Churches Walking Tour - eBook

Walking Tour

August 8, 2015

Immanuel Evangelical
Lutheran Church
&
First United
Methodist Church

Philip A. Aleo

Aleo Publications, Division of P.F.C. Supply Co. Inc.
P.O Box 1085

Dundee, IL 60118

www.aleopublications.com

Photo Courtesy of Philip A. Aleo

Immanuel Lutheran and First United Methodist, two of the first
churches established in the Dundee area, are the focus of the free his-
torical walk slated to depart from The Depot in East Dundee at 11 a.m.
Saturday, Aug. 8.

The walk is the last in a series that has already explored the two earliest
pubs in the area and the Haeger mansion and factory. Phillip Aleo, local
historian and author, serves as the chief guide. Along the route, Aleo
paints a vivid picture of what life was like back in the 1800s in an area
that drew visionary entrepreneurs, pioneers and religious leaders alike.
"We want our group to have a pleasant experience while we're walking
and talking our way around town. Our walks are done at a leisurely
pace and we always try to make them interesting and relevant," he said.



Immigrants came to America during the 1700's and 1800's in pursuit
of religious freedom. 1

Historian Will Durant stated,

For men came across the sea not merely to find new soil for
their plows but to win freedom for their souls, to think and speak and
worship as they would.1

The founding of European colonies in North America coincided with
the Protestant Reformation—one of the watershed events of human
history. The Reformation not only split Europe along Catholic and
Protestant lines, it also spawned a variety of religious groups whose
members often suffered persecution from civil and religious authori-
ties alike. 2

Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church

310 E Main St, East Dundee, IL

In the early 1800s, German immigrants arrived on the shores of a
young United States of America. Because of being persecuted in
Europe, many Germans hoped to find the freedom to worship God
in the manner they believed their Confessions and Holy Scripture
were teaching them. German Lutherans, in particular, packed up
hearth and home along with friends and family and sailed to Amer-
ica.

By the 1830s, steady streams of German Lutherans were arriving.
Many first landed in the port city of New Orleans and made their
way north up the Mississippi River.

By the 1840s, German Lutherans, Reformed and Evangelical, began
arriving in the Fox River Valley area known today as Dundee. By the
1850s, larger numbers of Germans were arriving.

1. Destination America by Charles A. Wills, Bibliography
2. Destination America by Charles A. Wills, Bibliography
“Immanuel God With Us” book—Key source of information on the Immanuel
Evangelical Lutheran Church history 1

The German Lutherans had a huge impact on the early history of
Dundee on the Fox River and would eventually become the anchor
around which East Dundee grew. According to Irma Dupre, "The
development of the town of East Dundee and of Immanuel Evangeli-
cal Lutheran Church were inseparable. There was revolution in
Germany at the time these little bands of God-fearing folks, mostly
peasants and trades-people, came to America, and they saw it first
and foremost as a land of religious liberty.” 3

Written histories of these early years fail to pinpoint an exact begin-
ning of Immanuel Lutheran Church. As Pastor Robert Kamphoefner
said in his writings: “It is impossible to establish the exact time when
the congregation became Lutheran. It happened either toward the
close of 1861 or the beginning of 1862.”

At that time many German immigrants had found their way to the
Fox River Valley area. Three major local industries, Haeger Brick
Yards, Illinois Iron and Bolt Company, and Star Manufacturing,
attracted a steady flow of laborers coming to Dundee during the
1860s and 1870s.

In Dundee, the Lutheran congregation grew large enough to have its
first ordained pastor. On July 26, 1863 A. H. Burkhardt was or-
dained and installed as pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church. In that
same year the congregation decided to build their own church. The
cornerstone was laid October 21, 1863.

Although most of the members were quite poor, the building was
"under roof" and had been finished enough for worship to be held
there by 1864. The building was solemnly dedicated on Sunday, June
4, 1865.

It is interesting to note that at the dedication, there was not yet an
altar or a pulpit. They wouldn’t have either for another five years.

3. http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1335.html

2

The Original Immanuel Lutheran Church of Dundee, Dedicated on
Pentecost Day, Sunday, June 4, 1865.

The basement of the church was used as a schoolroom. There were
no desks at first. "To write, the children would lay their copybook
on the bench, get down on their knees, and so learn to wield the
pen” said Pastor Gade in his history. In November 1866, the first
teacher was hired for the princely compensation of $175 for half a
year. His name was Baade.

