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368 - HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY CHAPTER XV CANTON CHURCHES FIRST LUTHERAN AND REFORMED PREACHERS-REV. PETER HERBRUCKREV. EMIL P. HERBRUCK-THE LUTHERAN CHURCH-TRINITY SECOND REFORMED CHURCH- THE TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH-HISTORY OF CANTON METHODISM-THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH-RISE OF LOCAL CATHOLICISM-PRESENT ST. JOHN 'S CHURCH PROPERTY-ST. PETER'S CATHOLIC CHURCH-FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH- THE FIRST UNITED BRETHREN CHURCH-THE FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH-ST. PAUL'S PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH-THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH-FIRST UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH-MINON CATHOLIC CHURCHES-COLLEGE OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION. Most of the old pioneers of Canton and vicinity were of Lutheran and Reformed stock and they were the first to organize religious services. The English element not long after formed classes among those of the Methodist and Presbyterian faiths, and there was long somewhat of a rivalry among the Pennsylvania Germans and the Yankee settlers from more eastern states as to the showing in membership of their several societies. FIRST LUTHERAN AND REFORMED PREACHERS The first preaching in the Canton neighborhood was held in the barn of Michael Reed, who lived on the quarter section just north of the old fair grounds. He had a double log barn and the threshing floor was the auditorium. The seats were slabs from Slusser's sawmill. The preacher was Fr. John Stauch, a Lutheran, whose home was in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, and he came at stated periods during the summer months as early as the year 1806. Alternating with him was Father Mahnenschmidt, of the Reformed Church, preaching at the same place. The meetings were always well attended, as people of all classes came from every quarter with a desire to hear the latest news, as well as to discharge their religious duties. In the winter private houses and the taverns were used less frequently as places of meeting, especially the dining room of Dewalt's Tavern. There are some reminiscences of this HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY - 369 early period worthy of mention, of which we single out one only. The boys and girls of the early day usually went " barefooted ;" they would carry their shoes and stockings along, and would put them on before appearing in the presence of the great congregation; but after services they would invariably doff the said incumbrances and return home, as far as feet were concerned, in a primitive state. In 1810 the German Lutheran and Reformed congregations took possession of the lot on West Tuscarawas Street (now occupied by the Presbyterian Church) donated by Bezaleel Wells for a house of worship, and erected on it a small frame structure for a meeting house. The building was never plastered, but served its purpose for a short time, and several sermons were preached in it. In the meanwhile, about 1808, Rev. Anthony Weier, a Lutheran minister, took charge of the congregation, and he was the first resident minister in Canton, and through his influence the two congregations purchased from Mr. Wells the grounds upon East Tuscarawas Street, upon which were afterward built a Lutheran church and parsonage, and a Reformed church and schoolhouse. Many were not well satisfied with this arrangement, and it was several years before they became reconciled. Steps were taken at once to erect a brick church. As an insufficient amount was subscribed, the progress of the building was slow. For several years it stood under roof unfinished, and in the meantime was struck by lightning and considerably shattered. Up to this time the Reformed congregation did not have the services of a regular pastor. Occasional supplies- were given by Reverends Mahnenschmidt and Sounendecker. The first regular preacher was Benjamin Foust, who began his ministration in 1818. The frame church was occupied by the two congregations about four years, and then they bought lots on East Tuscarawas Street and built the brick church in 1822, both societies occupying the same building until 1863. REV. PETER HERBRUCK Benjamin Foust died in 1832, and was succeeded by Rev. Peter Herbruck, who was then only a little over nineteen years old. Although he had been without previous experience in the ministry, as would be natural with one of his years, he had long since fixed his mind and heart upon that calling, had been fairly well educated toward that end in his native Bavaria, and soon after coming to the West from his arrival in Philadelphia had met Mr. Faust, and, for several months, received theological instructions from him. But, young and inexperienced as he was, lie entered upon the duties of his charge, after the death vol. I-24 370 - HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY of his good elder friend and instructor, with energy and with such an unassuming confidence that he soon won over even those who were at first disposed to doubt the wisdom of his appointment. Mr. Herbruck remained in charge of the German Reformed Church of Canton from 1832 to 1886, a length of pastoral service and useful ministrations which has proven unique in the local church history. The venerable and beloved pastor died in 1895, aged eighty-two years. REV. EMIL P. HERBRUCK One of his sons, Emil P. Herbruck, became pastor of Trinity Reformed Church in 1886, having for a decade previously occupied the pulpit of the Grace Reformed Church of Akron, and within twenty years developed it from a comparatively small organization to one of the largest in the city. His present residence is at Mount Marie. THE LUTHERAN CHURCH Rev. Anthony Weier, already noted as the first settled pastor in Canton, died in 1828, after having served as pastor of the Lutheran Church for about sixteen years. Among the organizers of the original congregation were Simon Essig, Jacob Becher, Jacob Rex, George Dewalt, Philip Dewalt, John Coleman, George Schneider, John Leininger and Jacob Kitzmiller. In 1828 William Schmidt succeeded to the pastorate of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, and not long afterward he was appointed theological professor in a seminary established by the joint Lutheran Synod of Ohio and adjoining states. His first class was organized at Canton in 1830, but in the following year the seminary was moved to Columbus, and Professor Schmidt followed it as theological professor. He died in that city in 1839. Rev. J. J. Fast followed Professor Schmidt and it was during his pastorate that those who desired English services withdrew from the mother church and formed the body now known as Trinity Lutheran Church. In 1852 the Reformed congregation withdrew and erected a brick church on the west part of the premises, leaving the old church in possession of the Lutherans.' They occupied it until 1868. TRINITY REFORMED CHURCH Trinity Second Reformed Church was organized from