Salem Evangelical Church History

The sight of the Salem Church
steeple pointing high towards the heavens is well-known to most Quincy natives. The Salem Church and the congregation go back
to the early days of Quincy when many German families settled here. Around 1836, Rev. Johann Christoph Jung, on
behalf or the German Mission Society, was appointed pastor for a small local
church that had recently been formed in Quincy.
He led in harmony for a few years until disputes arose between the
conservative and liberal German members.
In 1848, the conservative group remained at the “Bergkirche” (Hill
Church) and eventually evolved into St. John’s Lutheran Church in Quincy.

Rev. Christoph Jung and the more
liberal members of the former congregation founded Salem Church and held the
first meetings in his home at 725 Maine Street.
They took the name “Der Deutche Evangelische Salem’s Gemeinde” (The
German Evangelical Salem’s Congregation).
Later meetings were held in the Center Congregational Church building on
the northwest corner of 5th and Jersey, where the Quincy Herald-Whig
offices are today.

In May 1848, the congregation
started their first church building on the corner of 9th and State
on a lot purchased from Governor John Wood.
The brick structure was 36 feet wide and 48 feet long, faced south, and
had a modest steeple with a bell. Materials
for the structure totaled around $3,000 with the congregation providing labor. According to the History of Salem, the church
was “simply furnished with an altar, baptismal font, and boards on boxes used
as pews.”

A cholera epidemic broke out during
Rev. Jung’s time as pastor, and the rigors of ministering to his congregation took
a toll on his health. It was reported
that he “spit blood and later his nerves were so affected that he often fainted,
as stated by the History of Salem.
Eventually, after some encouragement, Rev. Jung resigned in June 1851.

The congregation was officially
organized in 1852 and they adopted their first constitution. In July 1852, Rev. Simon Liese of St. Louis
assumed the duties of Salem’s pastor. In
August, Rev. Liese aided in erecting the first school building associated with
the church. 1856 was a busy year for
Salem with the sanctuary being enlarged, a Sunday school formed, and a live
program of Christian education was launched.

Another doctrinal dispute arose
among members in 1860, with Rev. Liese and many members leaving the
church. Rev. Liese was quoted as saying
that he was “taking the sheep with him, the goats he was leaving behind,”
according to the History of Salem. There
were only 47 souls left behind at Salem after the fracture. Rev. Liese and his group formed St. Peter’s
Evangelical Lutheran Church. In August
1860, Rev. Simon Kuhlenholter came from Cumberland, Indiana to serve the
remaining 47 members. This started his
22 year ministry at Salem Church, which would grow and prosper under his
care. During Rev. Kuhlenholdter’s time,
a two-story parsonage was erected, an additional 20 feet added to the sanctuary,
a pipe organ was installed, a Benevolence Society was formed, and a new school
building was erected for 200 pupils, all within a few years. The congregation joined
the Evangelical Synod of North America and hosted the national Synod of the
Evangelical Church in 1871. In 1875,
Salem Church established the Greenmount Cemetery Association, which was
incorporated separately from the church in 1903.

The building we see today started on
January 31, 1875, when plans for a larger church structure were approved. As the church was built, members worshiped in
a special “boards” church located on 11th and State. The cornerstone for the current building was
laid on June 25, 1876 in the pouring rain.
The building was designed in the Late Gothic Revival style and designed
by architect John S. McKeen. The
original area of the building was 110 feet long and 55 feet wide with a spire
237 feet high. It was dedicated on
September 23, 1877.

Salem Church has a set of three
bells in the tower that ring out music throughout the neighborhood. The smallest bell, named James, weighs 1000
pounds and is the original bell taken from the previous building. The second bell, Bertha, weighs 1500 pounds
and Peter, the largest, weighs 3000 pounds.
The bells were rung by hand when they were first installed. The four-faced clock and chime mechanism was
donated by the Bredeweg family in 1894.
Each clock face is six feet in diameter and it had to be wound by hand
twice a week, with the mechanism being 120 steps above the balcony level.

On Sunday, June 24, 1894, the worship
services drew a large crowd as the church had been closed for six weeks for
repairs. The June 25, 1894 Quincy Daily
Herald reported that at a cost of $3,000, the sanctuary had been “frescoed and
painted in the latest Romancesque terra cotta style, commencing in the auditorium,
and gradually changing in shade until the ceiling is reached, which is a light
sky blue. [At the] back of the altar are three panels which are very finely
executed with the ascension of Christ in the center and appropriate
inscriptions on each side with a large blue band blending the colors.” It was reported that The Young Ladies’ Society
raised $1,500 and the Ladies’ Society $400, which paid for the carpets, gas
fixtures, and altar covers. The Daily
Herald also stated that, “the Salem congregation have one of the handsomest
churches in the city.” The morning services were in German and led by Rev. Fred
Baltzer of Pittsburg. Evening services
were cut short by a severe storm blowing in one of the church windows, nearly
causing a stampede. The organist started
to play early, calming the crowd and averting the disaster, though several
ladies in the gallery fainted.

Salem Church stands today on the
corner of 9th and State, with the steeple towering over the city and
calling all to come inside for fellowship.

Sources

“125th Anniversary, 1848-1973.” Salem Evangelical
Church United Church of Christ.

“150 Years: Forward Through the Ages.” Salem Evangelical
Church United Church of Christ.

“A Church Stampede.” The Quincy Daily Herald, June 25, 1894,
p. 1.

“Centennial: Salem 1848-1948.” Salem Evangelical Church
United Church of Christ.

“Dedication of New Four-Manual Pipe Organ.” Salem
Evangelical Church, May 15, 1927.

Linnemann, Steven M. “A History of Salem Evangelical
Lutheran and Reformed Church, 1835-1963.” Quincy, IL, 1995.

Salem Evangelical Church: A United Church of Christ
Directory, 1965.

United Church of Christ.