Toward the end of 1870 the congregation built a one room addition
onto the church and also purchased and installed an altar and pulpit.

In early 1873, the congregation purchased two additional lots at the
northwest corner of Van Buren and Jackson Streets, one block north
of the present church, for the sum of $300. It was during that same
year that the congregation built their first school, a two-story, simple
wood-frame design quite common for the era, which accommodated
two classrooms.

3

It cost $4,000 and was dedicated on October 10, 1873. The build-
ing still stands to this day as an apartment building on the northwest

The first school built by the Immanuel Lutheran Church of Dundee in 1873.

Today the original school is an apartment
building in East Dundee.

4

By 1881, there were 276 students at the school which needed to ex-
pand. As a result, the church purchased the old Methodist church for
approximately $600 and converted it into a one-room school, which
offered a third classroom in addition to the two already in the main
school building.
After serving its purpose for over thirty years, the one room school
building was sold by the congregation and moved to its present loca-
tion on the north side of Main Street between River and Water
Streets, in East Dundee, where it currently serves as the "Dundee
Music" store.

The old Methodist Church on Van Buren street became the 2nd Lutheran school in 1881.
Around 1911, it was sold and moved to its present location at 7 East Main street
and is home to the Dundee Music Store.

Immanuel Lutheran’s congregation continued to grow. As early as
1881, resolutions were calling for the erection of a new church. How-
ever, a pledge program to fund the construction raised only about 25
percent of the necessary funds.

The Inter Ocean, Sat, Jan. 29,1881
5

By 1886, with nearly 2,000 parishioners, the congregation decided it
could no longer wait. The cornerstone of the new church was laid on
August 8, 1886 and the building was dedicated on March 20, 1887.
This church remains in service to this day. The original building was
approximately 60 feet by 100 feet in size and was constructed of
“Haeger brick”. The cost of the structure was $25,000, which in-
cluded not only construction-related expenses but the purchase of
church bells and an organ.

"Dundee's New Church"

The Elgin Courier on March 21, 1887 stated:

The dedication ceremonies at the new German Lutheran church
attracted the largest audience, probably, that ever convened in Dundee. It
is estimated that nearly 3,000 different people entered the church during
the day, including the three services, morning, afternoon and evening.
A very fine-toned pipe organ occupies the north gallery, at a cost of
$1,600. The church has a seating capacity for one thousand people, three
beautiful chandeliers hang over the center aisle and the pulpit, altar and
surroundings are very handsome and artistic, and probably the church, as
a whole, has not its equal this side of Chicago. There are two bells, the
chimes of which are free to all and sound very sweetly on a clear morning.
The whole cost of the church is said to be $30,000. Over 300 people from
Elgin attended the services.

6

Immanuel Lutheran School

The following excerpt is from the local newspaper of the time,
the Dundee Hawkeye. These words are from the lead article on the
front page of the newspaper dated Thursday, May 1, 1913:

The elegant new school building erected by Immanuel Lutheran Church is
completed and will be occupied next Monday. The dedication will
occur Sunday, special services to be held morning, afternoon and
evening .... The new building, one of the finest and most complete in this
section, is 92 x 86 feet, two stories and basement. Its total cost was
$26,000 and everything including the heating, lighting and ventilating sys-
tems is the best that money could buy .... In the basement, besides the
heating plant is a large gymnasium, playrooms, etc. The main floor is occu-
pied by four large classrooms. A large assembly hall, kitchen, and other
rooms too numerous to mention are on the second floor. The building is a
credit to the town and the Hawkeye congratulates the members of Imman-
uel Church on their new acquisition.

The present-day school's cornerstone was laid and
dedicated in 1913.

7

Immanuel Lutheran Steeple

In 1922, an interesting event altered Immanuel's architecture. Its
steeple, nearly three times taller than it is now, was struck by light-
ning and demolished. With financial prudence, spiritual humility,
and a bow to practicality, the shattered steeple was removed and
capped with the crown and cross the church building wears on top of
the bell tower to this day.

8

First United Methodist Church

318 West Main Street

This church property has a rich history that goes back to a time when
Dundee was still in its infancy. According to the Baptist Church re-
cords, services were first held here as early as 1840.

