Stories from the First Cathedral 33: More History of Bishop Whipple's Church in Chicago

Last week we discussed the evangelical fervor Henry Whipple had for the men that worked in the dangerous railway yards on the South side of Chicago. Chicago in 1857 was a busy young city with a population of 75,000. It had been founded 24 years earlier in a swampy area where the Chicago river flows into Lake Michigan. It grew faster than any other American city in the 19th century. Chicago was a network for the railway system, grain elevators, lumber yards and meat packing plants all crowded on the riverfront. There was no sewage system. Few of the streets were paved. State street where Whipple's church was located was a muddy place lined with pawn shops, boarding houses, saloons and blacksmith shops, The main business street was on Lake Street, leading down to the wharves on Lake Michigan.

Poverty was widespread in Chicago. Twenty five percent of the population controlled 100 percent of the city's wealth. Gambling and prostitution were wide spread. The Sunday closing laws for saloons were not observed. People worshiped money, so from a young clergyman's point of view, this was a town that needed revival!

"Whipple wrote to his daughter in June of 1857, describing the "very busy" city and its wooden sidewalks. At the hotel where he was boarding, 400 people ate everyday. Metropolitan Hall, where the Church of the Holy Communion would begin its life, was large enough to seat 2500 people, though his small congregation took up only a fraction of the space. There were five other Episcopal churches in the city, but his was the only "free" one. He had about a dozen scholars in his Sunday school already; and he was confident the parish would grow. Whipple soon found a small but pleasant house for his family, only half a mile from church and they joined him in September."  (And the Wilderness Shall Blossom Henry B Whipple - churchman, educator and advocate for the Indians by Anne Bieser Allen) 

Bishop Whipple would only live in Chicago for two years before he was called to Minnesota to serve as the First Bishop. Next week, we will learn about Cornelia Whipple's role in Chicago and learn Henry Whipple's view on high and low church issues in the middle of the 19th century.