attended this meeting at the Madison church, and their request
was granted. In 1861, Rev. Noyes resigned and went into the
army and was killed in the first battle that he engaged in.
He was buried at his former home in Prairie du Sac.
The first
child baptized in our church was Ella C. Strong, daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. U. B. Strong. The first new member added was
Miss May Hughes in March 23, 1859.
On December
7, 1862, the church appointed Rev. Silsby to become their
new pastor. They voted to raise as much funds as they possible
could by subscription, and the pastor was asked to apply for
aid for one year from the Wisconsin Missionary Society. Aid
was granted, and this was the beginning of Missionary Aid
for Spring Green Church. In 1862, Rev. Silsby resigned and
left to join the armed forces, and again the little group
was left without a pastor. Services were suspended from 1865
to 1868 until a church was built, but Sunday school kept on
going! The Congregational Sunday School was the first to be
established in Spring Green. It met in the depot courtesy
of Presbury West, the station agent and also Sunday School
Superintendent. Mrs. Mercy West, his mother, and Mrs. Strong
were the teachers. The seats were planks laid on blocks of
wood in the freight room, and Sunday school continued there
in the depot until the school was built until 1868. At that
time, they moved into their new church building, and in 1879,
the Sunday school had an enrollment of over 100, and it has
been an active, healthy organization of our church ever since.
The need of a church building being keenly
felt, a fund for a church building was started by Mr. Nahum
Packard, who traveled on foot to and from his former home
in North Bridge, Massachusetts, soliciting funds from people
along the way. He carried with him a soldiering outfit, earning
what he could for survival, and turning over the rest to the
church. Many people aided financially in this initiative,
even those who were not members of the church, such as Dr.
and Mrs. Pearson, Mr. and Mrs. C. L. Daley, and Mr. and Mrs.
A. C. Daley, who donated the ground on which the church building
still stands, which included the two churches, parsonages
and a grade school building. The M. E. Church and parsonage
once stood on this lot before this time, but it was destroyed
by fire in 1939.
The first sermon in the new church was preached
by Rev. Jonathan on April 5, 1868. In 1880, the church requested
to have their jurisdiction transferred from the Madison to
the Mineral Point Conf., and that request was granted. On
April 22, 1863, Dr. Miner of Madison was called to preach
here, and at that time he recommended that the Eng. Church
and Welsh Congregational Churches of Spring Green secure the
services of the same pastor. In September of that year, a
Committee from each of the two churches met. The Welsh accepted
the proposition of the Eng. Church, provided that they can
have the morning service, and that they be responsible for
their share of the minister's salary only.
On October 7, 1885, a meeting was
held, considering the reopening of the services and supplying
the pulpit. They secured Re. D. Ellis Eavans, who served both
the Eng. and Welsh Churches from November 18, 1883 to February
7 1886. He was the first pastor to be ordained in this church,
the ordination taking place on January 15, 1884.
Rev. A. Schoenfeld served between 1886 and
1887 and was the second pastor to be ordained in this church
on March 23, 1887. In 1888, Mr. T. J. Morgans of Plain willed
the church $200 and Mrs. Pearson left the church $200 to aid
in the erection of a parsonage. The west part of the parsonage
(since replaced by another parsonage) was erected. In 1898,
during the pastorate of Rev. J. W. Madden, the Welsh Congregational
Church united with the First Congregational Church of Spring
Green. The little church building was presented to the church
for its use on January 16, 1901. The building was moved into
Spring Green all the way from Bear Creek and added to the
present church building (now Cornerstone Church). They used
this area for a Sunday school room and church parlor.
Membership was steadily growing and the
financial so much improved that in 1905, during Rev. H. R.
Hogan's pastorate, the church voted to become self-supporting.
During this time, after ten years, services for the entire
membership of the Wilson Creek church ended, and its members
were voted into the First Congregational Church of Spring
Green on June 30, 1907.
Rev. A. H. Schoenfeld served a short time,
from November, 1908 through October, 1911. The new east wing
to the parsonage was added in the fall of 1908, mostly due
to support given by the Ladies Aid ministry. Shortly after
his arrival, he was married to Miss L. Jones of Dodgeville.
