CHRIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH (LA CROSSE, WIS.). RECORDS, 1854-1990.  5.3 cubic feet (9 archives boxes)

Abstract

Records of Christ Episcopal Church, one of the oldest organized denominations in the city of La Crosse, Wis., also called Christ Church, 1854-1990, and records of its mission church, St. Peter’s, located on the North Side of La Crosse, 1886-1932.

Historical materials include genealogical information on the Mary Edgar Sill (1838-1919) family, originally from Scotland. Other historical materials include newspaper clippings, photographs, and information on the stained glass “Window of the Beatitudes” designed by Charles S. Connick in 1933 and donated by Alice E. Hixon in memory of Frank Pennell Hixon.

Congregational records include a parish list, parish registers, registers or logs of church services, vestry minutes, and sacramental records (1887-1951).

St. Peter’s Mission, which was located on the North Side of La Crosse, included some Syrian and Greek families. These sacramental records consist of baptisms, 1887-1929; communicants, ca. 1893-1896; marriages, 1886-1902; and burials, ca. 1887-1932.

Financial records include cash books, records of member donations, and miscellaneous materials. Related materials pertain to the Diocese of Eau Claire and consist of annual journals, a written history, and proposed canon revisions.

Acc. No. 2006-16, 2006-26
Donated by Christ Episcopal Church via Charles H. Miller III, Feb. 2006
Processed by Christine Stolz, 2006

History

The first complete worship services connected to Christ Episcopal Church were held June 23, 1850, on Grandad Bluff on the eastern edge of La Crosse. Services were held in various homes and businesses occasionally thereafter. On February 10, 1857, Christ Episcopal Church was officially organized. Christ Church was the only church in Wisconsin to celebrate communion every week during 1860.

Christ Church’s first house of worship was constructed in 1863 at the corner of 9th and Main streets. This church was home to the first pipe organ in La Crosse and the first vested boys’ choir in Wisconsin. A new church facility on the same premises of the original (111 N. 9th St.) was dedicated September 10, 1899.

The architectural survey describes the structure as being constructed from gray and red sandstone quarried from Grandad Bluff, Romanesque in style with a Venetian Renaissance interior. The church was completed with a gothic cruciform shape with counter balancing buttresses, a 108 foot tower, and has two impressive leaded stained glass windows. A window, depicting a figure of Christ, was designed by the Tiffany Glass Decorating Co. of New York in 1898. This window underwent an extensive restoration process that began in August 2000 and was completed in November 2001.

A second stained glass window, the Window of the Beatitudes, also known as the Hixon window, was designed by Charles S. Connick of Boston. The window was given in memory of Frank Pennell Hixon by his widow, Alice E. Hixon and was dedicated on Oct. 15, 1933.

Vinter Hall, an addition that provided space for church school classes, offices and a nursery, was constructed in 1962.

The church was presented with a Heritage Award in 1982 by the La Crosse Area Society for Historic Preservation for its outstanding efforts in historic preservation. In 1985, the church was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Scope and Content

HISTORICAL MATERIALS include an altar services book entitled, The Order for the Administration of the Holy Communion with the Collects, Epistles, and Gospels to be used throughout the Year (n.d.) used by the clergy at Christ Episcopal. Genealogical information on the Edgar family is included. Mary Edgar Sill (1838-1919), wife of William Raymond Sill, was a member of Christ Episcopal Church. Edgar family materials include two books: Letters and Genealogy of the Edgar Family (1930) and Genealogical Collections concerning the Scottish House of Edgar (1873). Miscellaneous materials from the Edgar family include newspaper clippings and photograph of a portrait of Alexander Edgar, son of James Edgar (n.d.).

Other HISTORICAL MATERIALS include correspondence and materials relating to the Heritage Award given to Christ Episcopal (1982-1984), general history materials (1930-1984), and newspaper clippings (1892-1984). Photographs show pictures of a Nativity program (1952) and miscellaneous photographs which include pictures of Rev. K.E. Trueman and Rev. Christopher Pratt (ca. 1950s-1960s). Photocopies of photographs of the interior of Christ Episcopal Church (n.d.) are also included with the photographs.

A great deal of information is available concerning the Window of the Beatitudes, also known as the Hixon window, designed by Charles S. Connick. Materials include a sample book of illustrations (ca. 1937) for Connick’s book Adventures in Light and Color with the inscription, “For Mrs. Frank P. Hixon.” Some miscellaneous materials include Connick’s obituary from a publication entitled “The Living Church” and other materials related to stained glass projects done elsewhere by Connick.

