Salem Lutheran Church Records (Sycamore)

Collection

Identifier: RHC-RC-321

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Records from the Salem Lutheran Church date from its organization in 1870 to the present, although the bulk of the material dates from 1967 to 2000.

Dates

created: 1870-2013

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions on access to the collection.

Conditions Governing Use

Property rights belong to the Regional History Center; literary rights are dedicated to the public.

Biographical or Historical Information

The Salem Lutheran Church was organized as the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sycamore Illinois on April 14, 1870 by 50 charter members. Celebrated opera singer Christina Nilsson, “The Swedish Nightingale,” visited Sycamore on Christmas Day, 1870. The proceeds of her two concerts helped to fund the first church building, built in 1871, dedicated April 28 1874, and used until 1896. The second church was built at Somonauk and Charles Street. The cornerstone was set July 9, 1896. The building, designed by architect E. J. Peterson of Englewood, IL, was dedicated on February 28, 1897 and was used until Salem Lutheran undertook a massive building project that culminated in the third, and current, church building. Designed by noted church architect Harold E. Wagoner (1905-1986), the building, located at 1145 DeKalb Avenue, has been in use since 1970.

Note written by

Extent

33.75 Linear Feet

17 digital files (1.22 GB) other_unmapped

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement Note

The collection is divided into eight series: Historical and Administrative Records, Membership, Committees, Financial Records, Building Fund / Construction, Church Organization, Audio-Visual, and Oversize. Series I, Historical and Administrative Records, consists of historical documentation, church registers, church correspondence (1967-1995), congregational meeting records (1957-1967), worship bulletins (1957-2010), annual reports (1966-2008), and pastor’s sermon notes and records. All of the volumes in Boxes 1-6 of Series I are digitized. Disc 1 contains Church Register Book #1, 1871-1928, Original Constitution and First Minutes, 1870-1900, Minutes of Congregational Meetings, 1901-1913, History of Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church, April, 1895, New Members, 1896, Trustee Minutes 1914-1926, Trustee Minutes 1937-1939, Attendance Ledger, 1878-1905, Minutes of Swedish Evangelical Lutheran 1861-1887 Translation, 1970, Minutes of Swedish Evangelical Lutheran 1888-1900 Translation, 1970, Minutes, 1923-1942, and Records from Minutes, 1923-1942. Disc 2 is made up of Membership Record Book #2, 1870-1886, Ministerial Records Book #4, 1907-1952, Record of Ministerial Acts, 1953-1969, and Parish Register, 1968-1997. Ministerial Records Book #3, 1886-1906 is on Disc 3. Series II, Membership, includes membership lists and directories, rolls and registers. Series III, Committees, is arranged alphabetically. It also includes library, Sunday School, and Vacation Church School records. Financial Records, in Series IV, includes financial ledgers and journals, treasurer’s reports, pledge information, and church secretary minutes. Series V, Building Fund/Construction includes construction information for the church and parsonage, records from the second church building, Building Plan Committee records, materials on church interiors, fixtures, and furnishings, as well as architect’s correspondence (1965-1973). Series VI, Church Organizations, includes records from Ladies Circle, Ladies Aid Society, Lutheran Church Women (LCW), and Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (WELCA) and consists of minutes and financial information which document their activities. DVDs and VHS tapes comprise Series VII.