Remembering when 'Old Zion' in Burlington was Iowa's most important spot

Today, it is just another downtown Burlington parking lot.

A few weathered stones and a small bronze plaque are all that remains to remind a passerby that this small patch of downtown was once the most important spot in all of a young Iowa.

The building that once stood on the site was the home of a number of important “firsts.” It was the first Burlington church, the first unofficial courthouse, the first town meeting hall, the first gathering place of Iowa’s territorial government and it was known to the town as “Old Zion.”

Old Zion was a 40-by-60-foot brick and stone structure built in 1838 and intended to house the First Methodist church congregation. But it is in its other roles that it is remembered in the history books.

In 1837, Iowa was part of the Wisconsin Territory, and through the manipulations of a Burlington booster — Jeremiah Smith — the legislative body of Wisconsin agreed to meet here in that year.

Smith had lured the lawmakers to town with a bespoke meeting house to house the deliberations. But the legislative session was only a month old when a fire destroyed Smith’s building. The legislators were forced to move to the upper stories of two local stores.

The next year – 1838 – Iowa was split away from Wisconsin, but the problem of finding a suitable meeting place remained. The homeless lawmakers then turned their attention to the largest structure in the river town — a new church that was being finished by the financially hard-pressed Methodist congregation.

The building occupied two city lots donated by Dr. W.R. Ross, who had been hosting church gatherings at his North Hill cabin. Ross was Burlington’s first store owner, first postmaster, first justice of the peace and the first man married in Burlington.

Ross had purchased the site at Columbia and Washington streets for $100 and did much of the original excavation work for the building when he wasn’t involved in his string of “firsts.” Ross then upped his investment in the project by contributing generously with gifts of brick, lime, lumber and labor.

Even with Ross’s help, the church’s building committee struggled and was able to raise only $1,500 for the project. As the building was readied for its opening, the Methodists found themselves mired in debt.

But the territorial governor, Robert Lucas, was aware of the problem and threw the Methodists a financial lifeline by offering to rent the building to house the Iowa legislators.

The building the territorial government got was hardly palatial. It was a box-like structure without a vestibule, cupola or bell. A wood platform extended across the front of the building on a level with audience room and a flight of steps descended to the street.

The basement was a damp, cold affair with stone walls two feet thick extending eight feet above the ground. The entire structure received a quick coating of plaster just before the lawmakers moved in.

When the legislators took possession, the members of the House of Representatives occupied the upper room and the 13 senators held forth in the crowded front basement, while partitions set off the rear of the basement for office space.

Early on, the building must have seen some language not intended for a church because those early lawmakers were a rough lot. They were young men who carried weapons into the deliberations and had a fondness for strong drink.

They began arguing almost immediately and their first target was territorial secretary Chapman who was faulted for not providing the lawmakers with proper pen knives and tin cups. Conway was cut from the same cloth and fired back he would “not tamely submit to the insults and derision of any officer of the territory.”

For a few days, there was a real threat of violence in the meeting hall. Another lawmaker noted in his diary that “the legislators adjourned in confusion. All drunk with few exceptions.”

Old Zion was also the scene of town celebrations and the Fourth of July observances in 1839 long retained a spot in the community memory. The church was reconfigured that night and benches and tables brought in. Mrs. Parrott from the Wisconsin Hotel catered the meal.

James Grimes read the Declaration of Independence, David Rorer made a speech and a band played. More than 50 toasts were raised to George Washington, the federal government and the “fair sex.” Afterward, more than a few of the guests had trouble navigating the steep steps to regain the street.

But the party could not last and, in 1841, the territorial government decamped to Iowa City. The church, however, continued to host important slices of Iowa history.

The Mormon Hodge brothers were tried in its meeting room and convicted of the murders of two West Point farmers. It was the town’s first school, and housed troops during the state’s war with Missouri.

The Methodists finally reclaimed the structure, a church bell was added and the pulpit was once again occupied. But finally a wrecking ball claimed the venerable structure.

This article originally appeared on The Hawk Eye: Remembering when 'Old Zion' in Burlington was Iowa's most important spot