This was the Congregational church that was at 410 W. Willow and built in 1900. It was the second Congregational church at that site, the original was a frame structure that was built in 1873. In 1930 because of a decline in the membership it was leased to the Bethlehem Lutheran congregation and they would later purchase the building in 1939. It was razed in 1967 after the new Bethlehem Lutheran church was built in NE Cherokee and the site became home to the current United States Post Office.
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First Baptist Church – G.A.R. Hall – Seventh Day Adventist Church
This building that now rests at 110 Union Street is one of the oldest and most venerable buildings in the City of Cherokee, Iowa. It didn’t always reside there. It was erected at 118 E. Willow Street in 1873 and the first services were conducted in September of that year. It would be the first of three Baptist churches at that location. The Baptist congregation formed in New Cherokee in 1870 and met in private homes or community buildings until their Church was completed. It served the congregation for sixteen years until their numbers outgrew the Church and a decision was made to build a larger church on the same site. Consequently, in 1889 the original church was a moved a short distance east to the corner of Willow and 1st Streets so construction could begin on the new church (1890-1944, non-extant). However the Willow and 1st Street location was short lived as the building was soon moved across Railroad Creek to its current location on Union Street. The First Baptist congregation continued to worship in the original building while their new and much larger and steepled church was being built. With the opening of the new First Baptist Church on East Willow Street the ownership of the original church passed to the City of Cherokee. Records are somewhat conflicted on this however as some early newspaper reports indicate that the Church was sold for $250.00 to the G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic – an organization of Union Civil War veterans). Perhaps the City owned the lot and the G.A.R. the building. Or perhaps the City merely leased the building to the G.A.R. A property transfer search shows that the lot at 110 Union Street was sold by the IRR Land Company to T. Faus on August 20, 1884. The next record is Thomas W. Faus & wife to the City of Cherokee on October 4, 1900. The next record was City of Cherokee to Seventh Day Adventist on November 7, 1938 and the final record Seventh Day Adventist to Connie Hankens on October 8, 2010. The G.A.R. apparently used the building as its meeting hall from 1890 until sometime in mid 1930’s when the last of the Civil War veterans had passed away. Also, the building was used by the City as the Third Ward polling place for over 40 years. A September 21, 1938 article in a Cherokee newspaper noted “that Mayor James A. McDonald had announced that the building would be torn down as it was no longer safe.” The mayor said “that the frame wooden structure, mounted on piling along the north bank of Railroad Creek had been undermined by years of high water and its foundations had rotted.” In addition he stated “that the cost of heating the building was prohibitive.” However, a week later on September 29, 1938 another newspaper article reported that “One of Cherokee’s oldest buildings, a city landmark, was sold to G. G. Morey for $251.00 at a special meeting of the city council. Mr. Morey received permission to leave the building at its location on Union Street until June 1, 1939, with the understanding that the council is no longer responsible for it.” Mr. Morey was apparently the buyer for the Seventh Day Adventist. Sometime thereafter the building was raised up and a new basement foundation was constructed. The building was then home to the Seventh Day Adventist Church for many years however it should be noted that several congregations also leased time for services in the Church during these years. One of these would again be the First Baptist congregation that used the Church from 1944 when there second church was demolished until 1953 when their third church was built. |