Carnegie Free Public Library

First Baptist Church. - On the 21st day of July, 1872, seventeen persons in Dell Rapids came together for the purpose of oro-anizing- a Baptist church. The Rev. Alvah Bush of Osag-e, Iowa, was elected chairman of the meeting- and J. I. Sweeney clerk, and such proceeding's were had in the way of org-anization that the body created was on the 1st day of September following- recog-nized by the proper authorities as the the First Baptist Church of Dell Rapids. Meeting's were held in the school house, with occasional preachingby Revs. J. W. Freeman and Bush, until the 29th day of June, 1873, when the Rev. W. T. Hill was called to the permanent pastorag-e of the church. Mr. Hill remained in charg-e until 1879. May 1, 1879, the church extended an invitation to the Rev. J. F. Merriam to become its pastor, which invitation was accepted; the arrang-ement being- made that he should preach at Dell Rapids every other Sundav. At the end of his first year he resig-ned. January 6, 1881, the Rev. J. Edminster was eng-ag-edfor one year, and had charg-e of the church until February 4, 1882, when the Rev. S. G. Adams of Wisconsin was called, and remained in Dell Rapids as pastor of the church for five years, when he resig-ned. The Rev. Ira Kneeland was the next pastor from the first day of June, 1887, to October, 1888, when he was called to take charg-e of a church in New York. On the 1st dav of January, 1889, the Rev. J. P. Coffman took charg-e of the church, and remained until December 3, 1891, at which time he removed to Sioux Falls. January 1, 1892, the Rev. H. E. Norton commenced his labors with this church and remained its pastor until October, 189(). He was succeeded by the Reverends Parker and Rice, and in September, 1899, the present pastor, the Rev. Mr. Cantwell took charg-e. Until the erection of the first church building- in 1881, services were held at various places. In the spring- of 1883, a larg-e and more commodious church building- was commenced, which was completed and dedicated June 8, 1884. In connection with the church there is a larg-e and prosperous Sunday school and a Young- People's society, and it is one of the strong- churches in the countv.

Passage source: History of Minnehaha County, South Dakota. Containing an Account of Its Settlements, Growth, Development and Resources ... Synopsis of Public Records, Biographical Sketches .., published 1899.

December 2, 1880, a committee was appointed to purchase a warehouse belong-ing- to C. S. (lilford; this was bougdit for the sum of SlOO and moved to the lot previously purchased. Services were being- held during- this time at the Exchange Hotel and in the Baptist church, by various clergymen, until the warehouse was roug-hly fitted up as a church, service being- held there for the first time on the first Sunday in January, 1881. The Rev. Mr. Morrison, the first clerg-yman who was called, arrived in Dell Rapids on the first day of January, 1881, and remained about nine months. The Rev. P. (xardiner of Sioux Falls and other Episcopal clerg-ymen supplied the pulpit at more or less reg-ular intervals until the Rev. T. Howell Richards came to Dell Rapids to take charg-e of the parish. He ofliciated as la\^ reader until September, 1894, when he was ordained Deacon, Dr. Trimble of Sioux Falls being- the Rector. Mr. Richards left the parish and the ministry in 1897.

Passage source: History of Minnehaha County, South Dakota. Containing an Account of Its Settlements, Growth, Development and Resources ... Synopsis of Public Records, Biographical Sketches .., published 1899.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Dell Rapids City - 26,908 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.