October 13, 2010

North Shore Congregational Church, Wilson and Sheridan, Uptown Chicago

Today, you know it as the Uptown Baptist Church, located at 1011 Wilson, at Sheridan. A hundred years ago, it was known as the North Shore Congregational Church, established in 1900. This image is from my personal postcard collection.


In her book about the North Shore’s history, Matilda Carse writes, “The North Shore Congregational Church was the first church organized for Christian worship and work in the territory, more than a mile square, extending from Graceland avenue to Argyle avenue, and from Lake Shore to Clark street. An excellent class of people, of moderate means, were making their homes here, and readily responded to the first call for a church." (Thanks to elgatonegrobar.com for the quote.)

Carse further writes, "After a careful search for the ideal location for [a] new church (every possible site from Montrose boulevard to Lawrence avenue having been investigated), it was unanimously voted that the corner of Sheridan road and Wilson avenue was the strategic point. Accordingly, by vote of the church, the Trustees were authorized to purchase this site for the sum of $14,500.”

A radio show was later broadcast from NSC, We Preach Christ Crucified. An advertisement for the show read, "This building is located on a busy corner, 4600 North, in Chicago. More than 250,000 people pass the corner of Sheridan Rd. and Wilson Ave. every 24 hours."

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I went to school with a girl named Ingrid whose father did the custodial work on that church. They lived upstairs. This was in 1951-1952. I believe we were in second/third grad. We went to Graeme Stewart School. I posted our class picture last year.
She is in the first row with real blonde hair.

Cheryl Peck Deters

Hey Dick said...

What I remember about this church is the tree in front of it on Sheridan Rd. The tree was infested with hundreds of starlings. They left their droppings all over the sidewalk and pedestrians had to detour around it.

Unknown said...

I attended this church from approx 1955 to 1959, when I attended Graeme Stewart and Senn High School. Wasn’t it named North Shore Non-Denomination Church at that time?

I grew alive spiritually then. My Sunday School teacher (in the cold basement) was Sandy. Thank you,Sandy.

Shirley Walker, Greenwood, SC

Anonymous said...

My brother and sister, and I went to North Shore about 1969 till they sold the church to Uptown Baptist . Pastor Green was the pastor and Herb Reel was the deacon with his wife preaching Sunday school,and their daughter Kathy went there as well. The church was not making enough money in the end to stay open. To bad. . We grew up going to this small church. Frank

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