Plymouth Congregational Church of

Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70, between the Kansas River, Kansas and Waka ...

is an affiliate of the

United Church of Christ The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Calvinist, Lutheran, and Anabaptist traditions, and with approximately 4 ...

that was established in 1854, months after the

Territory of Kansas The Territory of Kansas was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until January 29, 1861, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the free state of Kansas. T ...

was opened to settlement. The present-day church building, built in 1870, is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. The architect was

John G. Haskell John Gideon Haskell (February 5, 1832 – November 25, 1907) was an architect who designed portions of the Kansas State Capitol and other public buildings in the state. Haskell was born in Milton, Vermont. His father moved to Lawrence, Kansas i ...

who was among the architects of the

Kansas State Capitol The Kansas State Capitol, known also as the Kansas Statehouse, is the building housing the executive and legislative branches of government for the U.S. state of Kansas. Located in the city of Topeka, which has served as the capital of Kansas sin ...

History

The Territory of Kansas was opened to settlement by the

Kansas–Nebraska Act The Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854 () was a territorial organic act that created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska. It was drafted by Democratic Senator Stephen A. Douglas, passed by the 33rd United States Congress, and signed into law by ...

on May 30, 1854. Reverend Samuel Y. Lum of Middletown, New York was sent by the American Home Missionary Society to establish what was to become the first church in the new city of

Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...

and the entire

Kansas Territory The Territory of Kansas was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until January 29, 1861, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the United States, Union as the Slave and ...

. Prior to his arrival, sermon readings were conducted by

laymen In religious organizations, the laity () consists of all members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non-ordained members of religious orders, e.g. a nun or a lay brother. In both religious and wider secular usage, a layperson ...

. The first service of Plymouth Congregational Church was held by Lum on October 1, 1854 in a

mudbrick A mudbrick or mud-brick is an air-dried brick, made of a mixture of loam, mud, sand and water mixed with a binding material such as rice husks or straw. Mudbricks are known from 9000 BCE, though since 4000 BCE, bricks have also bee ...

boarding house, also called the "hay tent," with settlers who had come from

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

. Reverend

Richard Cordley Richard Cordley (September 6, 1829 – July 11, 1904) was a Protestant minister and abolitionist associated with the Jayhawkers of Kansas. Known primarily as the pastor of Plymouth Congregational Church in Lawrence, Kansas in the 19th and early ...

became pastor in 1857, when the congregation moved into its first permanent building, called the "Stone Church," though it was not completed until 1862. Cordley was an

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

and supported the free state movement. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, several members were killed by pro-

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

forces led by

William Quantrill William Clarke Quantrill (July 31, 1837 – June 6, 1865) was a Confederate guerrilla leader during the American Civil War. Having endured a tempestuous childhood before later becoming a schoolteacher, Quantrill joined a group of bandits who ...

in the

Lawrence Massacre The Lawrence Massacre, also known as Quantrill's Raid, was an attack during the American Civil War (186165) by Quantrill's Raiders, a Confederate guerrilla group led by William Quantrill, on the Unionist town of Lawrence, Kansas, killing aro ...

of 1863. Cordley's home was burned, but the church building survived without damage. Cordley was influential in documenting such events in the early settlement of Kansas.

The Brick Church

The present-day building, also called "The Brick Church," was designed by architect John G. Haskell, who also worked on other churches, schools, and the Kansas State Courthouse. Construction began in 1868 and was completed in May 1870 at a cost of $45,000. The sanctuary windows were made in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Services have been held regularly in the building since 1870. In 1916, the "Parish House" was added to the structure under then-Pastor Noble Elderkin. It was damaged by fire in 1955, but rebuilt and expanded. Additional

renovation Renovation (also called remodeling) is the process of improving broken, damaged, or outdated structures. Renovations are typically done on either commercial or residential buildings. Additionally, renovation can refer to making something new, ...

work was carried out to different parts of the church in 1992 and 2001. On July 16, 2009, the building was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places by the

Kansas Historical Society The Kansas Historical Society is the official state historical society of Kansas. Headquartered in Topeka, it operates as "the trustee of the state" for the purpose of maintaining the state's history and operates the Kansas Museum of History, Kan ...

. It was listed on the

on September 2, 2009. The building's architectural style is described as "an eclectic Victorian-era church building with

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

and

Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...

characteristics."

Notable members

Barbara Ballard Barbara W. Ballard (born November 14, 1944) is a Democratic member of the Kansas House of Representatives, representing the 44th district. Born in Petersburg, Virginia, she has served since 1993. Prior to her election to the House, Ballard ser ...

- Member of the Kansas House of Representatives since 1993. * Paul Davis - Member of the Kansas House of Representatives from 2009 to 2015. Democratic candidate in 2014 Kansas gubernatorial election. *

Tom Holland Thomas Stanley Holland (born 1 June 1996) is an English actor. His accolades include a British Academy Film Award, three Saturn Awards, a Guinness World Record and an appearance on the ''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 Europe list. Some publications h ...

- Member of the Kansas senate since 2009. Democratic candidate in 2010 Kansas gubernatorial election. *

Alan Mulally Alan Roger Mulally (born August 4, 1945) is an American aerospace engineer and manufacturing executive. He is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of the Ford Motor Company. He retired from Ford Motor Company on July 1, 2014. Ford ...

– The president of the

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...

called the late Rev. Dale Turner "a mentor and an inspiration." Turner, who later moved to the University Congregational United Church of Christ in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

, stayed in contact with Mulally, who also moved to the city to work at

Boeing The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product ...

References

External links

{{commonscat, Plymouth Congregational Church (Lawrence, Kansas)
Plymouth Congregational Church website

by Richard Cordley, D.D. (1865)

by Richard Cordley, D.D. (1895)

by Richard Cordley, D.D. (1903) 1854 establishments in Kansas Territory 19th-century churches in the United States Churches completed in 1870 Churches in Lawrence, Kansas Congregational churches in Kansas Religious organizations established in 1854 United Church of Christ churches in Kansas

History

The Brick Church

Notable members

See also

References

External links