Our History
Christ Episcopal Church of Burlington, Iowa, has a long and eventful history. On September 21, 1832 the United States acquired six million acres of Sac and Fox land west of the Mississippi River from a treaty signed with Chief Blackhawk. This created what was originally known as the Wisconsin Territory, a part of which would become the State of Iowa. Burlington became the capitol of this Territory and later the first capitol of the Territory of Iowa.
The signing of the Blackhawk Treaty opened the western shore of the Mississippi to the settlers eager to move into the opportunities this New West Offered. One of the early settlements on the Western Shore was Flint Hills. In the early spring of 1836 the steamboat Olive Branch made its way through a river full of floating ice to Flint Hills. It carried among the settlers a Missionary Bishop of the Episcopal Church, Jackson Kemper, and a young attorney, David Rorer. The two met on this journey and Mr. Rorer, who planned to practice law in Flint Hills, encouraged the Bishop to establish a mission in the town.
By 1838 Flint Hills became Burlington and had been adopted by the Episcopal Church as a Missionary Station. Bishop Kemper sent out a broad appeal for a priest to serve the Station and received but one volunteer, The Rev. John Bachelder from Illinois.
The first service by Fr. Bachelder at this Missionary Station was held on March 15, 1839 in the only religious building in Burlington, Old Zion, courtesy of the local Methodists who also permitted its use as the meeting house of the Iowa Legislature. By 1840, the Mission was organized into a Parish and the congregation proceeded to formally organize under the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States.
For several years the Methodists allowed the Episcopalians to occupy Old Zion for church services. Finally, in 1847, the Vestry resolved to acquire land for a church building at Fifth and High Streets where the present church now stands. At the same time the Vestry adopted the name “Christ Church.”
After the Civil War, the congregation flourished, outgrowing the original church building. In 1870 the Vestry began searching for a suitable site. Then for several years the church was conflicted over the choice of a site. At last, in 1884, a site for the new church was chosen: the land occupied by the original church. The old brick church was demolished and the cornerstone for the existing church was laid. Construction proceeded rapidly utilizing the classic native stone we see today. The church was occupied the following year and on May 16, 1886, the building was consecrated by the Bishop of Iowa.
As Christ Church entered into the twentieth century, the church continued strong in size and spirit. Her members contributed generously in service and treasure through two world wars and the Great Depression.
As the last century progressed, Christ Church encountered many tragedy and challenges. In 1973, disaster struck when a gas heater ignited glue fumes from newly installed carpet causing a fire that destroyed the Church building leaving only its stone walls standing. Lost were valuable church records, the Flemish carillon, the pipe organ and a priceless collection of nineteenth century stained glass windows. Symbolically the resurrection window about the Altar escaped the blaze. After the fire, Sunday services continued without interruption through the kindness of the First Presbyterian Church. Like a phoenix, Christ Church rose from the ashes, generous aid poured in from the community, area churches, and a range of other sources.
In 1991, Christ Episcopal Church celebrated her 151th anniversary and as the Church moves through the twenty-first century it continues a strong history and is anxious to share its good news with the community under the guidance of The Rev. Carl D. Mann, our Rector.
Our Spiritual Heritage
Christ Episcopal Church follows the Anglican traditions established from previous generations. We believe in God, His son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. We draw our inspiration from Holy Scripture and through corporate and individual worship as found in the rites and liturgies of the Book of Common Prayer. We also believe that all humans, male and female alike, are made in the image of God, that Jesus is both human and divine, and faith is trusting without fully knowing. As we continue into the twenty-first century, our membership is open to new opportunities to serve God and our neighbors within “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” (Jude 1:3) While acknowledging that there is a wide range of thought and opinion within our membership concerning the serious issues facing the National Church, in concert with the Holy Spirit, we prayerfully engage the Anglican methodology of Scripture, Tradition, and Reason to guide us along the Way, always remembering that God is our Father, and Christ Jesus is our Lord and our King.
The Fire and the Windows
When fire swept through the church in 1973, it destroyed most of the stained-glass windows. Only the Resurrection window behind the altar and a few others survived. Both the high altar and side altar (which was the church’s original altar) were untouched. Altar vessels, hangings, and vestments were rescued. The lectern was found upright in the basement with the Bible still on it. The pulpit also fell to the basement, but its marble base had been crushed. Church records, the tracker organ, and wall memorials were all lost. In the midst of the wreckage, two arches to the left and right of the center arch reappeared after years of being hidden from view.
One of the three Tiffany windows survived the fire. Called “The Prophet,” it is now above the baptismal font. Also above the font is “Martha” with her spinning wheel and a table prepared for a meal. Directly behind the font is a triptych that was given in honor of The Rt. Rev. Henry Washington Lee, the first bishop of Iowa. It was above the high altar until 1927, when the Resurrection window was installed. On either side of that window, high above the clerestory, are two angel windows. It’s appropriate that all the surviving windows should be at the two focal points of our life in Christ: the baptismal font and the altar.