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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are pleased to congratulate the First
4Presbyterian Church of Vandalia on its long and storied
5history; and
 
6    WHEREAS, In 1823, the Illinois General Assembly donated 5
7lots to the City of Vandalia so that the capital city could
8have a church; Vandalia city leaders sold 4 of the lots and
9built the little House of Divine Worship on the 5th lot with
10the remaining money; and
 
11    WHEREAS, The American Home Missionary Society sent the
12Reverend Solomon P. Hardy to organize the new church; the first
13members of the church included Jeremiah Abbott, his wife,
14Betsy, Mrs. Ruth Russell, Mrs. Amy Davidson, and Mrs. Martha
15Gorin on certificate; Mr. Samuel Russell and Miss Ruth Russell
16were on examination; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Following the completion of the House of Divine
18Worship, all people were invited to worship there, although it
19was used primarily by Presbyterians and Methodists; the House
20of Divine Worship was also used as a school; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Many important government officials and

 

 

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1outstanding members of the community were members of the House
2of Divine Worship of Vandalia and it is believed that Abraham
3Lincoln worshipped there; and
 
4    WHEREAS, One of the most revered artifacts of the early
5Presbyterian Church and Vandalia was donated to the church
6after a Philadelphia department store owner and extensive land
7owner, Romulus Riggs, read an article about the poor little
8Presbyterian Church way out in the Wilderness Capital of
9Illinois; Mr. Riggs sent a bell in honor of his newly-born
10daughter, who was named Illinois; and
 
11    WHEREAS, In 1837, legislators voted to move the capital to
12Springfield; since Vandalia was built as the seat of the State
13government in 1839, many Vandalia citizens moved to
14Springfield, which caused the population to drop greatly; as a
15result, the church's membership dropped to 5 people; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Five people could not support the House of Divine
17Worship; therefore, the church was rented to a farmer who
18raised sheep on the premises until 1848, when it was
19reestablished by Reverend Joseph Gordon; and
 
20    WHEREAS, In the early 1860s, a maiden lady of the church
21passed away and left $800 in her will to the church, requesting
22that the money be used to build a new church; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, In 1867, the House of Divine Worship land was
2purchased for $500 by the trustees of the Presbyterian Church,
3which included Trustee James Hall, who is known as the first
4man of letters in Illinois; and
 
5    WHEREAS, The women of the church hosted strawberry
6festivals to raise money and with the help of Matthias Fehren's
7donation of $4,000, Fred Remann, Sr.'s donation of $3.000, and
8Dr. J. N. and Calvin McCord's donation of $1,000, the new
9Presbyterian church was built on the corner of Main St. and 3rd
10St. at a cost of $15,000; and
 
11    WHEREAS, The House of Divine Worship was moved to the back
12of the lot during construction and was later sold to the First
13Christian Church; and
 
14    WHEREAS, After the First Christian Church built a new
15church, the House of Divine Worship became a private residence;
16and
 
17    WHEREAS, In 1970, the Presbyterians built a new church;
18Historical Vandalia, Inc. purchased the old building, with
19plans to open a museum on the first floor; on June 10, 1979,
20the Fayette County Museum was opened to the public for the
21first time; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, In March of 1982, the old Presbyterian Church
2building joined the National Register of Historic Places; and
 
3    WHEREAS, The Fayette County Museum is now one of Vandalia's
4major tourist attractions; the museum is staffed by volunteers
5and operates on donations; each year, thousands of school
6children and tourists have the opportunity to view artifacts
7dating back to the days when Vandalia was the capital of
8Illinois from 1820 to 1839; therefore, be it
 
9    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
10NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
11we congratulate the Vandalia Presbyterian Church on its
12enriching role in Illinois history and wish the church's
13congregation success and happiness in the future; and be it
14further
 
15    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
16presented to the Vandalia Presbyterian Church as a symbol of
17our esteem and respect.