Here are some of the photos from our archives, along with other photos donated by members and friends. If you have stories to tell about these photos, or have more photos to share, we would love to hear from you! We can scan your original photos and return them to you to cherish, or we will gladly accept them into our archives and preserve them for the future.
Photo Archives
First Church Collection
The front cover of this lovely album suggests that it was given to Rev. and Mrs. Huntington from First Church. Huntington served the Old First Church as pastor from 1872-1878. When the name of the person of the photo is known, we have included it in the caption. Sadly, many of the names are not…
Carl Sandburg at Central, 1953
Here are two wonderful photos of Carl Sandburg appearing at Central Church in 1953. The place was packed! Notice the ‘movable wall’ was opened to allow overflow seating.
Local Icons, National Treasures
A joint fundraiser was held on Wednesday, April 27, 2016, for the Historic Central Church Building Preservation Endowment Fund and the Carl Sandburg Historic Site Endowment. Gail Masinda, Director of Music for Central Church, gave the opening remarks and played a selection on the Triumvirate Memorial organ. Barry Swanson then talked about Sandburg’s 1953 appearance…
Rev. Dr. Sterrett Collins, Installation and Reception
Rev. Dr. Sterrett Collins was installed as pastor of Central Congregational Church on Sunday, April 3, 2016. Thank you to all who attended and assisted in this celebration.
Read more Rev. Dr. Sterrett Collins, Installation and Reception
Farewell Reception for Pastor Jim Ecklund
Members and friends of Central Congregational Church gathered after worship on February 7, 2016, to thank Pastor Jim Ecklund for his pastoral leadership. We thank Pastor Jim and his wife, Ro, for the love and ministry of these past five years. Happy retirement, Jim!
“Fran Riley Features…Marvelous Mother”
On Thursday, October 15, 2015, KWQC TV Channel 6 features reporter Fran Riley and chief photographer Randy Biery were at Central Congregational Church to tape a segment about Mary Ann “Mother” Bickerdyke. Pam Johnson, as Mother Bickerdyke, and Gail Masinda, as her friend Emily, reprised their roles from the Bickerdyke Day in May, 2015, for…
Weddings at Central
We hope you enjoy this slideshow of lovely wedding ceremonies that have taken place at Central Congregational Church through the years. (If you would like to add your photo to the collection, please contact the webmaster or church office.)
Mary Ann “Mother” Bickerdyke Day – May 6, 2015
Central Congregation and volunteers from the area teamed up to remember Mary Ann “Mother” Bickerdyke. Below the slide show are links to articles and photos which appeared in the Galesburg Register-Mail. Galesburg Register-Mail May 5, 2015 Community Remembers Bickerdyke Galesburg Register-Mail May 6, 2015 Bickerdyke Celebration: Video Galesburg Register-Mail May 6, 2015 Bickerdyke Day Helps…
Lantern Slides
Here is another unusual find – lantern slides! Lantern slides are made of glass, each one about 3 1/4″ x 4″. We can make some guesses to the dates of the slides based on content, but if anyone has more information on how to date the slides themselves, please let us know. Click on any image to…
Bickerdyke Returns to Central
Enjoy this gallery of photos taken during the second Mary Ann”Mother” Bickerdyke Day at Central Congregational Church on May 11, 2016. Many thanks to the members and friends of Central who made this wonderful event possible.
2015 Galesburg Railroad Days
These photos were taken throughout the day, June 27, during our many activities. Thank you to our photographer, John Barker. Click here to read the story.
Central Congregational Church, Galesburg, Illinois 