The first settlers to arrive in Hickory Grove brought a few essentials with them. Not the least of these was their faith. Which religion was first, is dicey. Jeptha Noe and John Randall held services in the Noe log cabin; the minister was Reverend R.L. Walker. Rev. Walker was a Methodist traveling minister; he preached on the Light House Circuit. Hickory Grove was added to the circuit in 1843. John and Mary McConaughy were leading religious education in their home by the early 1850s. The McConaughys were devout Presbyterians. In 1853 religious services were held in an empty railcar parked on a spur of the Northwestern Railroad near the old Patterson’s Lumber Building on Washington Street. The railcar could not be considered the first church in the community because it was a shared facility. The Presbyterians, Methodists and Universalists, amongst others, each utilized the railcar for their services. The first structure erected for the purposes of a specific religious group was the Presbyterian Church and this is a brief history of that, Rochelle’s first church.
The story of the Presbyterian Church begins with John and Mary McConaughy. The McConaughys moved to Hickory Grove in 1852. John had graduated from a theological seminary and served as a Presbyterian minister until his voice failed him. John later became a medical doctor and a grain dealer; his faith, though, never left him. Mary taught religion classes and the family held services in their home. John traveled to Chicago and approached the Presbytery about forming a church community in Hickory Grove. Reverend A.C. Miller, George Goodhue, and John Usticki of Chicago joined John McConaughy of Hickory Grove and formed the First Presbyterian Church of Rochelle. Charter members of the new church included Col. James Brice, Ms. Rebecca Adams, Ms. Nancy Parke, Ms. Harriett Porter, Ms. Abigail Jinks, Ms. Martha Jinks, Dr. J.M. McConaughy, and Ms. Mary McConaughy. Rev. A.C. Miller served the local community as the first-year minister. The first to join the church after the charter members organized were Henry and Jane Breen and the Presbyterian congregation was on its way.
Rev. A.N. Evans was established as the first pastor and in 1857 set upon construction of the first permanent house of worship. Col. Brice donated land at the corner of Sixth Street and Fifth Avenue. The First Presbyterian Church finished construction in 1858 for $3,000. This was the first church erected in Hickory Grove, three years before we became Lane, and seven years before we were known as Rochelle. Sadly in 1858 the church community was literally struck with disaster. Rev. Evans died when he was struck by lightning walking from the church to his residence.
Rev. Israel Brundage served as pastor in 1874 when the first church was sold to The Rochelle Universalist Society. The building was moved to Sixth Street and Fifth Avenue. The Presbyterians erected their new church on the same corner which had held the first church, Sixth Street and Fifth Avenue. The new church was a wooden structure with a very tall bell tower. On the north side of the church was a long line of hitching posts for the church members to secure their horses and buggies. One of the big draws for the Presbyterian Church was their acceptance of other denominations. If your faith did not offer a weekly meeting place you were welcome to worship with the Presbyterians. God’s home had room for everyone.
The ladies of the Presbyterian Church established the Rochelle Woman’s Missionary Society in 1876 with charter members Ms. Elizabeth Holcomb, Susan Brundage, Gertrude Bain, and Ms. A.C. Hall.
Over the years the church was remodeled many times both inside and out. The large bell tower was removed and in 1950 a large two-story educational building was added to the south side of the church. The church building was severely damaged by a windstorm in 1959 and required extensive repair and reinforcing. The second church served from 1874 through 1970, just shy of 100 years. Time and growth had caught up with the church and location. Sixth Street and Fifth Avenue lacked room for growth and parking.
The Presbyterian congregation chose to erect their third church. The May family donated land at 1100 Calvin Road and construction began in 1967 with completion in 1968. The first church was constructed in 1858, and the congregation has been a vibrant asset to the community since.
Tom McDermott is a Flagg Township Museum historian and Rochelle city councilman.
