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18 WINNETKA WEEKLY TALK, SATURDAY, DECI;MBER 6, 1924 "Little Chapel" Provides Foundation for Present Religious Activity Editor's note: At the "Historical Euve- Lo ning" of the Fiftieth Anniversary week of the Winnetka Congregational church, October 21, several papers of great in- terest to the village as a whole were read. The WEEKLY TALK is privileged pr to publish extracts from these papers, is, which were presented by William A. Hadley, Mrs. Carrie B. Prouty, Rev. Quincy L. Dowd, and Rev. Dr. Benja- min S. Winchester. Myr. Hadley brought to his address, an extensive knowledge of the general history of the wvillage, a subject which he has been particularly interested in for several years past. His paper dealt with the period of Winnetka history prior to the organization of the Con- gregational church in 1874. Its inter- est will be great for both old residents and new-comers. By WILLIAM A. HADLEY The fertile prairies of the northern and western and central portions of the State of Illinois offered the promise of a speedy return in the way of harvests, and the grassy plains afforded pasture for cattle without cost of labor. The rights of the Indians to the land a were never taken seriously by the in- ' coming white people, and when in 1833 the treaty was made at Chicago with the last remnants of the tribes whose homes had been in northern Illinois for a century and a half, the red men with their families turned their faces toward the sunset and went reeling and stag- gering with diminishing numbers to new homes across the Father of Waters. The narrow ridge of land between the lake on the one side and the im- passable Skokie marsh on the other had been a favorite passage way for the In- _dians in their migrations for genera- tions, since it was protected on both sides from attack by hostile neighbors. The early explorers followed the trail as they passed back and forth between Green Bay and the Chicago Portage. The traders followed the same route when there was a demand for transpor- tation between the settlers of central Illinois and the Green Bay region. From the beginning of the nineteenth century the trail was followed by the hardy teamsters with their loads. The giant oak trees which covered the ridge of land, with the dense growth of under- brush, and the {frequent ponds and marshes, did not offer attractive i prospect to the immigrant who expected = to obtain his living by farming. It was not until 1847 that John Gar- land bought a tract of land just south of where the water tower now stands, and kept the tavern which had been built there. He was a devout man, a member of the Episcopal church, and it is said of him that he made it his practice to read the service of the Epis- copal church in his tavern to any who might be stopping there. He set aside va portion of his land for a cemetery, and adjoining it built and equipped a small chapel in the early fifties, which he generously offered to the use of any denomination which sought a place of worship. ; Garland Chapel First Church : For many years this chapel was com- paratively little used because of the small population and the distance from § the center, as it developed, and the con- ~ dition of the roads. However, the chapel was there, and ready for any worshipper, and at periods was occu- pied by various groups when some intinerant minister came to the village and there was a desire to hear the Word preached. This chapel was succeeded in time by a more substantial building on the same 4] site, which was more constantly used i as the population grew, and in 1905 it i was moved away and the present struc- ture was erected as a memorial, by Mr. . and Mrs. W. M. Hoyt. | The man who had the ability to see k an il A that there was beauty in the sunsets of the Skokie, in the forests and lake, | was Charles E. Peck, who came to i; Winnetka in 1853, bought a half-section 8: or more of land, and built a home for himself on the block bounded by Pine, Maple, Elm and Lincoln avenue. He made the place a really palatial resi- dence, with beautiful grounds, as was in keeping with a man of culture and education. The Unitarian Era Mr., Peck was a leader among men, i a friend of Robert Collyer, the minis- " ter of the Unitarian church and a lead- | er of wide reputation in his day. A eum of Mr. Peck's friends joined him and made themselves homes in the for- 3 est which was almost primeval; but their ¥ energy, education, culture, and self-re- i liance, made the little community one j of rare intelligence, charming hospital- t ity, and progressive activity. Among them were the following families: the Moodys, who were related to the Pecks; Rev. Mr. King, a Unitarian minister; lo} Describes Beginnings of Our Village and its Church Life Rev. Mr. Mason, another Unitarian minister; Mr. Sloat, whose daughter was for many years Librarian of the Winnetka Public library, Mr. Davis, Mr. Wilson, Mr. Wilder, Mr. Atwood, Mr. Artemus Carter, who was deeply interested in education and who was one of the master minds in every form of community activity, and his brother-in- law, Gilbert Hubbard. The first school taught in the village was a private school, in which the teacher received $3 a week. In 1859, District Number Two was organized and the public school was