Church History

In the State of Illinois in Hamilton County on April 19, 1850 some brethren of the Ten Mile Baptist Church sat in council at the school near Anderson Daily's home.

A grant was received from the Ten Mile church that we be constituted into an independent body. A motion proceeded to call a presbytery, to wit -- Elders: R. Lee, R. Shirley and C. R. Pitman.

At the May 1850 meeting the record certifies that on May 19 the undersigned presbytery presented themselves for constitution and examination and were pronounced orthodox according to the faith of the United Baptist Denomination—Elder Lee, Elder C. R. Pitman, Elder R. Shirley, and Deacon J. A. Ingram.

The first building was completed in 1850 and Elder R. Shirley was called as the first pastor. Mr. Daily, a hardware merchant in McLeansboro, donated nails for the privilege of naming the church, Blooming Grove, for his native community in Kentucky.

The first meeting house was completed in March 1850 at the cost of $65.00. The house, said to be log, was located in the cemetery grounds and also served as a school.

The first Deacons were Lofton Echols, Johon Echols, P. M. Echols, Pressley Maulding, A. D. Bettes, F. Daily, and William Henson Trustees were: Levi Daily, W.A. Compton, A.D. Bettes and William Daily. Discipline consisted of Lofton Echols, John W. Echols, Pressley Maulding, A.D. Bettes, and T. Daily. W.M. Maulding was the church clerk. The collection was small in the early years, averaging from $0.50 to $1.00 each meeting, which usually was held monthly.

In 1905 a third building was built across from the cemetery on top of the hill. For 66 years this structure, know as Blooming Grove, served its congregation.

During this time improvements included a basement, hardwood floors, Baptistry, educational annex and air-conditioning.

The Church met on Saturday preceding the third Lord’s day in June 1850, and elected brother Job Standerferand brother Joshua Haile as candidates for deacons. They also elected elder C.P. Pitman to be their pastor, but after being visited by the committee brother Ppitman said he could not serve the church that year. They elected Elder R. Shirley who became the first pastor of the church. They also elected Lofton Echols who became the first church clerk.

Pastors:

This story was told by Rev. John Baily Maulding....
The first church was erected in the old cemetery. I am indebted to my grandfather for the following story. He was chairman of the building committee. The church was built of logs and had a clapboard roof. He went to McLeansboro to secure nails for the roof from a hardware man by the name of Bailey. Mr Bailey offered to furnish the nails provided he be permitted to name the church. This was agreed to and he named it after his home community in Kentucky, Blooming Grove.
The ground for the cemetery and the first church was donated by Tabitha Bond from the estate of her husband, Nastin.These are the same bonds who had the buhr stone incorporated into the bell tower at the church.

Committee on discipline was very active in the early church. Members were excluded for failure in attendance, intoxication, heresay, immoral and unchristian conduct, being destitute of religion, and other causes. They were often reinstated. In 1874 the church agreed to withdraw sending a committee and talk privately with members. In 1869 a man was excluded for trading off another man’s horse and not returning the property. Dancing, horseracing and horsetrading on Sundays as well as ball games on Sunday were offenses for exclusion or discussion as late as 1916. Church was on the third Lord’s day of the month with business meetings on the preceding Saturday at 12 o'clock in the beginning. A later hour was eventually chosen on Saturday afternoon and continued for 68 years or until changed to Saturday night in 1918.
In 1948 Saturday meetings were discontinued and business meetings began on Wednesday. The church continued to have businessmeeting on Wednesday evenings, until 2003, when it began having them on the second Sunday evening after worship services, so more members could attend that teach on Wednesday evenings. In 1944 the first Sunday was added for preaching and in 1961 full time services began. Sunday school began in 1869.

Signals for bell tolling:
The bell was tolled an hour before funerals, not too hard, not too fast.
For a child in infancy to ten years old, it tolled three times.
For ten years to twenty years old, it tolled five times.
For a person twenty years to forty years, it tolled seven times.
For a person over forty, it tolled ten times.
The bell was never to be tolled unless someone was dead or something wrong.

Bell Tower:
The buhr in the bell tower has been the subject of much interest. It is said to have been in the grist mill of Mastin Bond, a pioneer settler, originally and was located east of the church. It became a part of the first frame church. It was raised after the newer building was finished and the parts were purchased by J.D.Hooker, W.C Daily and George Rawls. The amounts paid are told in minutes. The buhr lay in the latters' feed lot until sometime in the 40's when before his passing his son James Rawls brought it back to the church yard where kids had fun jumping from it. The writer can remember playing tag with it, as it was ‘home base’.

In 1905 a new church was built. The impressive white frame house with large gothic windows, vaulted ceiling and steeple was dedicated in August 1905. The debt of the building was paid in less than a year. It was used for 66 years. On Saturday evening January 16 ,1971 it burned to the ground. It was a sad day for members. Onlookers said the bell tolled as it fell from the burning belfry. It is now in the bell tower as one from Belle City and the afore-mentioned buhr stone. For the first time since the church began, there was no meeting on the hill. Services were conducted in the senior citizens in McLeansboro (which is now the Hamilton County preschool ).

Plans were immediately begun to rebuild and with the cooperation from the members and several professionals, the first services held on Easter Sunday 1971. The treasurer of the building funds, Cecil “Pete” Myers, passed on suddenly the same month and his funeral was conducted there. The sanctuary was finished and the new building dedicated on September 12, 1978 a new wing was added with several new sunday school rooms. In 2002 a large new kitchen was added, along with new handicap-accessible restrooms. These new modern conveniences were needed to update our church facilities. In addition, the foyer has recently been redecorated with new ceramic tile, and new walls replacing the old ones. In 2002, we added a drive- up canopy on the east side of the building. This enables people to be dropped off at the door in inclement weather. It is a very valuable asset to our church. The funds for this were made available by one of our members and are very much appreciated.