CALVARY BAPTIST This church was first known as the First Baptist church, and held its first religious service in the house of John M. Eldridge, which was on Brady street, and later converted into a photograph gallery.  Rev. Israel Fisher was the first pator.  He left here for Oregon, where he died some years later.  The church was organized by Rev. Mr. Fisher with the following charter members:  J. M. Eldridge, Mrs. Mary Eldridge, John Swartout, Charles Swartout, Richard Price and wife and David Wilson and wife.  Richard Price and David Wilson were the deacons.  The congregation fitted up a room on Front street, over a store, as a place of worship, and held services there until they built a brick structure at the corner of Fourth and Brady on a lot donated by Antoine LeClaire to the church.  Services were held here until the building became too small and finally they removed to the corner of Sixth and Main, where a pretentious brick structure was erected and later occupied by the high school and now used for a bakery by the Korn Bakery Company. History records that in October, 1851, sixteen persons who had taken letters from the First Baptist church met in a school house on Perry street, now The Boies' undertaking rooms, for the purpose of organizing what is now the Calvary Baptist church.  Among them the familiar names of Davis, Blood and Witherwax appear.  They purchased with a dwelling the norhtwest corner of Fourth and Perry and services were held in this place for some time.  In 1852 for various reasons this lot was sold and the southwest corner of Fourth was purchased - a lot including the one now occupied by the postoffice and also the one in the rear, now occupied by the Tri-City Electrical Company. On leaving the dwelling house on the corner of Fourth and Perry the people worshiped in the block, at the corner of Third and Brady, a place known as the Medical college, and at this time they enjoyed the pastoral services of Rev, E. M. Mills, who settled here in 1852 and served them for five years, during which time some seventy were added to the church by baptism.  It was during his pastorate that the house of worship at Fourth and Perry was erected, first forty by sixty feet - and then an addition of twenty feet added on the west before the audience room was completed. Rev. Mills resigned in 1857 and Rev. J. Buytterfield, of Waterloo, New York, was called to succeed him.  The building was approaching completion and was formally dedicated in May of that year, with the dedication sermon by Brother Mills, the first pastor.  Brother Butterfield addressed himself with great efficiency to the financial burden which had been assumed to complete this house, and during his pastorate over fifty were added by baptism.  During this time the first and second churches were united - a step that seemed necessary in order to save one building for the Baptists.  In 1864 Rev. D. S. Watson succeeded to the pastorate.  During his pastorae the old debt was canceled and the name of Calvary Regular Baptist church was taken.  Rev. Watson was popular with all and especially liked by the young people.  His great field was in the pulpit and many old and young who had previously given religion little thought came to hear his powerful sermons.  Anyone of those present can remember as though it were yesterday a sermon on the Love of Christ.  At its close he left the desk, came to one side of the very front of the platform, his tall form erect, and his dark eyes flashed from under darker eyebrows, and repeated Romans viii, 35. Brother Watson resigned in 1867 and a year intervened before the church welcomed Rev. T. W. Powell, a man whose kindness and sympathetic nature won many hearts.  After a pastorate of two years ill health compelled him to resign to be succeeded by Rev. N. S. Burton, D. D., a man sound in doctrine and logical in his sermons.  The North Davenport mission was established during his pastorate and many added to the church.  He was succeeded by Rev. T. W. Powell, where the labor would be less.  Rev. W. H. Stifler, D. D., was his successor, a man full of energy and life, and he served acceptably for over five years. Rev. Frank L. Wilkins, D. D., was next called to the pastorate, and entered upon his work November 29, 1885.  The church up to this time had occupied the stone edifice at the corner of Perry and Fourth streets.  The church decided May 6, 1886, to undertake the building of a new house of worship to be located on the "Bluff."  A site at the corner of Perry and Fourteenth streets was later purchased, at a cost of $3,400, and here, September 21, 1899, the cornerstone of the new edifice was laid.  Special meetings in celebration of the semi-centennial of Baptist history in Davenport were held September 20th, 21st, and 22d; the Davenport association having by arrangement held its annual meeting on the previous two days.  The delegates remained as a body to the local celebration.  The week's meetings, with the laying of the stone on Saturday, mark the most memorable event in the history of Calvary church - practically the opening of a new era for the Baptist cause in Davenport. The new edifice was dedicated Sunday, May 25, 1890.  The total cost of the building with its furnishings, including the pipe organ ($3,100), was about $33,000. Dr. Wilkins resigned the pastorate in 1891 to accept the general secretaryship of the Baptist Young Peoples' Union of America.  Rev. E. H. Lovett, of Oswego, New York, was called as his successor, remaining six years, years of large ingathering.  Three hundred or more were added to the church.  At his resignation, without interregnum and without visitation, Rev. J. W. Weddell, D. D., pastor of the "Old Tenth" church of Philadelphia, was called to the pastorate.  He responded to the call in a like generous spirit, and assumed spiritual charge in February, 1898, God's blessing being on the union  from the first. Rev. H. O. Rowlands of Lincoln, Neb., succeeded to the pastorate June, 1903.  In 1910 a mission was started in the northern part of the city, a lot has been purchased and the erection of a building is contemplated in the near future.  Present membership, 508. Debbie Clough G-erischer G-erischer Family Web Site http://gerischer.rootsweb.com/ Assistant CC, Iowa Gen Web, Scott County http://www.celticcousins.net/scott/ List Manager for: IASCOTT-L * G-erischer-L * D-encker-L Fitzpatirck-L * V-lerebome-L * Huntington-L * Otis-L * Algar-L EIGS-L * Pickens-L * McNab-L * Patris-L - Rankin-L