kept up for at least six months in the year. The teacher received $20 a month. One of the subjects insisted upon with energy was Colburn's: Mental Arith- metic, a subject not found at present in the course of study. Railroad Comes in 1854 The railroad was built through Win- netka in 1854, and trains were running on schedule time in 1855, making four stops between Chicago and Little Fork, or Waukegan, the northern terminus of the road. These stops were at Chitten- den, (now Calvary), Evanston, Win- netka and Fort Clinton (now Highland Park). For many years the little village did not grow rapidly. About 1857 a little building was erected on the corner of Elm and Maple streets by private sub- scription, on the land belonging to Mr. Peck; this was destined to play an im- portant part in the future life of the village. It was for the use of the Lib- eral Christian society, where services could be held, where various ministers of the Unitarian church, Mr. Collyer among them, preached when in the vil- lage, and where, when the district school was organized it was given a home. For almost ten years Mr. Peck was presi- dent "of the school trustees, until his removal from the village in 1866, and Mr.-Carter was a trustee until the school district ceased to exist and the village was organized. The Lady Elgin In this sylvan retreat there was no lack of "plain living and high thinking," no excuses offered when there was a call to duty. When the ill-fated Lady Elgin met with her disastrous end in September, 1860, and the victims were carried toward the shore on storm-tossed waves, every hand in the village was stretched out to give aid, every house was open to warm and cheer. those who were rescued, and ordinary citizens sud- denly rose to the rank of heroes by thier self-sacrifice in saving the lives of the helpless. Patriotism was not lacking, and when the call came for men, the son of Mr. Davis and the son of Mr. Wilson went OAK TERRACE LAUNDRY CLEANERS AND DYERS Wet Wash, 20 lbs. $1.00 Rough Dry, llc per Ib. This includes flat pieces ironed. Oak Terrace Laundry For information: Phone Highland Park 87 A When you think of elec- tric wiring think of this shop. --Myr. Electro-serve. E are assisting the folks who buy their electric home helps of us to get the full benefit of their purchases. We are ex- perienced electricians and we have shown a willing- ness to be of electrical assistance that is meeting with a very favorable trade etl "2 response. URL . 0" AN = . . - - »] . 3 & {0 elodo ¢ ny ala 3 ala - vo 4 vr LJ forth to give their service and their lives for liberty and union. In 1869 the village was organized. Mr. Artemus Carter was elected first president of the council and was re- elected at least four times in succession. Mr. Peck transferred the tract known as the Village Commons to the village for a park with the provision that no build- ing should stand on it, and the little chapel of the Liberal Christian society was moved to the corner of Cherry and Maple streets, and continued to serve the people as their place of worship. The village in the year 1868 had built a new school house. Mr. Wilson gave the use of the land on which the chapel stood as a memorial to his soldier son. It was not always easy to securc the services of a minister, nor to raise the money necessary to pay for his service. Sometimes some member of the society would read an appropriate selection. The use of the chapel was offered ireely to different denominations, and young men from Evanston occasionally preached there. It was the church of the vil- lage, often being accepted as such with- out any word to distinguish the denomi- nation of the person speaking. Rev. Jenkin Lloyd Jones spent the first year of his pastorate here. Here a Sunday school was maintained, to which all young people and children of the vil- lage were welcome without reference to their creed, and from the little chapel | ready for any weather. If you emanated the uplifting influence which are wise vou'll order vou 3 stimulated the spiritual life of the com- Are Wise You! Drdsr, your wins munity, and bound it together in broth- ter coal to-day. erhood and Christian activity. The little chapel was the home of the Congrega- tional church for many years, and when the new hcurch was built on Elm street, Telephone 1098 ' 1 i ALEC W. KYLE \Y @ Contradior " COALWOOD.FEED ra | TELEPHONE AND BUILDING MATERIAL eel "2 5" "HUBBARD WOODS. ILL GLENCOE, ILLINOIS | : : . the little chapel was needed for school purposes again and served a portion of the community until 1899. In 1901 it was pulled down and the lumber was used for the construction of a residence new on Willow street, and the home for many years of a re- spected citizen. All honor to the little chapel for all that it stood for in the pioneer com- munity, through its long life of useful- ness! It was severely plain, but it was enduring, and was a fitting altar for the broad Christian principles of the men and wome nwho lived for service and humanity and who still speak through the monuments they have left to pos- terity. === WOOD FOR YOUR FIRE PLACE A WELL FILLED BIN means a well warmed house, especially if the coal in it comes from here. The prudent man doesn't wait till frost comes to order his coal. 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