History

First Presbyterian Church was founded in 1855 with 22 members.  Clay for the foundation bricks was quarried from the pit that is now the “Lake in the Park.”  In 1866 a hand-pumped pipe organ was installed.  In the mid – 1890’s, the manse you see next door was built and furnished by gifts from the Women’s Missionary Society.  

The original frame building was torn down in 1903, and workers began digging the foundation for the present, larger church building.  The cornerstone was dedicated on October 4, 1904.  In 1914, a Hinner’s pipe organ, built in Pekin, was installed.  It was originally powered by a water pump operating on city water pressure and was later converted to an electro-pneumatic system.  In 1962, the Hinners Pipe Organ from the chapel at Wesleyan University was moved to Delavan and combined with our organ, making it the largest of its kind in this part of Illinois, second only to the organ at the Scottish Rite in Peoria.  There are now 38 ranks, totaling nearly 3,000 pipes.

Most recently, the electro-mechanical relays have been replaced by a digital-electronic system.  While this latest upgrade enhances the versatility of the organ and speeds communication between the keyboard and the pipes, it has not affected the rich and thrilling voice of the instrument.

The large stained glass windows, “Jesus, the Good Shepard” and “Mary at the Empty Tomb,”

are original to this building.  Note also the seven “Symbols of the Faith” windows at the back of the sanctuary: The Suffering and Death of Jesus; The Kingdom of God; The Sower of Gospel; The Harvest of Believers; The Rescue of the Lost Sheep; The Holy Trinity; and The Word of God.

A complete history of First Presbyterian Church was compiled by George Culbertson for the 150th Anniversary of the founding of the church and is available upon request.