Church History

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The Presbyterian Faith Comes to La Grange

About two hundred years after the Presbyterian faith was founded in America in the late 1600s, Presbyterianism advanced to the La Grange area. On June 11, 1879, seventy families voted to organize 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 farmer Robert Leitch bought the land from the government. With the building of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad from Aurora to Chicago in 1864, La Grange prospered as many Chicago residents who lost their homes in the Great Chicago fire in 1870 moved west to rebuild their lives.

On May 13, 1890, fourteen people met in the home of Mrs. Grizella P. Joy to form the “Presbyterian Society.” Four months later, in September, the society submitted an application to the Presbytery of Chicago for the organization of the La Grange Presbyterian Church (see photo below of notes highlighting the 14 people). In the meantime, services were held on Sunday afternoons on Sixth Avenue in what was known as the La Grange Music Hall. On October 27, 1890, the church was granted its charter, and 27 people were received as its first members. Introductory services were conducted by Dr. J. L. Withrow. The text of his first sermon was taken from Psalms 1 and 3: “And he shall be like a tree planted…” This, then, are your humble beginnings.

By this time La Grange was a community of 3,500 people and growing fast. First Church moved their meeting place to Washington Hall on Burlington Avenue across from the train station. On May 14, 1891, Reverend Charles J. Howell was installed as our first pastor of the small congregation. W. J. Hunter, one of our first members, recorded in a letter some of his recollections of these early days.

“Washington Hall was above one of the stores across from the Burlington Depot. The pulpit was at the street side of the room and a heating stove at the other. Rent was $150 per year. We sat on kitchen chairs which at times were very noisy on the bare wood floor. We did have electric lights—just drop lights—and some of us carried lanterns to church at night to see our way, for the street lights were very, very poor; just kerosene lamps on low wooden poles at the street corners. Streets were not paved, and when they were wet, the sticky clay-mud would often pull off one’s rubber boots in crossing, and there were very few sidewalks, so a lantern was useful.”

read next: The Building of our First and second Churches