Henry Ward Beecher and the Church on the Circle
- Ed Fujawa
- Apr 17
- 6 min read
For a few years I have attempted to diversify my blog to include shorter posts, which take only a few minutes to read, versus the 2,000+ word posts which are the norm. This has been difficult, since I tend to research even the most mundane topics to the nth degree. But this post will hopefully be shorter and has its inspiration from when I was downtown a few Saturdays ago. As I walked on Monument Circle, I spotted this plaque, attached to the side of the building on the northwest quadrant of the Circle, which most recently was the headquarters of Anthem Insurance, and previously the site of the English Hotel and Opera House.
Now I have seen this plaque probably hundreds of times over the past 18 years of working downtown. However, I had never taken a photo of it or thought about writing a blog post about the subject of the plaque. As the plaque notes, on that site stood the Second Presbyterian, a church which has become one of the most well-known churches in the city, and whose current location, in the 7700 block of Meridian Street, dominates the landscape along that stretch of road. The church’s founding was the result of a break in the church between what was described as the New and Old School. This break was a national schism, and in Indianapolis, it resulted in a minority of the membership of the First Presbyterian Church forming the Second’s new congregation which was organized on November 19, 1838, as indicated on the plaque.
Samuel Merrill, one of the city’s founders, and at the time, the president of the Indiana State Bank, was not a member of the congregation at first, but took interest in the new church since friends and family members were involved with the church. Merrill and a search committee from the new church, made efforts to find a new minister, and after several declinations from local prospects, eventually found a new minister: Henry Ward Beecher of Lawrenceburg[h], Indiana.
Entire books have been written about Beecher and his interesting, and sometimes infamous life. He was a nationally known figure in the mid to late 1800s, although in modern times, I think it is fair to say that his fame has been eclipsed by his famous sister, Harriett Beecher Stowe, who wrote the pivotal novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Published in 1852, the novel became a flashpoint in the lead up to the Civil War and was a rallying point for abolitionists in the United States. Henry shared his sister’s abolitionists views, although most his activities on this front did not arise until after his time in Indianapolis. As noted on the plaque, the church was founded in the fall of 1838, but Beecher did not formally take the pulpit until July of 1839.
The church building on the Circle, where the plaque is located today, was not constructed at the time Beecher arrived, and the congregation met in the Marion County Seminary Building. The lot for the church had been purchased for $1,000 in May of 1839 from the state of Indiana, which was holding the lot for garden and stable space for the Governor’s mansion, which was located at the center of the Circle, where the Soldiers and Sailors Monument is located. $8,800 was spent for the design and construction of wood framed, two story church building which was constructed by Ephraim Colestock, an early Indianapolis contractor and architect. The church was dedicated in October of 1840, and sported a prominent “yankee” style of steeple.
Beecher only served as pastor of Second Presbyterian in Indianapolis until 1847, but in that time became one of the city’s most well-known citizens, thanks to charismatic personality and tireless energy. He was active in community events, in addition to his duties with the church, and associated with the city’s most prominent residents, as well as lawmakers in town for the General Assembly. Historian Berry Sulgrove described in his history of the city how Beecher, who was a member of the volunteer fire department, jumped in to assist in fire fighting efforts when Washington Hall, located on the northeast corner of Washington and Capitol, caught fire in February of 1843. At the time the largest fire to ever strike the city, Beecher “was one of the most daring and effective of the workers, and got his clothes frozen on him and his hair full of ice…”. Beecher is also frequently mentioned in local press and in the diaries of Calvin Fletcher, who associated with Beecher on numerous community related activities, including the horticultural society. Beecher was also involved with various newspapers in the city, often spending leisure time in the offices of the Journal, and as editor of the Western Farmer & Gardner section of that newspaper.
His reputation grew, as did his circles of friends and influence, and he was called upon by many cities and towns outside of Indianapolis to preach at their far-flung churches. Through his efforts, and reputation, Second Presbyterian also grew, and became established as one of the most prominent churches in the city. The church building from around the time that Beecher was pastor is shown below in a 'then and now' with a sketch by Christian Schrader. Schrader was born in 1842 and did many of his sketches from memory later in life. This image is looking east towards what was at the time Governor's Circle, from the intersection with Illinois Street. The back of Second Presbyterian Church is left of center on the corner facing the governor's mansion.
Beecher continued to preach in Indianapolis until 1847, when he accepted a position at the Plymouth Church in Brooklyn. He departed the city on the first outbound train after the completion of the Madison & Indianapolis Railroad and then took a steamboat up the Ohio River to the east coast. Beecher would go on to great fame, especially in the years leading up to the Civil War, and notoriety, in New York.
In addition to his ministerial and public speaking endeavors, and his abolitionist activities in the decade before the Civil War, Beecher was also reputed to have been a habitual philanderer. He allegedly carried on relationships with multiple women, some who were members of his congregation, with some sources suggesting the behavior stretched all the way back to his time in Indianapolis. His close relationships with Julia Merrill and Elizabeth Bates, both daughters of prominent Indianapolis families, attracted attention, especially in regard to Bates. The Beecher biography “The Most Interesting Man in the World,” noted rumors around Indianapolis in the 1840s of “criminal intimacy” by Beecher in regard to Bates, although these allegations were contested by many of his friends in the city.
In 1874 Beecher was accused of adultery and sued for “criminal conversation,” which was essentially a civil action for adultery, by a member of his congregation whose wife had been involved with Beecher. This man, Theodore Tilton, confronted Beecher claiming that “[y]ou have been guilty of adultery with numerous members of your congregation ever since your Indianapolis pastorate…”. The resulting trial and scandal was the subject of significant newspaper coverage and attention across the country, including in Indianapolis. The trial took place in early 1875 and ended with a deadlocked jury, and with Beecher somehow surviving the scandal, being acquitted during a congregational trial, and continuing with his ministry until his death in 1887.
Second Presbyterian continued to operate on the Circle after Beecher’s departure, but in 1867 the congregation moved to a new church which had been constructed north of the Circle, where the World War Memorial stands today (northwest corner of Vermont and Pennsylvania). The original church building had its distinctive steeple removed and was later dubbed “Circle Hall” and was sold to the city’s public school system in 1867.
The now former church building was remodeled for use as the city’s high school starting that next year. This lasted only a short time, until 1871, and then building was sold to William English and used for a variety of purposes, including medical offices, rooms for rent, and a “steam dye house.” The most prominent use was as a school of music and art school, which was its use in the photo above. The building continued to serve in this capacity until it was torn down in 1897 for an expansion of the adjacent English Hotel.
Sources
Applegate, Debby. The Most Famous Man In America: The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher. New York: Doubleday, 2006.
Elsmere, Jane Shaffer. Henry Ward Beecher: The Indiana Years, 1837-1847. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society, 1973.
Sulgrove, B. R. History of Indianapolis and Marion County, Indiana. Philadelphia: L.H. Everts & Co., 1884.
I’ve recently read Elsmere‘s book about Beecher! My sister found it in a book drive. One of my favorite parts was of him describing himself chasing a pig and I laughed out loud. She did skip over his relationships with women only saying Julia Merrill and Elizabeth Bates had correspondence suggesting they may have viewed him that way.