A City of Steeples

Shortly after the new town of Mattoon was chartered, new residents began to practice the faith traditions they brought with them to the prairie. Before the turn of the last century, many church steeples pierced the sky. Many of those iconic early churches or their predecessors are still in use today.

Immaculate Conception Catholic Church	The Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church Parish was founded in 1856. The first church was a frame structure located at 1920 Richmond. In 1884 the parish purchased the entire block between 20th and 21st street on Richmond and began a new church which was dedicated on December 11, 1887. On October 22, 1890 the church was gutted by fire. The outside walls remained and the restored church was re-dedicated on January 1, 1891.
Immaculate Conception Catholic Church	The church was extensively remodeled in 2000.
Trinity Episcopal Church	Trinity Episcopal Church was formed in 1879 and held services in a frame building at 216 N. 21st Street. In 1906, Trinity Church purchased the building that had been built by the Unitarian Church in 1872 at 2200 Western Avenue.
	The Cumberland Presbyterian Church was established at 1321 Broadway in 1862.
	In 1903 the Presbyterian Church constructed a new church at 2201 Western Avenue and in 1919 the two Presbyterian Churches combined as First Presbyterian Church in the building at 2201 Western.
	The Presbyterian Church was established in a frame building at 20th & Prairie in 1858.
	On May 6, 1973, First Presbyterian dedicated a new church building at 10 Charleston Avenue.
	The A.M.E., African Methodist Episcopal Church was formed in 1865. They met in various places until a church was built at 523 N. 20th in 1888. The last service was held in 1974.
	The Methodist Episcopal Church was formed in 1859 and built their first church at 1318-20 Champaign.
	In 1871 a new church was built at 17th & Charleston, closer to the center of town. That church burned to the ground on June 15, 1901.
	A new church at 1601 Charleston was started immediately and dedicated on February 1, 1903
	The Bethel Baptist Church was established in the 1400 block of Wabash in 1856. In 1869 they became affiliated with the United Bretheran Church. They built a new building at 1421 Wabash in 1938 and in 1968 the Bretheran and Methodist churches merged. The Wabash Avenue church assumed the name of Faith Methodist Church.
	St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church began holding services in the vacant Unitarian church at 2200 Western, in 1893. About 1904 a structure at 2220 Champaign was acquired and served as a church until 1921, when St. John’s purchased the vacant Cumber-land Presbyterian building. The church joined the Missouri Synod in 1912. In 1953, the church purchased land at 200 Charleston Avenue and built the present day church.
	The First Congregational Church was organized in 1871 and built a church at 1520 Charleston Avenue.
	In 1925 it was reorganized as the Central Community Church and in 1967 moved into a new building at 200 Lafayette East. The ornate round stained glass windows were moved from the original church to the new structure.
	First Christian Church was formed in 1859, a small frame church building was constructed at 1600 Wabash. In 1895 a new church building was dedicated and in 1928 the educational building was added to the north.
	The 1895 building developed many structural issues and was torn down so that a new modern building could be built in 1959.
	First Baptist Church began holding services in various buildings in 1863. In 1902 they purchased the unoccupied Presbyterian Church at 20th and Prairie and in 1925 built a new church at 220 N. 19th.
First Baptist Church	In 1966 they moved to a new church building at 1804 S. 9th. In 1966, the Mattoon Christian Church was formed and purchased the building at 220 N. 19th.
	As the new century began, more churches were established in Mattoon. Some would be affiliated with established denominations and some would be non-denominational. Today, church life is an important part of the Mattoon community.