the original German Reformed congregation in 1870, with nineteen members, under HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY - 371 Rev. J. B. Shoemaker, formerly of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as pastor. Afterward Rev. E. P. Herbruck became pastor, and has since served for more than thirty years. During his ministrations the membership so increased that it was found necessary to replace the old church edifice with a large and handsome new structure in 1892. The edifice now occupied is a handsome structure on Market Avenue N. FIRST LUTHERAN JERUSALEM CHURCH Besides the Trinity Reformed Church, of which Rev. E. P. Herbruck is still pastor, there are the First Reformed Church, of which Rev. W. J. Bolliger is now minister, and the First Evangelical Lutheran, or First Lutheran Jerusalem Church, in the east part of the city. The latter, of which Rev. W. J. Schoman is pastor, is the successor of the original Lutheran organization, and the edifice now occupied by a congregation of some 1,000 (700 communicants) was erected on East Tuscarawas Street in 1869. THE TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH Perhaps the strongest of these old-time churches, founded so early and so faithfully supported by the pioneer German-Americans and their descendants, is the Trinity Lutheran Church on Newton Avenue N. W. Its congregation has issued a full and interesting historical sketch, which is virtually reproduced in the following text: Lutheranism in Canton dates back to the days when the community was young. For already in the early days of the nineteenth century there seem to have been a congregation of German Lutherans and one of German Reformed people, using the same house of worship, on about the site of the present German Lutheran Church, Tuscarawas Street E. In the course of time, as so often happens among German speaking congregations, there arose a strong sentiment in favor of English services. As an outgrowth of this demand on the part of many of the people, the Lutheran pastor, the Rev. J. J. Fast, undertook the organization of an English church. Accordingly all who were favorably inclined toward the movement—including part of the constituency of both the original German congregations, Lutheran and Reformed-also members of neighboring rural churches, met on the 10th day of November, 1838, to adopt a constitution and organize a church. The constitution, or "Church Order" as it was called, had been drawn up in the main by Rev. Mr. Fast himself, and in content and spirit was loyally Lutheran, though under the name of "The Evangelical 372 - HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY Congregation in Stark County." It was adopted, and signed by seventy-four charter members. Many of these were faithful Lutherans, whose descendants are with us today. In the winter of 1841 application for a charter was made to the State Legislature, and in August of that year the congregation was incorporated as "The Evangelical Congregation in Stark County." A few years later the words "English Lutheran" appear in its name. At first the services were held in the Town Hall (in the old Market House), afterwards in the Union School, where a "Church Room" had been fitted up, which served as a sanctuary for a number of years. When Rev. Mr. Fast resigned in February, 1842 (returning later to the German Church on Tuscarawas Street E.), he left behind him, in the beginnings of Trinity Church, a lasting monument to the consecrated effort and constructive ability of one of the old-time, self-educated ministry. Mr. Fast was succeeded by the Rev. W. D. Wadsworth, whose term of service extended probably from about February, 1842, to the summer or fall of 1843. By November, 1843, when Synod meeting was held in Canton, the pulpit was occupied by the Rev. John Hamilton, who stayed only about a year and a half. In the summer of 1845, the Rev. Aaron J. Karn was chosen pastor, and served till the close of the year 1848, leaving here to take charge in Savannah, Georgia. There was apparently a little delay in selecting a successor to Mr. Karn, who is referred to as a man "of much capacity ;" but finally the choice rested on the Rev. D. H. Bittle, formerly of Cincinnati-of whom little is now known. He was followed by the Rev. Lawrence Rizer. In December, 1851, the Rev. W. P. Ruthrauff was elected pastor, at a salary of $350 per year "and whatever more they can raise." Three or four years later the "Church Room" was disposed of and the lot on which the present church in part stands was purchased for $600, and the "old church" erected thereon, probably at a cost of about $3,000. Sometime during the seven years of this pastorate the congregation affiliated with the Pittsburgh Synod. The spring of 1859 brought to the service of the congregation a man of singular characteristics in the person of the Rev. Daniel Garver. Of giant height, and strong mind, a former college professor, tutor of Robert Lincoln (son of the great president), a foreign tourist and travel lecturer. He remained with the church until the autumn of 1863. For nearly a year thereafter the pulpit was occupied by substitutes, though the Rev. J. A. Kunkleman was called, but served only a few months. On August 21, 1864, the Rev. G. F. Stelling, who had previously been agent for Wittenberg College, took up his work in the church at HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY - 373 Canton. The last four months of that year were occupied by somewhat extensive repairs to the church building, including the erection of a new spire, necessitated by serious storm damage. A bell, too, for the first time, added harmony to the effect. In December, 1865, the congregation voted to transfer its synodical connections from the Pittsburgh to the East Ohio Synod. Rev. Mr. Stelling resigned at the same time. The Rev. J. W. Goodlin was next called. In 1867 a parsonage was purchased from John Lahm at a cost of $6,000. This old brick structure at No. 324 Tuscarawas Street W. is now used for mercantile purposes. Rev. Mr. Goodlin resigned in June, 1869, and on July 18, 1869, began the longest pastorate in the history of the church, namely that of the Rev. L. M. Kuhns, D. D. Largely through his exertions many improvements were made in the church interior, the building was rededicated and he was formally installed December 19, 1869. In 1871 the society adopted the name Trinity and by the beginning of 1876 the church debt was entirely cleared. The successful pastorate of Mr. Kuhns closed in July, 1884. He was succeeded by Rev. J. H. Harpster, D. D., in January, 1885. As early as March, 1884, a congregational meeting was called, "to take into consideration the building of a new church," and a committee was appointed to do some preliminary soliciting. On May 1, 1885, it was definitely decided to build and the donation of George D. Harter was announced-the lot adjoining the old church property, valued at $7,000, and $5,000 in cash provided the congregation raise $15,000 additional. At a meeting in June, 1885, subscriptions totalling $15,465 were reported—a final signal to go ahead. An offer of the Episcopalians, granting the use of their church on certain conditions, was accepted. The last service in the old church was held June 28, 1885, and work on the new edifice began soon thereafter. The corner stone was laid, with appropriate ceremonies, September 15, 1885-the address of the occasion being delivered by the Rev. Prof. S. A. Ort, then president of Wittenberg College. The work went steadily forward to its completion in the late autumn of the following year. Sunday, December 19, 1886, was the date of dedication. At these services Doctor Harpster was assisted by the Rev. M. Rhodes, president of the General Synod; Dr. E. J. Wolf, of Gettysburg Seminary, and the Rev. L. M. Kuhns, former pastor. The Sunday School Chapel was erected in 1890 and dedicated on Easter Sunday of 1891. For several years at about this time the workers from Trinity conducted the mission Sunday school known as St. Marks. In July, 1893, Doctor Harpster was sent to the India mission field. 