The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1909-07-17
QUINN CHAPEL
cHIcAGo's OLDEST AFRo.AMERI.
CAN CHURCH.
History Of the Church From it's lncep.
ton in 1874, all Through it's Varied
Triumphs and vicissitudes to the
Occupancy of the Beautiful New
Church of 1894.


hut in the alley near State St., be-
tween Lake and Randolph streets. a
plain but devout Afro American named
John Day. A few Afro-Americans used
to congregate at Days house to hold
prayer meetings. This house becom-
ing too small, the meetings were re-
moved to the house OF Maria Parker
who lived adjoining Days. Maria
Parker had daughter, Mrs. Anna Full.
ton, the Oldest member of Quinn chap
Ell now living. In 1845, the prayer
meeting assembly having grown to the
proportions of religious society, they
moved from the house of Mother Park
er as she was called, into the school
house on Madison street a few doors
from State street. In 1916 Madison
Patterson, an exhorter, took the lead
ership Of the society having as his
assistant A. T. Hall; barber, then
journeyman in the shop, of the we'll
known Oliver Henderson of Chicago.
Madison Patterson took the society to
| his house on State street. near Van
Buren, street, where class and prayer
! meetings we1e held till they purchased
| one-half of the white Baptist church
30x50 feet located on the corner of
LaSalle and Washington Sts., which
they hauled on to lot on the east side
of Wells street, now Fifth avenue be-
tween Jackson and Van Buren, streets.
In 1S47 William Paul Quinn then
bishop of the African Methodist Epis-
copal church sent the Rev. George
Johnson a missionary from the New
York annual conference who, with
the assistance of Phillip Ward, July
22d, 1S47, organized the society under
the discipline of the African M. E.
Church and called it Quinn Chapel.
There were seven members who form.
ed the organization as follows: Rachel
Day, John Day, Adelia Lucas, Mary
Jane Randall, A. t. Hall, Maria Moose |
and Edward GorGon. Frank Scri2s !
was the appointed class-leader. Annie J
Lewis, Anna Scrips, Virginia Camp
bell. and Virginia Dixon joined i'm /
mediately after the organization. |
The first trustees were William Ran
dali, Edward Gordon, Isaiah Parker,
John Day, John Rollins, William Lucas
and John Farnsworth.
The Quinn Chapel society was the |
second Methodist church in Chicago.
At that date there were St. Mary's
Cathedral on Madison street, the First
Cathedral on Washington
St., and the First Baptist church on
Wabash avenue, and Thirty-first street.
The Rev. A. T. Hall was the first
class leader Of the Quinn Chapel So
ciety and was the first Afro-American
licensed to preach in Chicago He is
now the oldest travelling minister in
the Iowa conference of the A. M. E
Church.
The first pastor, September 1S47-
184S, was the Rev. Thomas Farms
worth. the second 1848-1S5O was the
Rev. Aaron Parker, the third 1S50-1851 4
was the Rev. Elisha Weaver Weaver
being removed, the Rev. A. t. Hall,
filled the unexpired term, when he be-
came the fourth pastor 1851-1852, seSv.
ing two years; the fifth pastor 1852.
1884 was the Rev. J. A. Warren.
Under the Rev. Warrens administra.
ton the society purchased the lot on
the Southwest corner of Jackson street
and Fourth avenue, now Custom House
Place, occupied by the magnificent
Monadnock building. They moved
from the Wells street lot to this To-
cation in 1854, where they had erected
new house which was dedicated
and paid for the same day. The
trustees at this time were John Lucas.
William Sparrow, John Collins, Isaiah
Baker, A. T. Hail. The Rev. Bird Park
er, an able preacher, was employed
to travel and collect funds to pay for
the church property. The sixth pas
tor 1854-1S55 was the Rev. William
Davis, the seventh pastor 1855-1857
was the Rev. Elisha Weber, the
eighth pastor 1S57-1S5S was the Rev.
M. M. Clark; the ninth pastor, 1860
1851 was the Rev. Willis R. Revels;
the tenth pastor, 1861-1S62 was the
Rev. VIM A. Dove; the eleventh pas
tor, 1S62-1S64 was the Rev. Chas.
Birch; the twelfth pastor 1S64-1866 was
the Rev. A. T.. Hall; the thirteenth
pastor; 1866-1868, was Rev. VIM. G
Trevan; the fourteenth pastor, 1868
1869, was the Rev. Amos Mcintosh;
the fifteenth pastor, 1869-1S70 was the
Rev. VIM. S. Langford; the sixteenth
pastor, 1870-1871 was the Rev. VIM. G
Trevan.
On Oct. 9th the noted Chicago fire I
destroyed the Quinn Chapel building |
on Jackson street and Fourth avenue |
(Custom House Place. when, under
the leadership of Elder VIM. G. Trevan !
they mortgaged the lot for 1000 and !
purchased the old Taylor Building on
Fourth avenue (Custom House Place) |
between Taylor and Twelfth streets, |
where they worshiped until the fire !
of July Is, 1873, when they were again
burned out. Then they occupied i
Union Hall corner Clark and Monroe
streets, remaining there till they NOV
ed into an old store on the east side |
of Third avenue south of Van Buren,
street. Having mortgaged the Fourth
avenue CCustom House Place. and
Jackson street lot they were compelled
to sell it. With the proceeds they pur-
chased lot on Fourth avenue Gus
tom House Place. near Van Buren,
street. The seventeenth pastor 1871
1874 was the Rev. G. G. Booth. In
1875 the corner stone of the new brick
building on Fourth avenue (Custom
House Place. was laid during the adj
ministration of the eighteenth pastor,
1875-1S76, the Rev. 3. G. Joiner. The
building committee consisted Of II. A.
Bartlett, M. M. Lucas, c. H. Jackson,
and Rev. E. c. Joiner, pastor. The
nineteenth pastor, 1877-1880 was Rev.
G. C. Booth, second term; the TWEEN
tieth pastor, 1880-1884 was the Rev.
Geo. H. Shaffer; the twenty-irst pas
! tor, 1S84-1889 was the Rev. T. w. Hen
| derson; the twenty-second, 1889-1893,
j. T. Jenifer The changes on Fourth
avenue Custom House Place. caused
| by business and other interests have
1 L. Il