Description
First Congregational Church Walworth WI Pen & Ink Black White Print 15 x 9" Matted Framed 1940's Architecture Religious Very fine condition. A wonderful rendering of the church & its modern architecture. A wonderful piece of Wisconsin history. History of the church: in 1890, a group of people made arrangements to hold English worship services on Sunday afternoons at the town hall on the corner of North Main & Kenosha Streets. This group was known as Walworth Congregational. At the annual meeting on December 16, 1902, it was voted to build a church. The cornerstone for Walworth Congregational Church was laid on October 27, 1903. The church building was completed at a cost of $5,000 & dedicated on April 23, 1904. By this time the church had grown to a membership of 60 & was amassing a Sunday school attendance of 100. in 1927, feeling a need for a building to provide recreational activities, a 40 square-foot gymnasium was added to the back of the church for $8,000. The space was rented to the Walworth Public School district for activities, such as basketball games, & was utilized by the entire community. The church continued to grow in the era of 1940 - 1950. Having outgrown the added gymnasium & needing more Sunday School space, plans were laid to put a floor in the second story of the gym & add partitions to provide separate rooms. Walworth Congregational Church continued to grow. By May of 1955 it was decided to demolish the old building & erect a new one. The decision was prompted, in part, by the wind damage to the old church. Evidence was also discovered that the south walls had been weakened & damaged by a slight earth tremor that occurred many years prior. With a budget set to not exceed $40,000, construction began. During construction, services were held in the multi-purpose room of the Walworth Grade School & Sunday School was hosted in members' homes. The new church cornerstone was laid on February 12, 1956. The new sanctuary was planned to provide an entrance on the northeast corner & to allow steps on the inside, rather than the outside, & pews allowing for a capacity of 192. Donations provided the church with the lectern, landscaping, & the cross on the altar. First Congregational Church Walworth Wi Pen Ink Black White Print 15 X 9" Matted Framed 1940's Wisconsin Historical Architecture Religious