374 - HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY From November 1, 1893, to October, 1896, the pulpit was occupied by the Rev. D. H. Bauslin, D. D., and during his pastorate the parsonage on -McKinley Avenue S. was purchased. On Doctor Bauslin's departure in 1896, to take the chair of Practical Theology at Wittenberg Seminary, the congregation extended a call to the Rev. J. A. Hall, D. D., of Cincinnati, Ohio, whose ministry began on the first Sunday in December, 1896. The first early morning Christmas service was held in 1899. The following Easter (1900) the first boy choir appeared. In December, 1906, Doctor Hall left Canton for Mansfield. The next regular pastor was the Rev. Paul Z. Strodach, who came April 7, 1907, and served until the autumn of 1911. During this time the chancel was remodeled and marble memorials installed as it appears today, and dedicated April 17, 1910. The seventieth anniversary celebration also, in November, 1908, was a notable occasion. The present pastorate, that of the Rev. Frank Heilman, formerly of Wooster, Ohio, began January 16, 1912. Palm Sunday of the same year was marked by a large accession to the membership, which now numbers about 900. HISTORY OF CANTON METHODISM The Methodists and Presbyterians commenced to organize in 1808-09 and are still among the strongest of the Protestant organizations. In the history of Erie Conference it is stated that in 1808 the Rev. James Watts was transferred to the Western Conference and traveled on the Wills Creek Circuit and John Sale was his presiding elder. Rev. James B. Finley in his autobiography writes that the Wills Creek Circuit was 475 miles around and he names all its stations, including Canton. Finley was appointed to the circuit in 1809 and from summer to fall of 1810, John Strange, a famous singing preacher character, was his assistant and James Quinn the presiding elder. The first report of Wills Creek Circuit to conference in 1809 shows 125 members, including the little band at Canton. Finley states that he kept a record of all the members but we have been unable to locate the record. Dr. Lewis Slusser, in his history of Canton, states that his grandfather, Philip Schlosser, settled here in 1807 and was identified with the earliest history of Canton Methodism. In 1812 William Lambden was the circuit preacher and the presiding HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY - 375 elder, Jacob Young, in his book, names all the preaching places on the district, Canton being of the number. The old wooden public school building where the present high school now stands was the public meeting place of the Methodists after they had passed the stage of preaching in homes. They then occupied an upper room in the brick building which preceded the present structure until the building of their first church on Eighth Street near Dewalt in 1833. The following record from the directory of 1895 completes the history to that date and is substantially correct. In 1841, under the pastorate of Edward Burkitt, the parsonage on the southwest corner of Dewalt and Eighth streets was erected and still stands in a remodeled form. The church was sold in the year 1866, removed to the southwest corner of South Cleveland Avenue and Seventh Street, where it was used as a carriage depository until torn down to make room for the carriage works which occupied the site of the present Odd Fellows' Temple. In 1856 Canton became a station. In 1862-63, during the pastorage of S. P. Wolf, the new brick church on the corner of West Tuscarawas and Poplar (now Cleveland Avenue) was built. The church was dedicated on the 13th of March, 1864, by Edward Thompson, D. D., and Thomas Bowman, D. D., both of whom were afterward made bishops. A fact worthy of special mention in this connection is that the church, costing $45,000, was dedicated entirely free from debt, and on the date of dedication a missionary contribution of over $6,000 was given as a thank offering by the congregation. In the summer of 1867 a mission Sunday school was organized in the South Market Street Public School Building, under the superintendency of Daniel Tonner, deceased, and continued in successful operation until the organization of the Second Methodist Episcopal, now known as the Simpson Church, when it passed into the care of said church. The second church was organized during the conference year of 1871-72, and was mainly composed of that portion of the membership of the First Church residing in the southern part of the city, to the number of fifty-one members and six probationers. These fifty-seven, with Sheridan Baker as pastor, organized the Second Methodist Episcopal Church. At the session of the Pittsburgh Conference held in Canton in March, 1876, the conference was divided, and that part of it lying in Ohio became, with the Ohio part of the Erie Conference, the East Ohio Conference. Sunday, January 2, 1881, was a clear but intensely cold day, and the occasion of the second quarterly meeting of that conference year. 376 - HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY The presiding elder, Dr. B. F. Brooke, being absent, the pastor, Dr. Hiram Miller, officiated in his stead. He had closed his sermon and just commenced the communion service when an alarm of fire startled the congregation. It was discovered that the church was on fire between the ceiling and roof. Under the assuring counsels of the pastor, a panic was averted, the people leaving in such perfect order that persons outside thought they were being regularly dismissed, without any knowledge of the fire. By reason of their inability to secure promptly a sufficient supply of water, owing to the frozen condition of the fire hydrants, the firemen were unable to check the conflagration, which increased with such rapidity that within a brief time the massive structure was destroyed beyond repair. January 3d a meeting of the board of trustees was called at the office of Brother C. Aultman, the purpose of the meeting being to consult in regard to what should be done with the church. During the progress of the meeting a notice from the Second Methodist and Presbyterian churches