Freewill Baptist Church (New Berlin, Wisconsin)
Freewill Baptist Church | |
Location | 19750 W. National Ave., New Berlin, Wisconsin |
---|---|
Coordinates | 42°56′40″N 88°9′37″W / 42.94444°N 88.16028°W |
Area | 0.5 acres (0.20 ha) |
Built | 1859 |
Built by | Church, Quincy W. |
Architectural style | Greek Revival |
NRHP reference No. | 97001409[1] |
Added to NRHP | June 22, 1998 |
Freewill Baptist Church (also known as Prospect Aid Meeting House and Muskego Meeting House) is a historic church at 19750 W. National Avenue in New Berlin, Wisconsin, United States. It was built in 1859[2] and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.[3]
The hamlet of Prospect Hill (now part of New Berlin) was settled in the 1830s, mostly by Yankees from
The congregation grew and by 1858 had raised enough money to build a church. Quincy W. Church, a member of the congregation and son of Prospect Hill's first storekeeper, designed the building in
Inside, the walls were originally lath and plaster. Deacon Hiram Hale was determined to have a choir loft, and paid for it himself. It stretched across the front of the building and was originally accessed by curved staircases at the corners of the building. The original church was expected to cost $1200, but Rev. Cheney and Hale added $300 to that.[2]
The church has never had running water. Outside and down the hill is a small frame privy, almost hidden in the bushes. Northeast of the church there were also sheds for horses and buggies, but they are long gone.[2]
The congregation was strongly
By 1886 the Freewill Church managed to hire a full-time minister and built a parsonage. The hamlet of Prospect Hill had also grown to include two general stores, two stagecoach inns, four blacksmith shops, a sawmill, a creamery, a post office, a cider mill and
But membership declined, with attendance under a dozen by 1895. The congregation at Prospect Hill disbanded in 1925. To maintain the building, the Ladies Aid Society was renamed the Prospect Aid Society and opened to Christians of any denomination. The building was deeded to the new society as long as it "never be used for dancing, card-playing, or raffling."[2]
The new/old organization installed a cookstove, converted some pews to tables, and hosted dinners, quilting bees, and summer Aid meetings in the building, with proceeds going to charities. The building also served as a temporary home for other denominations. By 1985 they had dropped the clause on card-playing from the deed, and were holding monthly card parties, with the money raised going to building maintenance and charities.[2]
In 1985 a fire burned the roof, belfry and interior - a result of arson. Since then the church was restored to its old appearance,[2] and lunches are again being served there.[4]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
Further reading
- Jane Eiseley's NRHP nomination among the references is available online and has more details about people and happenings in the church's past.
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Jane Eiseley (1996-09-25). "NRHP Inventory/Nomination: Freewill Baptist Church". National Park Service. Retrieved 2018-02-02. With six photos.
- ^ "Freewill Baptist Church". Wisconsin Historical Society. January 2012. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
- ^ Walker, Laurel (April 8, 2011). "From slavery abhorred to burned church restored, count on 'lady-zade'". Waukesha News. Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 2018-02-02.