| Additional Information: | 2023 - The Church of God, affiliated with Pentecostal churches, was organized in Reedsburg in 1910, the first of its denomination in Wisconsin. Sarah Bishop, an ordained minister, was the first pastor. Though it is difficult to confirm, Sarah Bishop was one of the first female pastors in the state. The first, Olympia Brown, served the Universalist Church in Racine from the late 1860s to 1887, long before any other to do it, and was the first in the United States. The small congregation met in various halls and homes in the city until a chapel was built in 1920 and the basement was finished four years later. Sarah Bishop served as the minister until 1928. Bishop’s husband, E. E. Bishop, was a builder and contractor, who completed the chapel. He and other church members donated time, effort, and materials to complete it for a cost of $6,000. The small masonry building contains a hall, prayer meeting room, and balcony. An associated parsonage was constructed on Warren Avenue in 1945. In 1971, the congregation purchased land at 1225 N. Dewey Avenue on the north side of the city for a new church building. The new church was completed in 1980 and the old location sold. It served as a Norman Rockwell museum for some time.
A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Historic Preservation-Public History.
Three story tower with battlements; multi-pane windows; arched window and entry; stone window sills and heads.
The Church of God was organized in Reedsburg in 1910. Sarah Bishop, an ordained minister was the first pastor. They met in various halls in the city until a chapel was built.
E.E. Bishop, Sarah's husband, was the contractor and builder for the chapel. He and other church members donated time and materials to built it. The estimated cost was $6,000.00 Dimensions given when it was built were 34' x 36'. It contained a hall and prayer meeting room in the south with a 12' x 34' balcony above. It had a 325 person capacity. The seats were oak and the interior woodwork was white pine. Collins Monument of Reedsburg (now Whitney-Spellman Memorials and in a 1950s building) donated the cornerstone. The church today is in a new building at 1225 North Dewey Avenue.
Received National Register Questionnaire 11/06/15 |
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