was received, extending their sympathy and offering the use of their churches until a new edifice should be erected. A vote of thanks was given to the above named churches for their sympathy and courtesy. A committee was at once appointed to correspond with different architects, with a view to either repairing the burned building or erecting a new church. After numerous meetings of the board it was decided to tear down the walls of the old church and build an entirely new structure on its site, Frank Weary, of Akron, being selected as the architect. In the meantime it was decided to accept the offer of the Second Methodist congregation and hold services in their church until the First could find suitable room to be occupied, pending the erection of the new church. The following March the congregation began holding services in the Monitore Block, which had previously been rented and fitted up for the purpose. Here the congregation continued to worship until December 17, 1882, when the Sunday school room of the new church was completed, and the congregation held its services therein until the completion of the entire edifice. The auditorium being completed and the pews temporarily located, the formal dedication of the church took place on the Sunday preceding, September 23, 1883, Bishop C. Foss officiating. The church property, not including the ground which it occupies, cost $137,000, and it was dedicated free from debt. While in no sense underestimating the generous contributions of the congregation at large, it is proper to say that the success of the enterprise HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY - 377 was due in a very large degree to the munificent liberality of Cornelius Aultman and Jacob Miller, who, in addition to their means, gave to the erection and equipment of the church their personal attention and labors from beginning to completion, and having passed to their reward (the former December 26, 1884, and the latter August 22, 1889), the church building, while it remains, will stand as a memorial of their Christian enterprise and generosity. In the year 1901 the funeral of William McKinley, President of the United States, and a member of the congregation, was held from this church after the body laid in state in the chancel. Dr. C. E. Manchester, his pastor, delivered the oration. The religious, civic and military dignitaries of the nation were present. With a profusion of memorial flowers and the interior of the church entirely draped in sombre black, relieved with white, the appearance of the church was most impressive. The great flag that is often hung over the chancel was first used at the funeral and is known and revered as the McKinley Flag. The beautiful memorial windows and tablet in the northwest corner of the church were given by Ida McKinley, the wife of the President, in loving memory of her husband and were unveiled with appropriate ceremonies by the pastor, Dr. E. 0. Buxton, together with Dr. 0. W. Holmes and Dr. C. E. Manchester, pastors of the McKinley family. In 1906, about 100 years after the founding of Methodism in Canton, the Crystal Park Church was built to house the third offspring or congregation from the mother First Church. This is now a thriving society of about 225 members. During the pastorate of Dr. C. S. Smith the church was greatly revived as a result of the great W. A. Sunday meetings held early in 1912. Over 300 members were received into the church. The Northeast Ohio Conference was held in this church in 1913 and appointed the present pastor, Dr. T. Wallis Grose. Aggressive work marks his administration, and the church and Sunday school are growing rapidly. The present church membership is 1,600, and the average attendance at Sunday school 775. The church was incorporated in 1867 and the record filed in the county court ; its government being by a board of trustees under the rules of the discipline. The Simpson Methodist Episcopal Church, the organization of which has been noted, has its home on Market Avenue S. and Seventh Street S. E., and is under the pastorate of Rev. W. A. Rutledge. THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH The First Presbyterian Church, according to John Danner, had its origin in the missionaries of that faith who visited the Canton region 378 - HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY as early as 1809. Occasional services were held in private houses and barns as opportunity offered, but no records of an organized church are to be found that date previous to 1821, when the First Presbyterian Church of Canton was organized. In 1820 Rev. James McLean, an Englishman by birth, began to preach for the Presbyterians in the old brick courthouse that had been built in 1816, and he very soon impressed upon the people the importance of organizing a Sunday school. On the 21st day of December, 1820, the first Sunday school in Stark County was organized by the Presbyterians in the courthouse, with an attendance of fifty-six persons. The Reverend McLean preached that winter and the following summer, but was also absent more or less visiting other destitute regions. He could find no records of an organized Presbyterian church. He therefore collected the friends of such a church and organized a society with twenty-five members on the 1st of September, 1821. The first elders elected were Samuel Coulter, Robert Latimer and James Latimer. At the first communion and public recognition of the church Rev. A. Hanna, of Fredericksburg, was present to assist in the services. "The next year Rev. McLean," as Mr. Danner says, "pressed a little harder for his salary than the church and congregation felt able to meet, and it was said left because of the non-payment of his salary, afterward suing the trustees, James Gaff, Sr., George Dunbar and Robert Latimer, for his unpaid salary, and obtaining judgment." For several years after the trouble mentioned, the little congregation was without a pastor. In 1825 Rev. James B. Morrow came among the Canton Presbyterians as a young theological student, and in June of the next year was ordained to the ministry and installed as pastor of the church. He was the grandfather of Dr. E. P. Morrow, one of the present members of the church. Rev. James B. Morrow was recognized by the Presbytery of Richland, Rev. James Rowland, of Mansfield, and Rev. James Snodgrass, of Pigeon Run, participating in the public exercises ; and he was the first Presbyterian pastor of Canton to he thus honored. He continued the pastorate until December, 1830, during which period about seventy-five members were added to the church. It was during this pastorate that the church took possession of the lots left by Bezaleel Wells for religious purposes, and began the erection of its first house of worship on the southwest corner of Tuscarawas Street and McKinley Avenue. Lack of funds prevented further progress in the edifice than to place it under roof, and it thus remained for several years. Mr. Morrow became rather discouraged under the stress of the situation, resigned and moved to New Philadelphia, Ohio. Rev. Timothy M. Hopkins, of New York, was