Back then this was the Oatman's Tavern. In 1835 Elder John and
Nancy Oatman established a tavern and a store at this location that
became the core of the community.3 The Oatman Tavern didn't serve
alcohol. It was more of a inn or hotel and also a meeting place for
discussions of local as well as national affairs. Hotels and inns were a
common meeting place for discussions of public affairs.

In 1847, each member of the Baptist Church was asked to give an
honest estimation of his worth and was assessed accordingly for
church expenses. By 1850, they built their first church here in Dun-
dee free from debt. But it wasn't built here. Their church was located
at 516 Washington Street, the present location of St. James Episco-
pal Church. By the way, Dundee Brick was used in the construction.
They sold this church to the Episcopal Church in 1864.

In 1865, they built their second church here at 318 West Main, the
site of the Oatman Tavern. It is noteworthy, that just two years ear-
lier, in 1863, a farewell gathering was held here in the tavern for all
Dundee men leaving to fight in the Civil War. In 1865, when the
men returned at the conclusion of the war, a service of recognition
and thanksgiving was held here at the same property, but it was now
the newly finished church. On December 21, 1865, the church was
dedicated and named the Baptist Church of Christ, later changed to
the First Baptist Church.

Decades passed and by 1918, the Baptists had disbanded. Four years
later in 1922, the Methodists purchased this building and it became
the First United Methodist Church. However, the Methodist con-
gregation goes back to the early beginnings in Dundee.

9

Early History of the Methodist Church in Dundee

In 1835, the Methodists established the first religious organization in
Dundee Township. By 1853, they were meeting at the Sons of Tem-
perance Hall in East Dundee.
The first Methodist Church was built in 1859 on Van Buren Street
on the east side of the street just south of the present location of the
Immanuel Lutheran Church in East Dundee.

The first Methodist Church in East Dundee was built in
1859 on Van Buren St.
10

In 1882, The Methodist Church built a new and second church
building just west of the current West Dundee Village Hall. It
served as the Methodist Church here in Dundee for forty years.
By 1922, their congregation had grown and they were looking for a
new site. The found it just up the hill, the old Baptist church at
318 West Main. They sold the church on Main Street by the Village

The Methodist Church from 1882 to 1922
Just west of the Dundee Village Hall
11

Hall to the American Legion
and made this (the old Baptist
church) their new home.
A period of rejuvenation fol-
lowed. This included the re-
moval of the clear glass panes
in the sanctuary, which were
replaced with “stained glass.”
The auditorium was redeco-
rated and improved. Hanging
lights were installed and are
still in use today. Also in 1922
the first part of the east addi-
tion was built and served as a
gymnasium.4

The Methodist Church with the completed 1922 east addition.
This originally served as a gymnasium.

4. First United Methodist Church Historical Files
12

In 1954 the congregation voted to purchase the John E. Test resi-
dence at 310 W Main Street for a parsonage. “A large parcel of land
adjacent to the church, in addition to the home, made this a desirable
undertaking, providing for future building expansion in the light of a
growing membership.” 5

The Methodist Church Parsonage at 310 West Main Street West Dundee c.1935

In 1955, a second addition was built onto the church. The old gym-
nasium was also divided into two stories with classrooms, and offices
for the pastor and a secretarial office were added.6 The gymnasium
was moved to the basement of the church.
2015 marks the 180 year anniversary of the Methodist Church, The
oldest religious organization in Dundee.

5 Our Heritage in Dundee. First United Methodist Church, 1974.
6 First United Methodist Church Historical Files

13

The Oatman family in front of the Baptist Church c.1913. This has been the
First United Methodist Church since 1922.

First United Methodist Church, 2015.
14

Dundee Township Facts

 East and West Dundee were never joined as one town.
 Originally, East Dundee was predominately German and

West Dundee was predominately Scottish.
 The government sale of lands in Dundee Township

opened on September 2, 1840.

 The earliest settler of West Dundee was Jesse H. New-
man, who in 1834 erected a log cabin at the location
that is today the “Big Lots” store on Rt. 31, just north of
the cemetery.

 West Dundee was platted and surveyed in 1836 .
 The first post office was established in 1836.
 The Village of West Dundee was incorporated on April

4, 1867.

 The earliest settler of East Dundee was Joseph Russell,
who was traveling with Newman in 1834.

 The first school in Dundee was established upon the hill
on the east side of the river in 1838.

 East Dundee was platted in 1842.
 The Village of East Dundee was incorporated on

May 20, 1871.

15