Beverly Unitarian Church
| Beverly Unitarian Church | |
|---|---|
 The Givins Castle in 2007. | |
 | |
| 41°42′25″N 87°40′17″W / 41.706812°N 87.671336°W | |
| Location | 10244 South Longwood Drive Beverly, Chicago, Illinois |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Unitarian Universalism |
| Membership | 70 adults, 10 children |
| Website | Beverly Unitarian Church |
| History | |
| Status | Church |
| Founded | 1878 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Clergy | |
| Minister(s) | David Schwartz |
Beverly Unitarian Church is a Unitarian Universalist ("UU") church in Chicago, Illinois.[1]
The church formed in 1951 by the merger of two congregations: the Beverly Unitarian Fellowship, which had begun in 1941, and the People's Liberal Church founded in 1878.[2] People's Liberal Church was known by a variety of names over the years: In 1878 it was called the Unitarian Universalist Christian Union Society of Englewood, or simply the Christian Union Society; in 1880 on moving to a new building, it was named First Universalist Church of Englewood; in 1889 it moved to a larger building and was called Stewart Avenue Universalist Church.[3]
The Givins Irish Castle[edit]
The current church building, called the "Irish Castle" was built from 1886 to 1887 under the direction of Robert C. Givins, a successful real estate developer.[4][5] It is a three-story structure with three crenelated towers.[6] Givins lived in the castle from 1887 to 1894, then from 1895 to 1897 the castle housed the Chicago Female College. Beverly Unitarian Church purchased the building for $14,000 and has used it since 1942. It is the only building in the city described as a "castle."[7]
It has been claimed to be haunted.[8][5][9][10][11]
Ministers[edit]
People's Church prior to merger[edit]
- 1878-1892 - Rev. Florence E. Kollock (at the People's Liberal Church of Chicago, then called alternately The Christian Union, and The First Universalist Society of Englewood)
- 1892-1936 - Rev. Rufus Austin White (at The People's Liberal Church of Chicago)[12]
- 1939-1944 - Donald S. Harrington (at The People's Liberal Church of Chicago, and 1942–1944 at Beverly Unitarian Fellowship as well)
- Robert S. Hoagland
- Willim D. Hammond
- Hartley C. Ray
Beverly Unitarian Society prior to merger[edit]
- 1941-1942 - Lon Ray Call
- 1942-1944 - Donald S. Harrington
- 1944-1946 - Jack Mendelsohn[13][14]
- 1947-1950 - William Hammond
- 1946-19xx - Helgi I. S. Borgford
After merger[edit]
- 1950-1953 - Hartley Cabot Ray
- 1954-1963 Vincent Silliman[15]
- 1964-1970 Hunter Leggit, Jr.
- 1970-1971 John Lester Young (interim)
- 1971-1979 Robert L. Schaibly
- 1980-1991 Roger Brewin
- 1992-1993 Thomas Payne (interim)
- 1994-2003 Leonette Bugleisi
- 2003-2005 Jim Hobart (interim)
- 2005-2008 Karen Matteson
- 2008-2009 Ana Levy-Lyons
- 2009-2014 Neil Shadle
- 20XX-2014 Nan Hobart
- 2014-2016 Karen Mooney
- 2016-2017 John Smith
- 2017–2021 David Schwartz
References[edit]
- ^ "Chicago's Only Castle's BIG Problem - Daily Southtown". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 2017-11-07. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
- ^ "Documentary puts Castle, church in focus". The Beverly Review. 26 May 2010.
- ^ "Florence Ellen Kollock Crooker". uudb.org.
- ^ Haunted Chicago: Famous Phantoms, Sinister Sites, and Lingering Legends, pp 167
- ^ a b "The History of 'Chicago's Only Castle'". WTTW News.
- ^ AIA Guide to Chicago, p378
- ^ "You Won't Find Casper, but City's Only Castle a Haunting Experience - tribunedigital-chicagotribune". Archived from the original on 2017-11-07. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
- ^ Haunted Places: The National Directory : Ghostly Abodes, Sacred Sites, UFO Landings, and Other Supernatural Locations, p155
- ^ Haunted Chicago: Famous Phantoms, Sinister Sites, and Lingering Legends, p 168
- ^ Haunted Houses U.S.A., p117
- ^ More Chicago Haunts: Scenes from Myth and Memory, p35
- ^ "Rufus Austin White". uudb.org.
- ^ The A to Z of Unitarian Universalism, p 328
- ^ "UU Ministers Association". Archived from the original on 2017-11-07. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
- ^ "Vincent Brown Silliman". uudb.org.