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Church History
It is hard to say when the first Presbyterian congregation was
founded in America. It may have been as early as 1672. In the early 18th century
we find the first signs of an inter-congregational structure governed by elders.
The father of U.S. Presbyterianism was the Rev. Francis Makemie, who came to this
country from Ireland in 1683. He, along with six other ministers, organized the
first Presbytery in America in Philadelphia in 1706.
In 1709, the first Synod, the Synod of Philadelphia, was formed.
Another date worth remembering is 1789 - the year the first General Assembly of the
Presbyterian Church in the USA was held, and guess where: Philadelphia.
That General Assembly adopted the standards of the church that have remained through the years,
with some modification, as the foundational expression of Presbyterian faith and policy, and
were adopted by the reunited Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in 1983.
About a hundred years later, this Presbyterian-style religion
advanced to the La Grange area. On June 11, 1879, seventy families voted to
organized the town of La Grange on land purchased by Franklin B. Cossitt, who
planned a "garden spot" village. Our roots as a village date back to 1837
when a farmer bought the land from the government. On May 13, 1890, the
"Presbyterian Society" was organized, holding afternoon services in homes.
On October 27 of that year, fourteen people met to accept the charter from
the Presbytery of Chicago. Services were originally held in the Music Hall
on Sixth Avenue and Washington; and in 1891 a lot was purchased on Madison
Street just north of Cossitt School for a Sanctuary. March 4, 1892 marked
the dedication of the Sanctuary, with 27 charter members, three Elders and
three Trustees.
In 1907, the land at Elm and Catherine was purchased for
$2,530. The original church, patterned after a church in Wales (square tower
and short spire typifying sturdy character and sincere aspirations of the
Presbyterian denomination), was dedicated on March 3, 1912.
Fifty years later, the present church building and
remodeled Sanctuary were dedicated, and on October 27, 1990, our
church celebrated its centennial with the theme "A Century of Blessings."
We have been greatly blessed and much is expected of us.
© 2004 First Presbyterian Church LaGrange
All rights reserved.
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