A Brief History of
the First Christian Church of Carbondale
September 4, 1862 eleven people gathered in the "granary" building alongside the
Illinois Central Railroad tracks for the first worship service of what became the
First Christian Church of Carbondale, Illinois . Membership grew, dwindled; then
grew, again, over the next three years.
In 1866 Professor Clark Braden, President of the new Southern Illinois College in
Carbondale, took over leadership of the church. Preaching without pay through 1868,
when the congregation acquired the last of four plots set aside for churches in the
original city plat. In 1869 the State of Illinois established a Normal School in Carbondale
partly "due to the presence of a functioning college that could be converted to a
Normal School" (Southern Illinois University).
Reverend Braden continued to serve through 1870 from the basement of the new church.
The first structure was completed in 1874. It was a plain building, but used for
many civic as well as Christian purposes. The building was used to exhibit the first
motion picture in Carbondale.
The congregation grew fitfully over the next twenty-five years. There was talk by
1895 of building a new church on the west side of the railroad tracks. A new larger
brick structure was dedicated at the present location on July 6, 1902. The First
Baptist and Presbyterian congregations relocated to new stone structures on the west side of
town in the next two years.
(The 1902 building debuted the art glass windows that
are featured in the 1995 Sanctuary.)
The next thirty years were like many for churches everywhere. There were many large revivals
that made the membership grow. There was much talk at board meetings about leaky roofs
and flooded basements. Samuel Burgess became the minister in 1928 at $50 per month. When he moved on in 1938, the church was only $250 behind on his salary.
It was during the Thirties that talk first began about starting an inter-denominational
college student ministry.(Now the University Christian Ministries: Disciples, Presbyterian,
United Church of Christ.)
The Forties brought financial security and a need for expanded Christian Education
rooms. J. C. Williams and Sons (members of the church) began the major remodeling
of the Church building to rearrange the sanctuary and add on classrooms.
Along with the continued growth and projected needs, an education building was constructed
next door in 1965. It became a temporary public school when a December 1976 fire
burned Brush Elementary School.
The turmoil of the Seventies was hard on this small college town. Yet, that year started
the longest pastorate (11 years 9 months) in FCC history with a fresh Yale graduate,
Charles Watkins. That same year members led the charter of the ecumenical Interchurch Council that still directs many mission projects in the community.
During the Eighties, more roof leaks and basement floods caused the congregation to look seriously
at replacing the 1902 building. Through many study and planning sessions, Minister,
Suzanne Webb, and Building Committee Chair, John Phelps, led FCC to the beautiful
sanctuary which stands today.
Interestingly, through all those building programs and changes, part of the "granary"
from 1862 still exists in the timbers that make up a pavilion next to the railroad
downtown in Town Square Park.
This history was gleaned from "Days Of Our Years - A History of the First Christian
Church (Disciples of Christ) of Carbondale, Illinois" by Aileen Neely. Copyright FCC (DoC) of Carbondale, 1987
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