stated supply from HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY - 379 1831 to 1838. During his pastorate, in 1833, the belfry and spire was added to the church, which was otherwise completed in that year. The site of the first edifice, a brick building 50 by 75 feet, occupied the block, in which were erected the second building, of 1871, and the third structure, of 1912. Although possession is undoubtedly nine points of the law, the church trustees, within the past few years, have taken steps to secure quit-claim deeds from the living heirs of Bezaleel Wells, with the result that the church now practically owns all the title interest in that historic block. Soon after their settlement in Canton Mr. Hopkins and his wife, who were experienced school teachers, opened a select school which reached a high grade of excellence. After the pastorate of Reverend Hopkins, which was concluded in 1838, William B. Reeves assumed the charge. It was during his incumbency that Rev. J. F. Avery, the Cleveland evangelist, held a protracted meeting, which resulted in the addition to quite a number of churches in Canton, especially to the Presbyterian. The work in that church, in fact, became so heavy that Mr. Reeves accepted a call to a smaller congregation, and in 1841 Rev. S. F. Porter became pastor. He was followed by Rev. W. W. Taylor in 1843, who served for the three years preceding the long pastorate of Rev. Ebenezer Buckingham, D. D. The latter was stated supply from 1846 to 1847, and served as installed pastor from 1847 to 1873, inclusive. The society greatly increased in strength during that long and noteworthy pastorate. In 1851, during the earlier period of Doctor Buckingham's incumbency, the church became an incorporated body, and in 1867-71, during its later period, the second building was completed. It was completed at a cost of $56,000. At that time it was one of the largest and most elegant religious edifices in Canton, and was doubly noteworthy as being the church in which occurred the marriage of William McKinley and Miss Ida Saxton, on January 25, 1871. Following Doctor Buckingham have been Rev. William J. Park, 1873-79 ; Rev. J. H. Ritchey, 1879-80 ; Rev. David E. Platter, 1881-90 ; Rev. H. Clay Ferguson, 1890-95; Rev. 0. Brown Milligan, 1895-1908, and Rev. George E. Jackson, who began his service in April, 1909. The Calvary Presbyterian Church was organized from the parent body in 1895, under Rev. H. Clay Ferguson. During the preceding pastorate of Rev. D. E. Platter the Buckingham Mission was founded in the southwest portion of the city. The increasing demands of the First Presbyterian Church called insistently for a larger building than that of 1871, and in February, 1911, a committee from the Sunday school presented a paper to the 380 - HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY church trustees pointing out its special needs in the way of larger accommodations. This finally resulted in remodeling the old building and erecting a large addition for the work of the church. The work of construction was begun in August, 1911, and the result in the form of the present massive and beautiful structure affords adequate accommodations for a church of more than 700 members and a Sunday school of corresponding size and activity. RISE OF LOCAL CATHOLICISM Catholicism at Canton appeared at a very early day in the sturdy person of John Shorb. With his wife and three children, he located there in 1807, and was the first resident Catholic in the place. Soon after the War of 1812 other Catholic families came to town, and to different parts of the county ; of the families settling in this neighborhood were Andrew Meyers, Stephen Shorb, George Hossofross, the Pirrong brothers, Joseph Trout, Adam Rider, Cassily, Owen Grimes, Martin Zimmerman, John Gillig, Floom and McCormick. As early as 1818, before this portion of the state belonged to a diocese, the Dominican Fathers, who had been sent West as missionaries, held occasional services at Mr. Shorb 's house, in the locality still occupied by his descendants. The missionaries came about twice a year, and, when the weather permitted, the services were held in a grove in front of the house. The time of the meeting was made known in good time in advance, and parties from a great distance, in Stark and adjoining counties, were sure to be present. The first Catholic service in Ohio was at Gallipolis in 1793; the second in Perry County in 1812, and the third in Shorb 's Grove, Canton, in 1816. As the people came from great distances, as much as thirty and forty miles, to attend these meetings, though bringing their own provisions with them, it was often a diffrcult matter to provide lodging places for them. Mr. Shorb was a zealous worker in the cause of his religion, and it was his ambition to have a church in Canton. In his visits to Baltimore and other parts of the country numerously inhabited by Catholics, he made it a part of his business to get contributions to the accomplishment of this end. When sufficient means for a start had been collected he generously donated a site for the new church upon his own grounds, and gave his personal attention to the construction of the edifice thereon. The building, commenced in 1823, and finished the following year, was a structure 40 by 90 feet, a section of the east part being partitioned off for family use. It cost $15,000. Mr. Shorb was fatally injured at the raising of the building by a rafter falling HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY - 381 from the hands of a workman and striking him on the head. He died the following day, lamented not only by his family and his church, but also by the entire community, who knew his personal worth as an upright man, desirous of promoting, by every means in his power, the best interests of the Town of Canton. The first priest in charge of St. John's Church was John A. Hill, a nephew of Lord Hill, of England. He commanded a regiment at the battle of Waterloo. He was married soon after this, when both he and his wife became converted to the Roman Catholic religion. Mutually impressed afterward with the idea that they must devote the balance of their lives to the service of the church, they agreed to separate, she entering a convent in Italy and he an institution of learning to qualify himself for the priesthood. After completing a course of study he was sent to America, and served as a missionary for several years. He came to Canton in 1824, where he continued his labors successfully until death called him from his earthly labors and usefulness. He was buried September 3, 1828, at his own request, under the eaves of the church, but later his remains were removed to Somerset, Perry County, Ohio. Father Hill was loved by his flock and highly esteemed in the community. He was a lover of children, and, without respect to denominational distinctions, was generally beloved by the young people of the town. He was a man of a strong social turn of mind, enjoyed a game of chess, and, it is said, he would occasionally try his skill with William Reynolds, Doctor Simmons and William Christmas, the