Trinity Episcopal Church reaches
big milestone – 150 years
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[June 17, 2021]
In this year of 2021, Trinity Episcopal Church in Lincoln is
observing a big one, the church is marking its 150th anniversary.
The church is a parish that is part of the Springfield diocese, the
Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church
history reads, “We have been part of the Lincoln life since the
1800s; in fact, our church building is over 100 years old. Many of
our members are well known in Lincoln as people who give themselves
to make Lincoln and Logan County a special place to live.”
Lawrence Stringer provides some background on the early years of the
church in his book History of Logan County, Illinois. “The Trinity
Church parish of the Episcopal Church in Lincoln, dates from July 3,
1871. At this date, a meeting of those interested was held in the
Universalist church on Kickapoo.”
Stringer said that initially, “services were held in Gillett’s Hall,
a temporary chancel having been erected for that purpose.” In the
fall of 1871, Judge Stephan Foley donated four lots on the corner of
Kankakee and Kickapoo. Father Christopher Simpson, the church’s
current rector, said the church’s first building erected in 1873 was
a small wooden structure.
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The cornerstone of the current church was laid in 1905. This
building is described by Stringer as “a handsome structure of Gothic
design, constructed of red cinder brick, trimmed extensively with
Bedford stone.
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It has several memorial windows and is artistically decorated.”
The building also has a nave, recessed chancel and two wings. The
estimated cost of the building was $20,000.
For the church’s 150th anniversary, Father Simpson shared more
history of the church and its additions.
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An organ was installed in 1925. Father Simpson says the
console/keyboard was replaced in 1969, but the organ pipes are the
same.
Long-time community and church member Bill Gossett remembers that
years ago, someone came to fix the organ and took it all apart.
Gossett said he and other church members helped clean the pipes.
Though the main building is over 100 years old, there have been
additions to the church over the years. For example, Father Simpson
said in 1951 the "undercroft" (the basement) was excavated under the
main church building. Trinity celebrated its 70th anniversary on
Trinity Sunday that year in the new undercroft.
![](../images/061721PIX/DSCN1176_small.JPG)
In 1971, a century after Trinity was founded, Berger Hall, the
current side addition, was built.
Gossett said church members hosted a hog roast to raise funds for
Berger Hall. He recalls several members spending a whole night
roasting and preparing the hog.
Other improvements over the years have been provided through
donations of various church members. These include landscaping, a
yard light, a new roof, new furnace, carpeting in the chapel and
blue kneeling cushions. A stained-glass window installed in 1965 was
given in memory of a church member and depicts the “Wedding Feast at
Canna.”
Father Simpson has been the full-time rector since June 1, 2020, and
is the twenty fourth rector to serve at Trinity. The Parish was
without a rector for the first two years. During this period,
occasional services were held by Father F.M. Gregg of the Saint Paul
Church in Springfield and the Right Reverend Whitehouse of Chicago.
For the first twenty years, Father Simpson said the church was
sometimes without a regular rector. During those times, visiting
clergymen would hold services.
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However, Father Simpson says, over the years, several rectors from
Trinity have gone on to be influential in the diocese. For example,
the Right Rev John Chandler White, who was rector at Trinity from
1916 to 1924, went on to be the bishop of the Diocese of Springfield
from 1924 to 1947. The Rev Canon William Berger, Trinity's Rector
from 1950 to 1968, served as president of the diocesan standing
committee for many years. The Rev Canon Mark Evans, Trinity's Rector
from 2011 to 2020, is currently the "Canon to the Ordinary"--the
"right hand man" to the Bishop.
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Rectors - Trinity Episcopal Church - Lincoln, Illinois
Name and term
Rev. William Wilson
1873 – 1874
Rev. George M. Higgins
1874 – 1875
Rev. Joseph E. Martin
1877-1880
Rev. William Wilson
1881 – 1882
Rev. J. E. Hall
1882 – 1884
Rev. Nelson Ayres
1887 – 1890
Rev. Weymus Smith
1890 – 1894
Rev. Charles W. Hadden
1895 – 1896
Rev. Charles E. Cabaniss
1896 – 1902
Rev. William Nehemiah Wyckoff
1903 – 1912
Rev. John Chandler White
1913 – 1924
Rev. Everett Alfred Moore
1924 – 1927
Rev. John A. Betcher
1928 – 1938
Rev. William E. Ashburn
1939 – 1940
Rev. Arthur L. Bice
1940 – 1944
Rev. Ira A. England
1944 – 1949
Rev. William Edward Berger
1950 – 1968
Rev. Edward Maxwell Story
1968 – 1971
Rev. Laurence Larson
1971 – 1977
Rev. Jerry L. Miller
1978 – 1981
Rev. William E. Turner
1982 – 1995
Rev. James o. Cravens
1996 – 2010
Rev. Mark E. Evans
2011 – 2020
Rev. Dr. Christopher Ben Simpson
2020 – current
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Bishops - Episcopal Diocese of Springfield
Name, term, deceased
George Franklin Seymour
1878-1906
1906
Charles Reuben Hale
Assistant Bishop “Bishop of Cairo”
1892-1900
1900
Edward William Osborne
Coadjutor
1904-05
1904-1916
1926
Granville Hudson Sherwood
1917-1923
1923
John Chandler Whire
1924-1947
1956
Richard Tuttle Loring
1947-1948
1948
Charles Asa Clough
1948-1961
1961
Albert Arthur Chambers
1962 – 1972
1993
Albert William Hillestad
1972-1981
2007
Donald Maynard Hultstrand
1982-1991
20l9
Peter Hess Beckwith
1992-2010
Daniel Hayden Martins
(Consecrated 3-19-11)
2011- current
Gossett has been a member of the church since around 1940. He
remembers having the small rectory and the small parish made it hard
to find someone but said dedicated men have served the church
throughout the years.
Over the years, Gossett said Trinity Episcopal Church has been
recognized as a small but mighty group and tight knit church who
took care of its own.
Bob Field, another long-time church member, recalls a booklet on the
history of the church being given to members on the 100th
anniversary of the church in 1971.
Written by Dorothy Moore Parker, the booklet talks about the rectors
who served during the first 100 years of the church, the building of
the current church and various additions over the years. Parker
said, “on Sunday, August 15, 1971 a groundbreaking ceremony for
$110,000 parish hall addition followed immediately after the 9:30
Eucharist.”
In the booklet, Parker also describes the church’s 75th anniversary
held in 1946. Parker said, “festivities included the regular 7:30
a.m. celebration of mass, a festival mass at 10:30 a.m. and all
Parish picnic and anniversary program afterward.”
![](../images/061721PIX/trinity%20celebration%20meal%20%20(edited-Pixlr)_small.jpg)
To mark the church’s 150th anniversary a special worship service and
meal were held Sunday, May 30.
With its rich history and strengths in the community, Trinity
Episcopal Church will undoubtedly have many more years to look
forward to.
[Angela Reiners with photos by Reiners and Jan Youngquist] |