Seventh Street Baptist Church Records
Scope and Contents
Materials in the 7th Street Baptist Church records are arranged in three series: Administrative Materials, Historical Materials, and Scrapbooks and Photographs.
Administrative materials include annual reports (1983-2001), Constitutions (1951-2004), directories and member information, and some meeting minutes and associated materials (1992-2009). Historical materials include a Heritage Preservation Commission application from 2005, materials from the Centennial Celebration (1993), two German prayer books from the 1800s, and newspaper clippings (1946-2009). There are also photographs and textual materials from deconstructed church scrapbooks featuring the church building, parishoners (1960s-2000s), pastors, and events like Christmas programs and weddings. No sacramental records are included in this collection.
When donated, this collection contained several scrapbooks that were dissassembled for preservation purposes. Where possible, an attempt was made to keep together items from individual scrapbooks (including the general church scrapbook and the pastors' and wedding scrapbooks), though the current order of the materials in each folder does not reflect the order materials originally appeared in the scrapbooks. Numerous photographs were also removed from the scrapbooks and arranged separately by topic.
Dates
- 1803-2011
- Majority of material found within 1951 - 2009
Creator
- Seventh Street Baptist Church (La Crosse, Wis.) (Organization)
Access to Materials
Materials in this collection are available for patron use, with the exception of the audio cassette recording of the 100th anniversary celebration from 1993.
Historical Note
The Erste Deutche Baptisten Kirche (First German Baptist Church) was established at 7th and Winnebago Streets in La Crosse, Wisconsin in 1893, in a building owned by the Scandinavian Baptists, who allowed all denominations use of their building. The first membership list from 1893 shows 11 members under the direction of Rev. Frederick Heineman and August Kaaz, the church’s first Deacon. After two years, the congregation bought the church building from the Scandinavians with the sum of $1,500, given by church member Francis Splitter. The church remained in that building until 1949, when they moved a few blocks to the building on 7th and Ferry Streets.
This building at 7th and Ferry had previously been owned by the Salzer Memorial Methodist Church, and was partially destroyed by a fire in 1945. Members of the Baptist congregation renovated the church, salvaging and repairing the many stained glass windows (one of which dates from 1856 and is valued at more than $80,000). The rebuilding was supervised by Deacon August Kaaz, who was a general contractor.
The congregation remained active at that location, sponsoring mission churches and missionaries from Mound Prairie, Minnesota, to Africa. In 1945, the First German Baptist Church became the 7th Street Baptist Church, and in the mid-1950s became the Bible Baptist Church. Bible Baptist Church was affiliated with the North American Baptists, and disbanded in 2009.
Extent
1.6 Cubic Feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The Erste Deutche Baptisten Kirche (First German Baptist Church) was established at 7th and Winnebago Streets in La Crosse, Wisconsin in 1893. The church remained in that building until 1949, when they moved to a building on 7th and Ferry Streets. In 1945, the First German Baptist Church became the 7th Street Baptist Church, and in the mid-1950s became the Bible Baptist Church. Bible Baptist Church was affiliated with the North American Baptists and disbanded in 2009.
Materials in the 7th (Seventh) Street Baptist Church records include administrative materials such as annual reports (1983-2001), Constitutions (1951-2004), directories and member information, and some meeting minutes and associated materials (1992-2009). Historical materials include a Heritage Preservation Commission application from 2005, materials from the Centennial Celebration (1993), two German prayer books from the 1800s, and newspaper clippings (1946-2009). There are also photographs and textual materials from deconstructed church scrapbooks featuring the church building, parishoners (1960s-2000s), pastors, and events like Christmas programs and weddings. No sacramental records are included in this collection.
Arrangement
The 7th Street Baptist Church materials are arranged by three series: Administrative Materials, Historical Materials, and Scapbooks and Photographs. The materials within are arranged alphabetically by topic.
Acquisitions Information
(Accession no. 2009.034) Donated from the Bible Baptist Church via Helen Schroeder, April 2009 (Accession no. 2015.018) Donated from the estate of LaVerne Samb via John Samb, March 2015
Separated Materials
Two oversize photographs were removed from the collection and are located in the oversize picture file under Churches—Baptist—Bible Baptist.
Physical Description
4 archives boxes
Electronic Content
Some materials available in electronic format.
Processing Information
Processed by Sloan Komissarov and Lindsay Roloff, 2011 with assistance from Margaret Donndelinger, 2010. Finding aid written in 2011 by Sloan Komissarov and Lindsay Roloff; updated October 2011 by Cate Putirskis. Additions processed and finding aid updated by Jennifer DeRocher, July 2015.
Creator
- Seventh Street Baptist Church (La Crosse, Wis.) (Organization)
- Bible Baptist Church (La Crosse, Wis.) (Organization)
- Title
- Guide to the Seventh Street Baptist Church Records, 1803-2011
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Sloan Komissarov, Lindsay Roloff; updated by Cate Putirskis; updated by Jenny DeRocher
- Date
- 2011
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the La Crosse Public Library Archives Repository