Written by Phil Wala
1877 (August 19)
Charlotte Ouisconsin Van Cleve (nee Clark)¹ was born in 1819 in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, while her family was on their way to Minnesota to be part of a team helping to establish Ft. Snelling, making her one of the first (and youngest) white settlers in the state. Known as the “pioneer infant,” she was an ardent supporter of women’s suffrage and the rights of the disadvantaged.
On this day in Hennepin History, Van Cleve spoke at the Hennepin Avenue UMC’s Sunday evening service (in the original “Tabernacle” building) about plans for the Bethany Home for Unwed Mothers that she and Hennepin member Harriet G. Walker had recently announced.
Read more about the Bethany Home in Aspire! 150 Years at Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church.
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¹ Yes, thanks to French spelling, the “O” stands for “Wisconsin.”
1912 (August 23)
Benjamin J. West, a member of Hennepin Avenue Church, celebrated his 100th birthday. Originally from Belleville, Illinois (home town of the Harrison brothers and Anna Goheen), West retired and moved to Minneapolis in 1900. Two days after his 100th birthday, West was honored at Hennepin’s Sunday morning service by the congregations of both Hennepin Church and Lowry Hill Congregational, who were having joint services for the month of August, in the former Fowler Church building.
Read a Minneapolis Tribune article about West’s 100th birthday and see the following Sunday’s church bulletin:
1939 (August 23)
The old parsonage at 610 Summit Avenue is being torn down. The home was moved to Summit Avenue in 1910 before construction of the neighboring Lyndale and Groveland cathedral was even started. (Minneapolis Tribune)
See another photo of this house and read more about how this house was moved in Aspire! 150 Years at Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church, available September 28.
1969 (August 22)
The Minneapolis Star devoted a full page to the efforts taken to stabilize the Hennepin Church foundation during the construction of the Lowry Tunnel. The retrieved article reproduced the photos very poorly. However, by combing through boxes of negatives in the Minnesota Historical Society’s newspaper negative collection, we were able to locate the original negative for each of these photos, enabling us to reproduce the photos in never-before-seen quality. The soon-to-be-released book Aspire! 150 Years at HAUMC, will contain many more such photos salvaged from the newspaper negatives collection, including some that never even appeared in newspapers.
1981 (August 23)
On several occasions during the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s, Hennepin was privileged to have pastors from other countries serve as “summer pastors,” often in the form of an international pulpit exchange with Hennepin’s pastor. Among those who served as summer pastors were:
- 1961: Rev Arnold Cooper, London, England
- 1963: Dr. Maldwyn Edwards, Cardiff, Wales
- 1964: Rev. John B. Dawson, Hastings, New Zealand
- 1965: Dr. Joseph B. Webb, Johannesburg, South Africa
- 1978: Rev. Ronald Pearce, Douglas, Isle of Man
- 1981: Rev. Sidney Booth, Sheffield, England
Rev. Sidney Booth wrapped up six weeks as Hennepin’s 1981 summer pastor with a message entitled, “Pass It On.” The sound quality isn’t the greatest, but it’s still worth a listen – including his children’s message about the argument among the king’s fingers. Listen to it here:
2000 (August 20)
On this Sunday, pastor Rod Wilmoth was on vacation, and the 11:00am service featured a special children’s summer church school celebration, So the only those who attended the 9:30am service got to hear the sermon preached by associate pastor Larry Boatman. He delivered a worthwhile message still relevant today about how to be in fellowship with those with whom you disagree, entitled “Logs, Wisdom, and Reconciliation.” Listen to it here: