Ravenswood Congregational Church Records

The Ravenswood Congregational Church was founded in the fall of 1869 by the Reverend William A. Lloyd. It was the first Protestant church in the new community of Ravenswood. In 1870 the church was granted a charter by the New England Congregational Union. Membership of the church was only eight people at the time.

In the early 1870s a building was erected on the northeast corner of Sulzer Road and Commercial Street (now Montrose and Hermitage Avenues). In 1885 the church was remodeled into a larger structure which included a parsonage. Additional construction changes took place in 1917 and again in 1923. The church then became known as "the church of the lighted cross," due to the revolving lighted cross atop the steeple, a unique feature not frequently found on church edifices during this period.

Ravenswood Congregational Church was founded on a strictly spiritual and devotional basis. But over the years, as the population grew and Ravenswood developed from a prairie to a village community, the church became socially active. The congregation began to play a leading role in many community developments and improvements through such groups as the Women's Society, the Men's League and the Young People's Christian Endeavor.

Throughout its one hundred year existence, the church had only nine ministers, including Dr. J. Morriston Thomas, who served the community for forty-six years. During his pastorate, membership grew to over 600 parishioners. As the north side of Chicago grew, however, many members moved away from the local setting, and as a result the Ravenswood Congregational Church became directly or indirectly the mother of seven other neighborhood churches, including Addison Street Congregational, Summerdale Congregational, and Waveland Avenue Congregational churches. This pattern caused a continual decline in RCC membership throughout the 1960s. The Sixties were also a period of increasing costs, and coupled with the loss of revenue through membership decline, the congregation voted to dissolve the church. This was done at a special meeting of the congregation on September 29, 1968.

On January 26, 1969 the Ravenswood Congregational Church closed its doors after a final commemoration ceremony.