Unitarians and Universalists
in Iowa City

UUSIC traces its beginning back to 1841, six years before Iowa achieved statehood, when a small Universalist congregation hired its first minister. A few years later, they bought its first church for $90.

Four different male ministers served these Universalists over the next 20 years before the Rev. Augusta Chapin was called in 1869, not long before the wooden church burned to the ground. After a year in rented quarters, the congregation built a new church on the corner of Clinton Street and Iowa Avenue and dedicated it in 1873, shortly before Rev. Chapin left the city.

Five years of hard times found the congregation low in both membership and funds, a situation which took a decided turn for the better when the American Unitarian Association in Boston offered to fund a minister's salary if the Universalist congregation would provide a church building. With the offer accepted, the Rev. Oscar Clute became the new minister. Services continued at the Clinton-Iowa Avenue site until about 1906, when the congregation sold its building to The University of Iowa. Money from that sale made it possible to build our present building at the corner of Gilbert Street and Iowa Avenue.

Philanthropist Andrew Carnegie provided money for the "Mighty Felgemacher," our organ, which is still providing music today -- although no longer pumped by hand! Assistance in the early years of the UUSIC also came from such Unitarian Universalists as Horace Greeley and P.T. Barnum.

As had long been anticipated, the Universalist and Unitarian denominations merged nationally in 1961--a union accomplished de facto many years earlier by the Iowa City congregation.

Of our twenty-nine "settled" ministers (ministers who held permanent, full-time appointments rather than interim service between settled ministers), Rev. Evans Worthley holds the record for being at UUSIC the longest, for his service, from 1931 to 1951, extended through the Depression, World War II and the baby-boomer years. Built a decade after he retired, the addition that today houses the office, library, and UUSIC Lifespan Religious Education classrooms, bears his name: the Worthley Building. Likewise, the monthly dinners launched by his wife, Amy, continued until 2012 under their original name, Worthley Evenings.

In 2011 we welcomed our new, settled minister, Reverend Steven Protzman.

From Within These Walls In 2008, our congregation celebrated the 100th birthday of our UUSIC home at 10 S. Gilbert. As part of the celebration, UUSIC authors penned a series of articles, From Within These Walls, which document our history in Iowa City.
The Historical Records Committee is continuing this work through articles about UUSIC history for the UU News, our monthly newsletter.