Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1909-09-29
CHURCH ALTERATIONS
ARE NOW COMPLETED
Extensive improvements In Con-
gregational Edifice.
Have Been in Progress Three Months.
First Church Services During
That Period, Last Sunday.

progress In the First congregational |
church of this city for the past three
months, were all completed last week, |
and the first services for that period
were held In the church last Sunday
morning.
The alterations have been of an
extensive character and the expense
has been approximately So. 800. Those
who saw the interior of the church
Sunday for the first time since the
alteration work began, were greatly
surprised at the metamorphosis that
has taken place, and none could fail
to find cause for appreciation in the
change
The auditorium of the church has
not been Iemodeled to any great ex-
tent. A new steel ceiling of modern
design has been put in; the pulpit
platform has been widened and ex-
tended in a manner which places the
seating accommodations for the choir
on the same level as the balance of
the platform. The pews and all of
the woodwork have been re6nished; a
new pulpit desk, presented by the
pastor, has been installed and an at
tractive new carpet laid throughout
the auditorium.
In the lecture room. between the
auditorium and the vestib ule, the
stairway at the south end of the
room, formerly leading to the gallery,
has been removed, and in its place
is a broad, open stairway leading
down to the new basement rooms.
The lecture room has been frightened
up and the floors covered with a
new and handsome linoleum.
The gallery is now reached by a
closed stairway at the north end of
the room.
The basement rooms are entirely
new. Heretofore there was only a
hole under the church, doing duty as
a basement, in which fuel was stored
and inconveniently handled for the
heating plant. Now a we'll lighted,
we'll ventilated handsome and com
modious suite of rooms exist, equipped
with all necessary conveniences for
all kinds of church occasions.
The stairway from the lecture room
leads to the large central room 38x3S
feet in size, with hard pine floor and
steel ceiling, while along two sides.
the full length of the room are nicely
finished bench seats overlapping the
concrete enforcement of the outer
walls. This large room will serve
a multiplicity of purposes. 1t will
be used for Sunday school and
Christian Endeavor meetings and upon
social occasions Will be used as
dining room, its capacity being such
that a large number of people can be
served promptly and comfortably.
At tn west end of the large room is
a commodious cloak room, with toilet
rooms adjoining. On the east end is
& good sized kitchen, 1890 equipped
with cupboards, stoves, sinks. etc,
for culinary purposes.
The electric lighting equipment
will be changed for the use of the
new Tungsten lights which will take
the place of those now in use. The
wall decoration is artistic and Of new
design being the work of John S.
HalIene, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Aside
from the decorating and carpeting the
entire work of remodelIng the edifice
has been under the direction of
BROKER Bros, who took the contract
for the same.
The re-opening of the church last
Sunday marked the beginning OF the
fourth year s passionate of this church
by Rev. w. 81. Hannaford. While
the alterations have been of an ex-
tenisve character and the expense
heavy. no pHbilc appeals for funds
was made and none will be made,
although any voluntary contributions
to assist in defraying the expense
will be thankfully accepted
The first Congregational church |
of Lancaster was organized as a
Presbyterian church at meeting held
in the court house on the 21st of May. |
1S43, by Rev. j. d. Stevens, who was
then preaching at Prairie du Chen.
At a meeting of the church held at
the home of J. T. Mills, March IL, |
1S49. it was voted unanimously to
adopt the Congregational form of
church government. and at this date
the church begins ito history as the
First Congregational church of Ian
caster. The original members. seven
in number, were: Daniel McAuley, |
Mrs Msrgaret McAuley, Joseph L.
Mills, Mrs. Rebecca w. Mills, Dexter