CHURCH SERVICES IN AREA DATE BACK TO MID 1500s

Going to church on Sunday in Southeast Missouri differed during the settlement years from what we are accustomed to. Most families were Spanish and French citizens of Catholic faith. Protestant religions were prohibited in a land ruled by the royal houses of Spain and France, where the established state religion was Catholic.

The land west of the Mississippi was sparsely settled. Dwellings were of log construction and usually small.

The Spanish kept good records, and because of this we know the first churches were in Ste. Genevieve, St. Louis, and Old Mines near Potosi.

Many French missionary priests traveled up and down the Mississippi River administering to the Indians and to some of the scattered French settlers. These missionaries came from Canada.

The first Christian religious service held in what is now Southeast Missouri was at the Casquin village near the present town of New Madrid in 1541. Then, the Spanish adventurer DeSoto and his army made their way up the Mississippi and entered Southeast Missouri before DeSoto's death.

They erected a huge wooden cross, and after completing their work they marched around it singing hymns. The Indians who watched the performance asked them to pray to their God for them, and since the weather had been very dry and hot and the corn the Indians had planted was withering, to ask God to send rain. The soldiers prayed. That night a heavy rain fell, and the Indians were convinced God answered their prayer and they wanted to know about him.

Before the Louisiana Purchase was completed in 1803, several Protestant families had entered Missouri, but they were not permitted to hold open religious services.

One of the first Protestant ministers to come to Missouri when it was under the Spanish rule was the Rev. John Clark, a Methodist. He visited St. Louis County settlements and traveled from place to place on foot in 1796.

Two years before this, in 1794, the Rev. Josiah Dodge from Kentucky came to Missouri. He was a brother of Dr. Israel Dodge, who lived in Ste. Genevieve on the Saline River. In Louis Houck's history, Dodge is given credit for delivering the first Protestant sermon in Missouri.

In 1799, the Rev. Thomas Johnson, a Baptist, visited Cape Girardeau and baptized Mrs. Agnes Ballou in Randol Creek. It was the first Protestant baptism in Missouri.

In 1803, the Rev. Samuel Weyberg, a member of the Dutch Reformed Church, came to the German settlement on the Whitewater established by Maj. Frederick Bollinger.

On July 19, 1806, the Rev. Daniel Green, a Virginian, organized the Bethel Baptist Church just south of Jackson, where a small log church was built. This Bethel Baptist was the first established in Missouri and it remained on the old farm of Thomas Ball until after 1925, when the building, which had been relocated from its original site, was in bad condition and was torn down. Walking canes were made from some of the old logs and were purchased by the public on the 100th anniversary of the church.

The first Methodist church was organized in 1806 on land owned by William Williams on the old road from Cape Girardeau to Jackson. A log church was erected on "The Old Camp Grounds," where there were large trees and a spring of drinking water. Prior to building the church, people came regularly to the site to hold religious camp meetings. The building has been restored and preserved and still stands. The church cemetery is across the road. William Williams gave the land for the church.

The first Episcopal church was organized at St. Louis Nov. 1, 1819.

The first Presbyterian church was organized by the Rev. Salmon Giddings at Caledonia Aug. 12, 1816, and in Southeast Missouri Old Apple Creek Presbyterian was organized at Pocahontas by the Rev. Salmon Giddings in 1821. It had 41 charter members. Apple Creek has an active memorial association. The cemetery is next to the church.

The first Lutheran school and church in the United States was organized at Altenburg in Perry County about 1840. The original buildings have been preserved and visitors are welcome to view them.

Besides being the Gateway to the West, Missouri was also the cradle of religion for the establishment of churches after the Louisiana Purchase was completed. Much of the activity took place in Southeast Missouri, where the Catholics have been established at Perryville since the early years of the 1700s. Three Catholic missionary priests held services near the mouth of Cape LaCroix in 1699.

St. Vincent's Church was founded in Cape Girardeau in 1838 by Father John Timon, who held services in Cape Girardeau in 1821, coming on foot to the village from St. Mary of the Barrens. Father John Odin was installed at St. Vincent's as priest.

The Catholic church at New Madrid was one of the earliest being founded in Missouri in 1789. The Cathedral of St. Mary in Cape Girardeau was founded in 1868.

The thing that impresses students doing research on church history in Southeast Missouri is that the area was the first location in the state where many of the established religions began west of the Mississippi River. Many times the churches struggled to hold their membership, and the Civil War damaged church members attending services. But throughout Missouri's history, the state had endeavored to promote the Christian religion in both parochial and public schools.