Encyclopedia Dubuque
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ST. JOHN'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH
ST. JOHN'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH. The church was organized on March 31, 1845. On May 14, 1848, the cornerstone was laid for a small brick church at 9th and Locust STREETS. The work on the church was brought to a halt when the son of Reverend De Pui, while on a western trip, was killed and scalped by Native Americans. Rev. De Pui and his wife moved from Dubuque soon afterward.
The church was left without a minister for nearly one year. Reverend R. D. Brooke arrived from Virginia to become pastor of the church, and work resumed so that the building was consecrated on April 13, 1851. In July 1864 plans for a large stained glass chancery window were announced as a gift of General Hodgdon, Dr. J. C. Lay, and Mrs. John Williams. (1)
Brooke was removed from his position when he would not preach a sermon favoring the North during the CIVIL WAR. By 1866 church records indicated five hundred members of the congregation.
The call for a new church had first been made in 1857, but the war ended such suggestions. In 1868 a lot was purchased at 14th and Main streets. Groundbreaking took place in 1874, but the discovery of quicksand required a deeper foundation. The cornerstone, dated 1875, was not laid until July 10, 1877. (2) Funds for construction came from such varied sources as the Sunday school and two fairs held by the women members of the congregation. The church was constructed between 1875 and 1878 with limestone quarried near Farley, Iowa.
Several parts of the building have symbolic meaning. The building is constructed in the form of a cross. The red painted doors symbolize the early Christian martyrs and the blood of Christ. Beams in the vaulted ceiling resemble a boat or ark, symbol of the protection provided by Christian faith. The church, with five Louis Tiffany windows, is an example of GOTHIC REVIVAL ARCHITECTURE.
The 1987 through 2014 Dubuque City Directory listed 1458 Locust.
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Source:
1. "St. John's Church," Dubuque Democratic Herald, July 23, 1864, p. 4. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=A36e8EsbUSoC&dat=18640723&printsec=frontpage&hl=en
2. "Laying of the Corner Stone," Dubuque Herald, July 10, 1877, p. 4. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=uh8FjILnQOkC&dat=18770710&printsec=frontpage&hl=en