prominent chess players of Canton at that time. For several years after his death the church was without a regular pastor. Fathers Miles, Martin and others officiated at intervals. From 1830 to 1834, Rev. John M. Henni was in charge of St. John's. During his pastorate, in 1832, Bishop Fenwick, of Cincinnati, after attending a jubilee in Canton, was taken with cholera on his way home in the stage and died near Wooster, Ohio. Rev. J. S. Alemany followed Reverend Henni in this pastorate. Reverend Henni afterward became archbishop of the diocese of Milwaukee, and Reverend Alemany the archbishop of the diocese of San Francisco. In January, 1837, Rev. S. F. Hoffman was appointed resident pastor of St. John's, but resigned in October. Rev. Henry D. Juncker, Rev. Matthias Wurz and Rev. John J. Doherty followed at various intervals within the next few years. Rev. John H. Luhr assisted Father Doherty by especially attending to the wants of the German Catholics, and in September, 1844, St. Peter's Church was organized under his care. Revs. James V. Conlan, Augustine S. Campion, Michael Kennedy, Bernard Carragher (who died in April, 1857), John Roos, E. W. J. Lindesmith, Francis Berthelet and John P. Carroll, were in charge of 382 - HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY St. John's from the time of Father Doherty to the incumbency of the present priest in charge, Rev. Patrick J. McGuire, who was appointed in July, 1879, nearly thirty-seven years ago. PRESENT ST. JOHN'S CHURCH PROPERTY It has been during Father McGuire 's pastorate that the extensive and beautiful property known as St. John's, including church, priest's residence and parochial school, and extending in a broad sweep from Sixth Street N. W. and McKinley Avenue N. W. has been chiefly developed. The corner stone of the present church edifice was laid while Father Berthelet was in charge of the parish, in July, 1870. Its original dimensions were 60 by 144 feet. It was dedicated December 29, 1872 ; its stately spire was added in 1887-89, and other improvements have been made continuously, both without and within. The church was consecrated in February, 1897. It is stone and brick and pure Gothic in architecture. Its original cost was $80,000. The St. John's Parochial School was first opened in 1845. It was used two years later, and not reopened until 1876. It was enlarged in 1884 and 1894, and in 1898 the large brick building now occupied by its 350 pupils was completed. It has been in charge, at various times, of the Ladies of the Sacred Heart of Mary and the Sisters of Notre Dame. St. John's pastoral residence was completed in 1902. Father McGuire has 600 families in his charge, and his many labors necessitate the assistance of Rev. M. J. Flanagan and Rev. John Martin. ST. PETER'S CATHOLIC CHURCH The project of organizing a church for the German Catholics of old St. John's took definite form in 1840, while Rev. Matthias Wurz was identified with the parish. In that year it became evident either that a much larger edifice must be built or another church formed by the German speaking part of the congregation ; the latter plan was adopted and Father Wurz purchased the site still occupied by St. Peter's at Cleveland Avenue N. W. and Eighth Avenue. The corner stone of a brick church 45 by 98 feet was laid on Pentecost Monday of 1845 and dedicated in August, 1847, although it was used unfinished for about a year. St. Peter's Church then numbered seventy-five families. Rev. John H. Luhr served the church in 1845-53 ; Rev. Peter Carabin, 1853; Rev. Felix M. Boff, 1853-56; Rev. John B. Weikmann, 1856 (all the foregoing being supplied from St. John's) ; Rev. John B. Uhlmann (first HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY - 383 resident pastor of St. Peter's), 1856-64; Rev. John Hackspiel, 1864-65; Rev. Victor Arnould, from August 7, 1865, until his death, October 28, 1908; Rev. J. H. Kleekamp, from December, 1908, until 1915, when he was succeeded by Fr. A. B. Stuber. In 1869, in the fourth year of Father Arnould's long pastorate, it became evident that either a larger church must be built or the parish divided. The panic of 1873 interfered with a project to build at the corner of Poplar and Navarre, and in 1874 a larger church was decided upon to be located on the old site. In September of that year the bodies were moved from the old cemetery adjoining the church to the new grounds one mile north of the city. In June of the following year the corner stone of the present St. Peter's was laid and in May, 1879, the massive Gothic church of brick, with its lofty steeple, was dedicated. It was consecrated in October, 1898. The parish school of St. Peter's was opened in 1860 during the pastorate of Father Uhlmann. It was first taught by A. Lang and Sister Rose, who were later assisted by the Ladies of the Sacred Heart of Mary. Since 1883 the school has been in charge of the Sisters of Notre Dame. The large building now occupied was dedicated in November, 1890, having been completed at a cost of $30,000. The pastoral residence was erected in 1894. The present membership of St. Peter's parish includes about 400 families, and there are some 350 pupils in the parochial school. FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH The year 1849 marked the beginning of the Baptist denomination in Canton. John Danner, having removed here from Massillon, aided by Thomas Goodman and Robert Latimer, fostered a movement for organizing the First Baptist Church. At the old City Market, in the center of the Public Square, on the first Sunday in April, 1849, in a little room on the second floor, occurred the first public gathering of the newly organized Baptists. They were few in number ; but strong in faith, were these seven charter members: Rev. John Winter, Mrs. Winter, John Danner, Mrs. Terressa. Danner, Thomas Goodman, Robert Latimer and Daniel Kreps. The market house was frankly recognized as only temporary quarters. In less than six months a schoolhouse was purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Danner for the sum of $300. It was located on rented ground at the corner of Eighth and Court streets. Having remodelled and furnished it at a cost of $100, it was formally opened on September 22, 1849. Rev. John Winter preached the sermon but soon resigned. He was fol- 384 - HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY lowed by Rev. T. E. Inman, a converted sailor, and he, in turn, by Rev. W. B. Tysdale, of whom it is recorded that he always preached for about 11/2 hours. Reverend Tysdale remained only a short time. His resignation following so speedily the resignations of his predecessors, filled the church with gloom, and for a time it was pastorless. But John Danner made a proposition to the Home Mission Society, that he would secure a new site, move the schoolhouse to it, then eventually have a new house of worship erected, if they would support a minister upon the field. This the society agreed to do. The schoolhouse was moved to the rear of a lot on the corner of Tenth and Market. The Home Mission Society sent Rev. Andrew Torbitt, who is described as a "tall, dark-eyed Scotchman, full of zeal and spiritual power," and who gave the church a powerful uplift. Again led by Mr. and Mrs. Danner, the congregation set themselves about the task of building a new church on the front of the lot at the corner of Tenth and Market. This church was of brick. It seated about 300, and was dedicated on January 5, 1853. Twelve hundred dollars had been raised toward it, leaving a debt of $1,400, which Mr. and Mrs. Danner paid. Rev. P. M. Weddell became the pastor, and served for seven years. He was followed by Rev. Samuel Gorman, who likewise served seven years. Reverend Gorman was a returned missionary from Mexico, and Mrs. Gorman a returned missionary from Burmah. Under the ministry of Reverend Gorman, the conviction grew upon all that a larger building was needed. Thus in fourteen years, this new church was outgrown, and plans begun for another structure which was destined to accommodate the congregation for forty years. Reverend Gorman, having given the project a good start, was called to raise funds for Denison University, and Rev. W. S. Smith became the pastor. The new site at Ninth and Market streets was purchased, and the chapel erected in the rear. Later the auditorium was erected, all at the cost of more than $50,000. George Cook, a man of large purpose and purse, gave more than $35,000 to this enterprise. The corner stone was laid May 17, 1871. The choir participating in the services was led by David Zollars. The dedication services took place in October, 1873. During the period of forty years in this church home the following pastors, in order named, served : Revs. W. A. Smith, Duncan McGregor, E. W. Lounsberry, A. F. Ashley, J. F. Rapson, J. N. Field, L. M. Roper, C. B. Allen, Floyd I. Beckwith. In February, 1911, Rev. Thomas J. Edwards, who had earned a fine record as a builder of new churches, came from Pittsburgh to Canton HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY - 385 to assume charge of the First Baptist. Early in 1912 the congregation began the serious consideration of either enlarged accommodations or a new home ; the latter plan prevailed, and the old property, corner of Ninth and Market streets, was sold. A general advisory committee was constituted, of which C. W. Potter was chairman and including in its membership the venerable John Danner. The corner stone of the beautiful new church on Tuscarawas Street West was laid December 29, 1912, and the dedication services occurred November 23, 1913. Built of brick, terra cotta, steel and cut stone, in the classic Renaissance, with the main entrance through a lofty portico and a large dome of glass surmounting the auditorium, the church building is both graceful and impressive. With furnishings it cost about $80,000. The Manse, or parsonage, adjoining the church, is the gift of Mrs. George Cook, "in loving memory of her husband." The only living charter members of the seven who originally formed the First Baptist Church, of Canton, Mr. Danner and his wife, Terressa, are commemorated by one of the church windows; there are other memorial windows dedicated to the late George C. Harvey, the Roberts family and Joseph Sherly, and the memorial pipe organ is a tribute to the memory of David Zollars and his wife, Rebecca. THE FIRST UNITED BRETHREN CHURCH During the winter of 1867-68 at a revival meeting in the German Evangelical Church a number of children from United Brethren homes were converted. This aroused the parents to the need of a church. Cottage prayer meetings were organized, and soon Rev. D. M. Slusser, then pastor of the Louisville charge, gave substantial encouragement by conducting preaching services on Sunday afternoons, and soon effected a church organization with seventeen charter members. The first Sunday school was held in the home of John Fulk, in the house now standing on the southeast corner of Charles and Willet streets, with an enrollment of fifty scholars. John Fulk was the first superintendent. The annual conference of 1868, convening at Louisville, Ohio, assigned Rev. J. Cecil as first regular pastor of the Canton church. Reverend Cecil gave his attention to the building of a church home, and in 1869 completed the brick building still standing on Charles Street. This building was dedicated by Bishop Jonathan Weaver. The following pastors served in this building : J. Cecil, 1868-69; A. R. Bower, 1869-70 ; B. F. Booth, 1870-76 ; Samuel U. Koontz, 1876-79 ; Randolf Rock, 1879-81; J. 0. Swatt, 1881-82 ; P. N. Queen, 1882-83 ; vol. I-25 386 - HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY H. A. Dowling, 1883-84; P. N. Queen, 1884-86; W. W. Williamson, 1886-96. It was during the pastorate of Rev. W. W. Williamson that the congregation changed its location from Charles Street to the southwest corner of Cleveland Avenue and Fifth Street, Southwest. It was by the untiring energies of Reverend Williamson that the congregation built a beautiful modern brick structure costing some $30,000. Reverend Williamson was succeeded by P. M. Camp, who served one year, 1896-97, when he withdrew, from the conference. He was followed by J. A. Weller, who also served one year 1897-98. Reverend Weller was succeeded by C. W. Brewbaker, 1898-1904. Then followed the pastorate of C. W. Recard, 1904-14. In 1908 the congregation built another large addition to its already commodious building, making the entire cost of the building between $60,000 and $70,000, with a seating capacity of 2,000. The building is strictly modern throughout. In 1914 Rev. P. M. Camp was again appointed pastor after an absence of eighteen years. The present membership of the church is 1,700, with an enrollment in the Bible school of 3,100, having six distinct departments, with organized classes throughout. ZION ENGLISH LUTHERAN CHURCH It was about the year 1889 that a band of loyal Lutherans, some American born, some hailing from the Fatherland, but more recently from Newport, Kentucky, upon the removal of the Dueber Watch Company from that city, longing for a church home, organized "Zion Lutherische Gemeinde." As the name certifies, the child spoke German. The synodical mother was the Synod of Missouri. The pastor who gathered this nucleus and perfected the organization was the Rev. H. W. Lothmann, of Akron, Ohio, who ministered to it in the German tongue. lie was followed by Pastors Sieving and Eickstadt, who likewise employed the German language exclusively. For a number of years a parochial school was conducted. The founders of Zion were fortunate in securing a church home in the present site, corner or Dueber and Ninth Street S. W., erecting a modest chapel on the spot now occupied by the parsonage. But what with a favorable location and sacrificing pastors the German congregation did not thrive; principal cause lack of available material, or rather the exclusive use of the German language in an English community. The child became sickly and apparently stopped breathing—at scarcely HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY - 387 six years of age; but lo, it awoke with a bilingual tongue and from thenceforth has made itself heard and its message