Ironton’s Early Churches 1872

IRONTON — OF SWEET LONG AGO
THE IRONTON NEWS
January 23, 1929

Items that Irontonians Read in The Ironton Weekly
Register During the Year 1872.
Submitted by Tom Everett

The churches are among the most vital and important of the community’s interests. Their influence is widely extended and their benefits like the blessings of light, air, and water, are so common that scarcely any notice is taken of them. We speak from a Second Street Standpoint. Churches are good in themselves. Commerce, manufacturing, and Society partake of their advantages and hardly an idle recognition of their sources of how their dissemination is maintained.

Through considerable pains we are enabled this week, to give to our readers a few facts concerning our religious institutions; their membership, cost of preaching, the strength of Sabbath Schools, and the Church debts, premising that our facts came from the ministers who kindly met our request to furnish them.

Ironton has a population of about 8,000. The churches in active operation are to the number of 12. The Church membership, Catholic and Protestant foots up to 2,876 or one-third of the entire population. The total amount of money expended last year was $16,673 or about $2 for each man, woman, and child.

We speak first of the Protestant Churches, taking their past year as a criterion; Their membership numbers 1,126 all told. These churches pay out preachers’ salaries of $843 a year, ranging from $33 to $1,500. They disburse for light, fuel, janitors, and other running expenses of $1,400 per annum. Other collections for charities, improvements and etc., amounted to $4,504. Their debt is $2,900. The average attendance at all the Sabbath Schools is given at 952.

There are as near as we can learn 1,000 members of St. Lawrence Church. The German Catholic Church reports 750 members which gives the Catholic membership in Ironton at 1,750, a large number of the Catholic membership reside outside the city. We now give the figures pertaining to each Church.

Presbyterian Church Ironton, Ohio

Rev. H. Calhoun, Pastor.

Present roll of members, 200.
Ministers Salary — $1,500.
For Missions and Charity — $575.
Average attendance at S. S. — 157.
Amount collected from S. S. — $228.
The number of sermons — 200.

Spencer Chapel

Rev. J. Mitchell, Pastor.

The number of members — 200.
Avg. Attendance at S. S. — 125.
Minister’s salary — $1200.
Church expenses — $240.
Collection for Benevolent — $555.
Amount Collected from S. S. — $150.

Ironton, Ohio, Baptist Church

Baptist Church

Rev. Mr. Kennedy, Pastor.
The number of members — 120.
Avg. Attendance at S. S. — 65.
Minister’s Salary — $1000.
Collection for S. S. — $57.

German Reform Church

Rev. Mr. Meiboom Pastor, served almost a year and is doing good.

Number of members — 103
Avg. Attendance at S. S. — 60.
Salary of Minister — $500.
Expenses of Church and other collections — $1007.
Amount collected from S. S. — $45
Indebtedness of Church — $1200.

Episcopal Church

Rev. A. R. Keiffer, Rector.

Smallest Church in town but gaining strength.

Number of Communicants — 40.
Avg. Attendance at S. S. — 100.
Minister’s salary — $1050.
Church expenses — $20.
Avg. per member — $14.
Collected from S. S. — $25.
Other collections — $180.

Christian Church

Rev. Mr. Robertson, the Pastor, has Been here for five months.
Built a new church last year. Prosperous conditions.

Several members — 100.
Avg. attendance at S. S. — 60.
Minister’s salary — $1040
Collected from building — $3000.
Collected from S. S. — $50.
Indebtedness of Church — $1500.

Methodist Wesley Chapel

Rev. J. Frampton is on the third year of his pastorate.

Has a live-growing church.
The number of members — 200.
Avg. attendance at S. S. — 175.
Number of sermons preached — 120
Minister’s salary — $1000.
Church expenses are about — $210.
Amount collected from S. S. — $120

Congregational And East Ironton Mission

Congregational And East Ironton Mission
Rev. J. Thomas, Pastor.

This gentleman occupies two pulpits and has been so engaged for about four years. Is doing a good job.
Statistics for the churches jointly:
The number of members — 92.
Avg. Attendance at S. S. — 160.
Minister’s Salary — $800.
Expenses — $150.
Col. For other purposes — $300.
Amount collected for S. S. — 475.
Indebtedness (East Ironton Mission) — $200.

German Lutheran Church

Rev. Wm. Meir, Pastor.

He has been here for four months. Statistics are as follows.
The number of members — 70.
Average attendance at S. S. — 50.
Salary of Pastor — $450.
Church Expenses — $60.

St. Joseph Catholic

Rev. Father Fisher, Pastor.

He has been here since the organization of the Church. Strong Church and fast increasing. Figures are given as follows.

Members (130 families) — 750.
Priests salary — $6000
Church expenses — $1300.
Col. for other purposes — $400.
Church indebtedness — $4000.

An examination of the above figures must force anyone to comprehend the fact of how the cost, considering the magnitude of the benefits. Ironton pays out to support our civil and educational institutions over $75,000 yearly; while for our religious concerns, which are the foundation of the others a little rising $16,000 comprehend the disbursements. The statistics, we give, disclose another material fact: — That there is a wide [word unreadable] where the harvesters have not [word unreadable].