Episcopal Church

The church shove above is The Church of the Redeemer, which was came about in 1858.  The church at 40 Center Street was formed by Rev. J. H. Waterbury after a petition went to The Episcopal Bishop of Illinois.  Waterbury granted the Bishop's request and when he arrived in Elgin in 1857, he was quoted as saying, "I rode up to Elgin and found no one able and willing to bear any responsibility for the beloved church of which I was the humble servant".  

The church shown above was built in 1880 on land donated by H. Lee Borden, whose wife was an Episcopalian.  A fire destroyed the original church in 1916 and it was replaced a year later.  The church sustained damage due to the tornado of 1920 and was damaged by another fire in 1934.