Rev. Schoenfeld was the third Pastor ordained in this church
on February 24, 1909. And on June 23 and 24 of that same year,
the church celebrated its Semi-Centennial. Rev. Schoenfeld
soon resigned, accepting a call to Dodgeville Church.
Rev. Otto J. Scheibe, a missionary who had
just returned from Puerto Rico, accepted the call to serve
our church for 1-1/2 years before he resigned. He is accredited
for giving interesting missionary talks and he awakened many
missionary spirits.
Rev. I. B. Tracy became pastor on January
1, 1914. He stood head and shoulders over most men in stature.
His daughter, Eleanor, was married in our church to Rev. Roger
Arnold, and soon after their wedding, the young couple left
for China where they labored in the missionary field. After
a three year pastorate, Rev. Tracy resigned on December 1,
1917. The next pastor was Rev. A. H. Anderson who served from
February 4 to September 23, 1918.
Rev. W. E. Schilling was our pastor
from 1919 to 1924, and left a legacy of improved parsonage
and a greatly-improved church building. During his time as
pastor, the parsonage was improved, the cellar was enlarged,
solid cement walls were built outside, and a cement floor
was put into the entire basement. By the time it was complete
in 1920, total improvement cost was $749.20 in cash, and the
labor was done by volunteers. In 1922, improvements began
in the sanctuary. A furnace room was built between the two
buildings, a new heating system installed, a dining hall and
kitchen were built in the basement and many other improvements
were made. On Sunday, April 27, 1924, our remodeled church
was dedicated with a very impressive service, and Rev. Hogan
returned to assist with the proceedings. During Rev. Schilling's
pastorate the title of the Church property was cleared, and
on January 24, 1923, and the Lone Rock Charge was yoked with
Spring Green Church and the Wyoming Church. Rev. Schilling
left us November 25, 1924.
Rev. Walker was pastor for ten months, and
was then followed by a Student Pastor, William F. Price. Though
not ordained, he successfully filled the pulpit, and his wife
was an ideal helpmate. During his pastorate, the congregation
withdrew from Wyoming and the Congregational interests exchanged
for the M. E. property at Lone Rock. This property was deeded
to the Lone Rock Congregational Church. The J. C. Robertsons
served following Walker, and were especially liked by young
people.
In 1930, Rev. Smith and his wife came to
pastor the church, and shortly left thereafter. It was during
this time that our annual Mission Festival was started.
From 1934 to 1939, Rev. O'Neill served the
church, and in 1938, Miss Emma Morgan left a church legacy
of $6,500 to be placed in a trust fund, earnings directed
to go towards the Minister's salary, as well as an additional
$300 with which to install a Morgan Memorial window.
Also included from her were resources for dishes and furniture
for the kitchen and dining room.
On November 15, 1939, Rev. R. F. Marritt,
was appointed pastor. A memorial fund was established aiding
to improve the sanctuary. The ceiling was lowered and the
rostrum was enlarged and remodeled, new carpets were bought
to cover the entire floor, and the church was redecorated.
Several missionaries were very active at this time, such as
Katherine Hodgson who went to China as a teacher, and there
she was married to Rev. George Hudson, a missionary. They
spent 23 years laboring there, and at the outbreak of World
War II, Katherine and her son were sent back to the States.
Her husband remained in China, refusing to leave his work
at a critical time. He was soon captured and confined in a
Japanese Prison Camp. And later, just before returning to
the States on the Steamer Gripsholm, he learned that his only
child, George Jr., had enlisted in the Navy and was killed
in the battle of Bougainville. Rev. Tracy's daughter and husband,
the Arnolds, spent many years as missionaries in China. Lawrence
Schilling ultimately went to China to teach, and after three
years, he felt the call to become a Missionary there, so he
returned to the States to get training, and returned to China
because as he stated in letters to home, "China is calling
me". While waiting for the boat to bring him home to the States,
he was taken with paralysis and in a few days passed away.
He was buried in Foochow, China on July 13, 1939. The Ladies
Aid ministry is credited with supporting many improvement
initiatives at this time, and Mr. and Mrs. Alfie Ladd donated
the lighted bulletin board still standing outside on the corner
of Lexington and Monroe.
1998 through 2006: Pastor Herb Bowers
2006 through 2007: Interim Pastor Peter Kolb
2007 to Present: Pastor Darryl Hollenbeck
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