Written by Phil Wala
1875 (June 16)
On May 9, 1875, during a Sunday School meeting at Centenary Methodist Church, John Horton delivered a knockout punch to Dr. William Stanton. Eleven days later, a Minneapolis municipal court heard the case and quickly sentenced Horton to a $90 fine.
Now it’s the church’s turn to render a much more serious verdict–on the question of whether Horton should be expelled from the church and “excluded from the Kingdom of Grace and Glory.” To answer this question, the church has been conducting its own formal trial. Yesterday was the third day of the trial–and it’s not over yet. Minneapolis Tribune reporters have been there every day to report on the proceedings.
1876 (June 17)
Hennepin Avenue Church (familiarly known as the Tabernacle) is only a few months old, but it is already joining other Minneapolis churches in scheduling its first excursion and picnic of the summer. The Minneapolis Tribune reporter can hardly keep up with the dizzying pace of activity.
1887 (June 11)
After five years in rented homes, the Northwestern Hospital for Women and Children has dedicated its own building at 27th and Chicago. The enterprise was launched by an all-woman team led by Hennepin Church member Harriet G. Walker. The Minneapolis Tribune declares this to be proof that women have the capacity to succeed in the business world.
1893 (June 12)
Dr. Frederick O. Holman was associate pastor when senior pastor and nationally known orator Dr. Otis Tiffany died in 1891. Holman stepped into the role of senior pastor with big shoes to fill. But although he was only 32 years old when hired, he had already earned a reputation as a brilliant teacher and popular speaker, with indications that he was well on his way to eclipsing Tiffany in stature. His 1892 sermon questioning popular notions of hell received national attention. Now he addresses the topic of evolution, and the Minneapolis Tribune once again prints his full sermon. Starting from the assumption that the science is correct, Holman discusses how a mindless process becomes individually meaningful when interpreted through the perspective of Jesus Christ. CLICK HERE to open a pdf of the entire sermon.
1897 (June 12)
Dr. Frederick O. Holman was pastor of Hennepin Church in 1893 when he married Harriet Hulet Walker, daughter of T. B. and H. G. Walker. He was a highly educated young minister who was gaining widespread attention for his scholarly treatment of controversial topics.
Unfortunately, Holman suffered from tuberculosis, and was forced to resign as pastor just a year later. Doctors recommended outdoor living and a change in climate as treatment. But during a doctor-recommended mid-winter journey (by horse-drawn wagon) from Salt Lake City to Phoenix, Holman’s condition worsened. He and his wife returned to Minneapolis and were staying in T. B. Walker’s home when Holman died in 1897 at the age of 40. He is buried in the Walker family plot at Lakewood Cemetery.
Now, thanks to a recent discovery, we can hear directly from someone who knew Dr. Holman personally. Harriet Holman’s younger brother (and therefore Holman’s brother-in-law), Archie Dean Walker, was fifteen years old when Holman died in 1897. Seventy-one years later, in 1968, someone from the church interviewed the now 86-year-old Archie Walker using a “Stenorette” dictation machine. The reel of magnetic tape from that machine was found in the church archives. Adapting it to be played on a standard reel-to-reel tape deck, we were able to extract some very poor quality audio. Extensive filtering, noise reduction, and speed correction was required before anything intelligible could be recovered. And now you can hear a very short (less than one minute) excerpt from that interview in which Archie Walker talks about his brother-in-law, Dr. Frederick Holman > HERE
1910 (June 12)
The Minneapolis Tribune highlights the choir of Hennepin Avenue Church. Serving as organist and choir director is William Rhys-Herbert. Rhys-Herbert was born in Ffwrnes,¹ Wales. He composed operettas, cantatas, hymnns and other choral works, many of them written during his time at Hennepin > CLICK HERE
¹ Not a typo. It’s pronounced “furnace” and was presumably an improvement over the villages previous name, “Cwmddyche.”
1913 (June 15)
It’s “Public Health Sunday” at Hennepin Church. Guest speaker Dr. Abraham Jacobi says that breast-feeding newborn babies can reduce the first year mortality rate from 20% to only 7%! However, if you do bottle-feed, be sure to only use milk that has been pasteurized. Do NOT risk using raw milk! (Minneapolis Tribune)
1915 (June 13)
Hennepin Church held its first services in the new building at Lyndale and Groveland. The service was held in the guild hall auditorium – the area now known as Carlson Hall. (Minneapolis Tribune)
1947 (June 14)
Each week the nationally-broadcast radio program “Church of the Air” features a service from a different church, somewhere across the country. On Sunday, Hennepin Church will be featured. Dr. Raines will speak, and Thure Frederickson will direct the choir. Meanwhile, at the regular 10am service, the guest preacher is former pastor Dr. Lucius Bugbee. (Minneapolis Tribune)
1957 (June 15)
Minneapolis voters elect seven members of the board of education—and three of those seven are members of Hennepin Church. (Minneapolis Star)