Other materials include two pieces of preliminary design artwork for the Window of the Beatitudes (ca. 1930s), and correspondence regarding this window. Numerous signed letters to Mrs. Hixon from Connick can be found here. Materials regarding background and history of the window are also included. Clippings (1979-1982) concerning other windows at Christ Episcopal, including two articles about the Tiffany Window, are also part of this section.

Twelve cassette tapes of tapes (ca. 1957) belonging to former Christ Episcopal pastor, Rev. Robert Vinter, include tapes of some services held in 1957 such as Good Friday and a centennial address. Other tapes are undated, but are presumably from the same time period.

The second series is made up of OFFICIAL CONGREGATIONAL RECORDS. Materials in this section include the project book (1962) for the construction of the Christ Episcopal Christian Education Building and a photocopy of the congregation’s constitution and by-laws (1857; 1971-1976).

A parish list (1867-1895) lists members’ names and addresses, number of people in the family, and whether they were received into membership from another city. A list of St. Peter’s Mission membership (1889-1892) is also part of this volume. Members are divided into districts within the city. Maps clipped from the 1881 Map of the City of La Crosse by H. I. Bliss, city surveyor are included.

A parish register (1854-1900) contains handwritten meeting minutes and the parish constitution. A second parish register (1900-1922) contains meeting minutes and also includes financial reports and some correspondence. Later minutes are typewritten and inserted into this volume.

Publications include Lenten Service Bulletin (1922-1928), miscellaneous materials (1899-1987), and newsletters (1930-1949). Additional newsletters can be found in the church scrapbooks, also in this collection.

Two registers of church services (1921-1928 and 1928-1944) contain the date and occasion of each service (i.e. first Sunday in Advent, etc.), time of service, number of attendants and communicants, officiant, and brief notes about the services.

Some sacramental records are part of this collection. A marriage register (1919-1962) has an index at the front of the book. Information about each marriage includes: date, names of bride and groom, whether bachelor or widowed, maiden or widow, ages, residences, parents’ names, signatures of the bride and groom, signatures of witnesses, and signature of officiating minister.

Bound volume 3 labeled Register C (1887-1895) includes baptisms, confirmations, marriages, and burials.

Bound volume 4 also labeled Register C (1895-1917) includes a list of families (1900); baptisms (1895-1917), confirmations (1896-1917), communicants (ca. 1907-1917) which includes some brief notes such as death information or whether an individual transferred membership; communion statistics (1901-1905), marriages (1896-1917); burials (1896-1917); and an index at the end of the volume.

Bound volume 5 labeled Register D (1918-1951) includes an index at the front of the volume; communicants (includes notes regarding how and when the member was received, and information on death, marriage, removal from the congregation, etc.); baptisms (1918-1950); confirmations (1918-1951); burials (1918-1950).

Bound volume 6 labeled St. Peter’s Mission Register (1886-1932) includes a photograph of the interior of the Church on Kane St. in La Crosse; an index at the front of the volume; brief, handwritten history of the church; list of communicants (1902-1903); baptisms (1887-1929); confirmations (1887-1906); communicants (1893-1896); marriages (1886-1902); burials (1887-1932).

Four scrapbooks (1922-1949) are part of this collection each containing church newsletters and other miscellaneous church publications. Additional newsletters can be found in a separate file in this collection.

Bound volumes of Vestry minutes (1956-1988) contain minutes, some correspondence, and some financial reports.

FINANCIAL RECORDS include three cash books (1899-1901, 1908-1916, and 1914-1920) which contain donations from members and information about church expenses and payments made.

The D. E. Perfection record ledgers (1922-1927) list member contributions. D. E. stands for Duplex Envelope which is the name of the company who published the ledger. Other ledgers are included containing member donations (1899-1901; 1904-1917; 1922-1928). Some volumes also contain the pew number of member families.

Miscellaneous financial materials (1915-1922) contain correspondence, a 1915 treasurer’s statement, and member pledges (1922). A receipt book (1902-1903) is also part of this series.

RELATED MATERIALS are from the Diocese of Eau Claire and include annual journals (1944-1957), a history of the Diocese of Eau Claire (1928-1978), and proposed canon revisions (1984).

Other sources available at the La Crosse Public Library:

Clipping File:

Ephemera File:

Cataloged books:

Manuscript Collections: