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Church of the Holy City, Wilmington,
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Top: Illustration of the Church of the Holy City, Wilmington, by a member, the late Reynolds Thomas: the church steeple as viewed from Broom Street. The sanctuary features a timber |
When it was merely sixty years old, the Church of the Holy City at Tenth and Washington Streets in Wilmington, Delaware was moved stone by stone to its current location just off Pennsylvania Avenue at 1118 N. Broom Street, to accommodate a street-widening project. This year, the congregation is celebrating one hundred and fifty years of church life.
The first Swedenborgian or follower of the New Church teachings in the Wilmington Area, was Margaretta La Motte, daughter of Daniel La Motte, an early convert who had raised all his children in the New Church Doctrine. La Motte was also a very active lay leader in the movement. Margaretta married Alfred DuPont in 1824 and they came to Wilmington and lived near the powder mills.
In 1841, Margaretta’s sister, Mrs. Mary A Hounsfield, newly widowed, and her son came to live in Wilmington and so did their third sister Elanora A. Gilpin, whose husband would later become the Chief Justice of Delaware.
Other early believers came to join the discussion groups meeting in peoples homes:
• Dr. Carl Gosewich a German homeopathic physician (he died in 1854, but his wife continued to be an enthusiastic member of the community.)
• William and Hannah Wisdom from NYC.
• Dr. August Negendank another German homeopathic physician.
• Mrs. Margaret L. Riddle – a native of Virginia.
In 1855, Mr. Daniel La Motte, relocated to Wilmington, bringing with him his second wife and their children, raising the membership of the small group to around twenty adults.
Mr. La Motte quickly organized the group into a congregation and encouraging the building of a church.
In 1857, a constitution was drawn up and signed by twenty people— seven of them were women—most surprisingly for the time period.
The congregation met temporarily in a hall on Market St. They called Rev. B. F. Bennett to become their minister; services were moved to a room called Central Hall located at the corner of Fourth and King Streets.
Chief Justice Edward Gilpin and his wife Elanora donated the land at the corner of Delaware Avenue and Washington Street for a church building. A cornerstone was laid that very year, 1857.
The church building was finished in only eighteen months, and dedicated by the newly called Rev. Abiel Silver on the 29 of April 1858.
Rev. Abiel Silver became a Swedenborgian after reading Heaven and Hell, given to him by Charles Barnum. It is said that Silver did not tell his wife about the book at first, but she found it in his drawer and read it herself.
In May 1860, Rev. Silver accepted a call to the pulpit in New York City. This began a very difficult time for the Wilmington congregation.
Most of the monetary support for the congregation was coming from Mr. Daniel La Motte whose business was not doing well. The congregation was not immune to the politics of a border state in the Civil War: three of Mr. La Mottes’ sons were serving in the Union, Major Robert La Motte, Col. William A. La Motte, Brigadier- General Charles Eugene La Motte; whereas member Mrs. Margaret Riddle, who had been a native of Virginia and was now married to the Senator George Riddle of Delaware still held slaves.
Another dividing issue was the presence of the Spiritualist movement. The Spiritualist movement was very popular especially with so many War-related deaths and people looking for a way to contact their departed family and friends.
Also, within the Swedenborgian church there was a bit of disagreement about the Spiritualist movement, which was adopted by some for a while and then rejected when it was thought to have gone too far.
In 1864, the church was reopened again under the leadership of Rev. Abiel Silver and he once again helped the congregation to stabilize and grow. He retired to Massachusetts in 1866. Ednah C. Silver would go on to become a Swedenborgian writer and speaker at the 1893 Colombian Exposition in Chicago.
Three ministers served between 1866 and 1889: Rev. Hinkley 1866– 1872; Rev. Seward 1875–1878; Rev. J. B. Parmalee 1879–1889. All were known for speaking widely in the area and creating a Sunday School that at its peak had more than 250 children attending.
In the late 1800s the painter Howard Pyle came to Wilmington and opened a studio. It’s said that he would often have an assistant read Swedenborg to him while he painted. He was a trustee and a very active member of the congregation.
Rev. Phillip Cabell served from 1890–1904. Through the 1890s, the church experienced a slow decline in membership, as the founding, enthusiastic members died and were not replaced. Although some left financial legacies, their presence was deeply missed.
In June of 1891, Howard Pyle arranged for the purchase and installation of the organ at the request of the trustees.
In 1894, a Sunday School building was built adjacent to the church. It was designed with sliding doors that were used to divide it into two rooms. The building was used as a library and parlor as well as Sunday School room and was a great asset to the congregation.
From 1904–1936, Rev. George H. Dole, grandfather of George Dole, served the Wilmington church.
He had a very active pastorate and wrote for the Wilmington newspapers, his columns later becoming syndicated.
February 8, 1914 was declared National Go to Church Day. In Wilmington, members of the local Elks organization visited the Wilmington church. Rev. Dole had frequently attended to their spiritual needs and they met at the Elks hall early in the morning and then walked as a group to the church. That service was standing room only.
The church was once again standing room only when Edwin Markham, a popular poet of the WWI era, delivered an address on “What Swedenborg Brings to the Heart of Man.” The aisles were filled with folding chairs and about 275 to 300 attended. “Mr. Markham’s lecture was listened to with breathless attention. At the close of the lecture he read some of his poems, and then answered questions. Many remained to greet personally the appreciated poet,” notes the church record.
In 1917 the congregation learned with dismay that their church would be condemned to accommodate a road widening project. Church members rallied, and the church was taken apart block by block and reassembled to its current location at Pennsylvania and Broom Street. An alternative account of the reason for the church move involves Pierre Dupont’s desire for a new fire station to be built near one of his buildings.
A new cornerstone was laid at the new location and the new building dedicated on Dec. 3, 1919.
In 1928, Mr. Stewart Poole was elected a trustee, beginning a lifelong role for him and his wife Mary.
Also in the years just before the stock market crash, the church meeting minutes record many reports of meetings and social gatherings of The League, which was an organization of young adults. They frequently met with other young adult groups in Maryland and Philadelphia.
The Church of the Holy City felt the impact of the Depression. A report by George H. Dole dated June 6, 1932 notes: “The church as well as business is feeling the effects of the universal depression. It is for us to summon the courage, strength, and faith to meet all adversity, knowing that the Lord reigns and that his Church prospers.”
Throughout The Depression the Sanctuary was adorned and community worship continued.
Four ministers served the congregation from 1936 to 1951.
Ernest Martin served from 1952 to 1959. He reminisces in a recent letter about how wonderful the two parish houses were that the church provided. He politely does not point out that when he first arrived in Wilmington, he lived in the church basement.
By 1954, Rev. Martin was holding a discussion on Why Do Things Happen? In 1959, the name of the church was changed to “The Church of the Holy City”
David Garrett served from 1959-1962. In 1965, right after their ordination, Rev. Randall Laakko and Rev. Jerome Poole came to Wilmington as a team, to work with Rev. Richard Tafel of the Philadelphia Church. After two years, because of growing family needs, Jerry decided to leave the active ministry and become a full-time part of the business community. He has maintained his membership in the church and is always willing to offer his support and assistance.
Rev. Randall Laakko has been the longest serving minister of this congregation, having been here since 1965 and serving as sole minister since 1967. In 2007, Laakko is joined by Rev. Sage Currie. Shaping church services has been a family affair: Randy’s wife Millie Laakko has contributed by playing the church organ for many of those forty-three years.
The congregation has remained active over these many years, participating in Emmanuel Dining Room, and hosting many book studies and lectures. The congregation is a sponsor of Adopt-A-Family each Christmas, and also opens the building to community groups.
Worship has always been important to the congregation. The many members have given so many hours of love and faithful service.
The congregation views its 150th anniversary as a special opportunity for outreach in the community. A statement of vision for the year, following congregational planning meetings, recognized that “the anniversary year is a time when those unfamiliar with our church will be welcomed to visit and hear its message of spiritual beliefs and understanding.”
The congregation hopes to “emerge more actively engaged, with increased numbers of people in the pews on Sundays; a transforming presence in the city and the lives of its people; and as an organization that can sustain staffing levels, congregational energy, and community interest over the long term” from its anniversary year.
An array of celebratory events is planned throughout the year. To learn more, visit www.ChurchOfTheHolyCity.org.
