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 (former) Emmanuel Episcopal Church Cemetery - Lancaster, Wisconsin Posted by:  iconions
N 42° 50.751 W 090° 42.650
15T E 687055 N 4746238
This one-story, wood frame, Gothic Revival building is located at 310 South Jefferson Street in Lancaster, Wisconsin.
Waymark Code: WM12WGY
Location: Wisconsin, United States
Date Posted: 07/26/2020
Views: 2
My Commentary:
This one-story, wood frame building is in the Gothic Revival Style. This is evident by the steep pitched roof and the tall, thin arched windows. As a closed Church, there is no signage for either the church or the cemetery - I will include the Wisconsin State Historic Marker as the "signage" for the cemetery. Interesting news story is attached as to why no burials were completed after turn of the century in this cemetery and the history of the church.
Platteville, Prairie du Chien Episcopal churches to have Mass in Lancaster Sunday
Two Southwest Wisconsin Episcopal churches with the word “Trinity” in their names will celebrate Trinity Sunday at a former Episcopal church site.
Trinity Episcopal Church in Platteville and Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Prairie du Chien will hold a combined Trinity Sunday Mass at the site of the former Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 310 S. Jefferson St., Lancaster, Sunday, May 26 at 10 a.m.
A picnic will follow the service. The public is invited.
Emmanuel Episcopal Church was an Episcopal Church from 1865 until the 1980s. The building was used by at least one other church after Emmanuel closed.
Westwood Parish was organized as Grant County’s first Episcopal church in the Barber & Lowry law office in Lancaster March 27, 1852. The church was organized after Elizabeth Horner of Philadelphia sent, according to reports, “about $500” for a church to be built before 1860, after which the money was to be returned to Horner.
Emmanuel’s senior warden was Nelson Dewey, who served as governor of Wisconsin from its statehood in 1848 until January 1852. William Horner, Elizabeth’s husband, served as junior warden.
The church building was completed in 1859, but not officially consecrated, due to the Civil War and the Episcopal tradition of not consecrating new churches until the building is paid for, until 1865, five years after occasional services began to be held. Bishop Jackson Kemper of the Episcopal Diocese of Wisconsin conducted the consecration and changed Westwood’s name to Emmanuel Episcopal Church. Rev. Charles Rice, rector (pastor) of Trinity Episcopal Church in Platteville, was Emmanuel’s first rector.
Next to the Emmanuel building is Westwood Cemetery, Lancaster’s oldest cemetery, active from 1841 until 1904. Burials in Westwood Cemetery include Orrin F. Dewey, Nelson’s brother, in 1841; Charles Dunn “Little Charlie” Dewey, Nelson’s son, who died at age 7; Nelson Dewey, who died in 1889; Helen M. Van Vleck Barber, first wife of Joel Allen Barber, the attorney who helped set up the parish; and George and Meta Cox, friends of Nelson Dewey. Those people are all characters in August Derleth’s novel about Nelson Dewey, The Shadow in the Glass, published in 1963.
Burials in Westwood Cemetery stopped in 1904 because of the deed of the land for the church and cemetery. Nelson and Catherine Dewey, who deeded the land to the parish in 1858, stipulated in the deed that burials be restricted to Dewey family members and members of families buried in the cemetery, subject to the approval of the Deweys and the church. Nelson Dewey was the last Dewey who could approve a Westwood burial, and he died in 1889. (The Coxes’ burials were allowed in the deed. Meta Cox was the last person buried at Westwood, in 1904.)
- SWNews4U.com published 24May2013
The closeup headstone photo is of Nelson Dewey:
Nelson Dewey
First Governor of
The State of
Wisconsin
(alpha) Lebanon, Connecticut
1814
(omega) Cassville, Wisconsin
1889
- Marker Text
NELSON DEWEY
FIRST GOVERNOR OF WISCONSIN
When Nelson Dewey left his parents' home
at Hamilton, New York at the age of 23, he
traveled by stagecoach, steamer, sailing vessel,
horse-back, and on foot to reach Wisconsin.
The trip took five weeks and Dewey arrived
in Cassville in June of 1836, about two weeks
before Wisconsin was officially established
as a territory. He soon became interested
and active in politics and when Grant County
was organized the next year, he became its
first Register of Deeds and moved to Lancaster.
Next he entered the Territorial Legislature
and when Wisconsin became the thirtieth
state in 1848, Dewey was elected its first
governor. Because of his election to such
high office at the age of 35, many people
expected him to continue in a political
career but he disliked politics and returned
to Grant County. In 1854 he began to acquire
land at Cassville and developed a 2000 acre
plantation which he called "Stonefield" today
preserved in Nelson Dewey State Park. He died
July 20, 1889 and his was the last burial
in this cemetery.
Erected 1961
- Historic Marker Text
Name of church or churchyard: (former) Emmanuel Episcopal Church Cemetery
Approximate Size: Medium (51-100)
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