First Congregational Church

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Congregationalists living in La Grange sent a call to Reverend J. C. Armstrong of the Lyonsville Congregational Church in 1881, asking him to aid them in the formation of their own church. A group of 17 charter members acted quickly and built a $4,000 wooden building at the southeast corner of Cossitt and Fifth Avenues (where the Methodists originally had planned to build a church). The first board of directors included Franklin Cossitt, Samuel Vial, P. G. Gardner -- one of the early Village trustees, and W. G. Little, La Grange's first police chief.

Charles H. Vial, grandson of Samuel, reminisced about these men and times in a talk he gave on March 13, 1966 -- the 85^th anniversary of the church. His speech formed part of the dedication of the Founders' Room, remodeled to honor the pioneers of the church.

"This will be an old man's recollections of events that stuck in a boy's mind 65 years ago."

"The Moreys, Gardners, Cossitts, Sacketts, Mrs. Bigelow, grandfather Vial, and Aunt Sarah North (La Grange's first school teacher) were all active in the church during my early years. I also knew Dr. Armstrong, the former minister of Lyonsville who assisted in organizing this church and served as its first pastor."

Vial described Armstrong's Civil War service with the 91^st Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and his decision to leave the farm he had bought after the war to become a minister.

"Shortly after the Chicago fire of 1871," Vial continued, "the Armstrongs, with their two small children, moved to Chicago. Mr. Armstrong enrolled at the Chicago Theological Seminary. To support his family he became pastor of "Others included the M. J. Carpenters, the James Kidstons and E. T. Merrill who was associate editor of The Advance, the Congregational periodical of the midwest. . . . For more than 40 years Miss Effie Hill was superintendent of the primary department.

"... I recall James Craigmile . . . the Burkholders, Blakelidges, McKays, Colonel Dan Munn, the Mavors, Nelson Clarks, Maxwells, Heppes, Iversons, Knies, Whitsons, the Evanses, Llewellyns, R. M. Johnson, the Nicholses, Thomases, Watsons, and many, many more. These and other hundreds of members laid deep and firm the foundation of this church. They gave liberally of their time, their faith, their energy, their wisdom, and their substance to form the great heritage that is ours."

Other highlights in this church's history included:

raising $100,000 above the regular budget in 1919-20 for benevolent projects
rebuilding the chancel in 1937
constructing of a parish house in 1950

The 50^th anniversary in 1931 saw 50 new members received into the church. Stained glass windows were installed in the Chapel of the Beatitudes in 1955. In 1978, the pastor, Reverend John E. Biegert, announced installation of a new pipe organ and a total membership of 1,329.

The photograph is from La Grange Centennial History 1879-1979

Several sources were used in the compilation of these entries including but not limited to:

Images of America -- La Grange and La Grange Park, Illinois by RoseAnna and Robert Mueller, Arcadia Publishing
La Grange Centennial History 1879-1979, William J Cromie, Editor, La Grange Area Historical Society, 1979

Last Modified: 07/28/2002