of Christ felt. -The transition was made by the Rev. George M. Schmucker, who was invited to hold English services in the chapel in 1895. The year following the Rev. W. N. Harley, now of Columbus, became pastor, officiating in both German and English, until 1901, when Rev. G. C. Schaub, of Youngstown, was called. Under his labors, the congregation erected its second frame church. Since the rejuvenation of the congregation, in 1895, it has been in affiliation with the "Lutheran Synod of Ohio and other states." The present pastor, Rev. Charles D. Besch, of Franklin, Ohio, came into the field March 7, 1907, since which time the public service has been conducted in the English language; hence it desires to be known as '`Zion English Lutheran Church." The substantial growth of the congregation ; the purchase of an additional lot for expansion; the completion of a modern parsonage in 1907; the pressing necessity for room for the growing family resulting in the erection of a brick structure designed so as to be enlarged by the addition of a future auditorium of similar size, 60 by 60; the steady increase of the Sunday school and the present membership of more than 475 in the congregation, are facts which speak for themselves. FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH The First Christian Church, of Canton, is one of the largest organizations of the kind in the country, and has a massive building on Cleveland Avenue, S. W. Rev. P. H. Welshimer is the present pastor and is assisted in the executive and charitable work of the church by Mrs. Thomas S. Thomson. It would appear from John Danner's recollections that there was a small congregation of Disciples of Christ, or Christians, at Canton, as early as the '30s. At least, they are known to have held meetings in the old courthouse, which was demolished in 1831, at Canton as early as the '30s. Between 1840 and 1849, ‘while Mr. Danner was a resident of Massillon, Rev. Alexander Campbell, of Bethany, West Virginia, founder of the sect, held services both in that city and at Canton. The first Christian Church at Canton was disbanded, but about 1851 the organization was effected which has endured and waxed strong up to the present. In the early '50s the society erected a brick church on the southeast corner of South Cleveland Avenue and Seventh Street, on the site of the present city hall. It was a substantial brick structure 36 by 50 feet, with a seating capacity for about 300 people. Among 388 - HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY the early members of the congregation were John Koons, John Correll, George Prince, Mr. and Mrs. D. Risher and Mrs. Allison Dunbar. The First Christian Church has had several able ministers and not a few distinguished visiting elders and exhorters, among whom was James A. Garfield. During the Civil war the congregation became quite weakened, and it all but disbanded. In 1866 Rev. S. Chapman located in Canton and assumed the pastorate, reorganizing the church with only about twenty members. Not long afterward the city bought the church property for $9,000, which was considered a good price and proved of much assistance to the society. The congregation then purchased the site on Ninth and Dewalt streets, upon which was erected the second house of worship. After Mr. Chapman, the society had a number of pastors, among whom may be mentioned Reverends Ingram, William Hayden, Joseph Ross, Hensilman, W. A. Watkins, R. G. White, John F. Pounds, E. R. Black, C. G. Brelos, H. F. Lutz and Rev. C. A. Hill. The First Christian Church has a membership of 3,500. ST. PAUL'S PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL The Episcopalians have been worshiping since 1858, when a few members of the faith held services under the name of Church of the Advent and continued to meet, without a regular abiding place until 1869. In that year a little church was erected corner of Tenth and South Poplar streets, and Rev. J. C. Laverty was called to the rector ship. St. Paul's, the present style of the church, is under the rectorship of Rev. Walter M'Cowatt. THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH In October, 1914, the First Congregational Church of Canton was formed by a withdrawal of about 600 members from the First United Brethren Church. A tabernacle for temporary use was erected during Thanksgiving week of that year on Second Street Northwest, and Shorb Avenue. In January, 1915, the church was organized and incorporated with a membership of 875, and in the summer of that year a large building fund was raised for a permanent edifice to cost $65,000. The proposed church, on Tuscarawas Street West beyond Shorb, is to be of light brick, with a high porticoed entrance and corner towers ; approximate dimensions, 95 by 100 feet and a seating capacity of 1,400. Rev. W. C. Recard is the pastor. HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY - 389 FIRST UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH The First United Presbyterian Church was organized in May, 1893, and in 1896 the building still in use was erected, corner of McKinley Avenue and Third Street Northwest. The pastors who have served the congregation are Rev. D. K. McKnight, D. D., 1893-97; Rev. J. I. Frederick, 1897-1902; Rev. J. C. Hanley, 1902-10, and Rev. James A. Lawrence (present pastor), since 1911. The membership is about 135. MINOR CATHOLIC CHURCHES St. Joseph's Catholic Church, in the southern part of Canton, was organized in a hall on South Market Street in 1899, although a site had (PICTURE) MOUNT MARIE COLLEGE, CANTON been purchased for a building in that part of the city thirty years before. The present combination school and chapel building was dedicated in May, 1900. The priest in charge of St. Joseph's is Rev. Clement Treiber. Another parish was started in 1902, by order of the late Bishop Horstmann, for the people of the west end, and a combination school and chapel building erected in Tuscarawas Street. It was dedicated in 1903. In 1907 the people of the east end organized a parish, under the name of "St. Paul's Church," but without a school. In June, 1908, the Italians of Canton organized a parish and built 390 - HISTORY OF STARK COUNTY a church in Liberty Street, for their benefit. It was dedicated in September of the same year. COLLEGE OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Besides the parochial schools attached to St. John's, St. Peter's, St. Joseph's and other churches of the Roman Catholic faith, the Catholics of the Canton neighborhood maintain a boarding and day-school for young ladies and little girls, known as the College of the Immaculate Conception. It is conducted by the Sisters of the Humility of Mary and owes its origin indirectly to the late Bishop Horstmann, of Cleveland. who suggested the present imposing site, midway between Canton and Massillon, at Mount Marie. In July, 1905, the Sisters purchased the tract. of land upon which the college now stands and which has been occupied for seven years. The curriculum covers various studies from the usual primary grades to the classical and philosophical courses of the college. |