Blackburn Collection of Pullman Community Congregational Church Records, 1961-1977

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Community Congregational Church (Pullman, Wash.)
Title
Blackburn Collection of Pullman Community Congregational Church Records
Dates
1961-1977 (inclusive)
Quantity
0.75 Linear feet of shelf space, (2 Boxes)
Collection Number
Cage 480 (collection)
Summary
Committee records, minutes, calendars, budget data, newsletters and other papers relating to activities of the Pullman, Washington, Community Congregational Church, as received and collected by the Blackburn family.
Repository
Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Terrell Library Suite 12
Pullman, WA
99164-5610
Telephone: 509-335-6691
mascref@wsu.edu
Access Restrictions

This collection is open and available for research use.

Languages
English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Charles and Alice Blackburn were active members of the Church and involved in many types of committee work. Charles was a member of the Board of Deacons, and the Self-Study Commission; Alice was a member of the Board of Trustees and the Church Council, and they both were involved the weekly Sunday night discussion groups held at the Church.

Historical NoteReturn to Top

The Pullman Community Congregational Church was originally incorporated in 1886 as the First Congregational Church of Pullman. It was the first church formally organized in Pullman, although a loosely-organized Methodist congregation preceded it by four years. The Congregationalists located their church building at the corner of High and Paradise Streets on Pullman's Pioneer Hill, rebuilding at the same location when their structure burned in the fire which destroyed much of the town in 1890. The church entered into a federation with a Pullman Baptist congregation in 1913, after which a new building was constructed on the outskirts of the Washington State University campus. The federation, however, tended to be heavily dominated by the Congregationalist element; consequently the Baptist congregation lost the recognition of the Baptist conventions. This resulted in the creation of a new and separate Baptist congregation and virtual nullification of the federation. Recognizing that the Federated Church was in reality but another manifestation of the First Congregational Church, the pastor and officers reincorporated the organization as the Community Congregational Church in 1937. The Community Congregational Church continued to use the Federated Church buildings and facilities after 1937. In 1954, the old Federated Church building was converted to meeting rooms and a new church building was constructed in an adjacent location. In 1961, the church entered into the United Church of Christ, a national denomination encompassing Congregational and Reformed churches. In 1990, the church drafted a constitution and in 1999 the church underwent renovation. As early as 1954, the church's Women's Fellowship opened The Thrift Shop, which is still in business as of 2017. It is Pullman's oldest second hand clothing store.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Committee records, minutes, calendars, budget data, newsletters and other papers relating to activities of the Pullman, Washington, Community Congregational Church, as received and collected by the Blackburn family. The records include an annual report; Board of Deacons and Board of Trustees records; budget information; church calendars; records from committees such as: Church Council, Education Committee, Self-Study Commission, and others; copies of the Church newsletter, The Communicator; the constitution and revision proposals; ministerial and general correspondence; orders of worship; sermons; membership lists; and some records of activities related to the Vietnam War. Although the records cover the period 1961-1977, the bulk of the material dates from 1966-1976.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Copyright restrictions may apply.

Preferred Citation

[Item description]

Blackburn Collection of Pullman Community Congregational Church Records, 1961-1977 (Cage 480)

Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

The records are in a single series, arranged alphabetically by subject.

Acquisition Information

The Charles E. Blackburn Papers were donated to the Washington State University Libraries by Alice K. Blackburn in October and December, l977 (MS 77-61). When the papers were processed in 1983, the Church papers were seperated into a new accession (MS 83-15).

Processing Note

This collection was seperated from the Charles E. Blackburn Papers and processed in 1983.

Separated Materials

Charles Edwin Blackburn Papers, 1930-1976 (Cage 479)

Related Materials

Pullman Community Congregational Church Records, 1886-1974 (Cage 314)

Pullman Community Congregational Church Records, 1891-1978 (Cage 448)

Preliminary Guide to the Pullman Community Congregational Church Records, 1914-2013 (MSSM.038)

West, Otho. I Remember and the Congregationalists. Pullman, Wash.: Community Congregational Church, 1970

Community Congregational United Church of Christ. Centennial History, 1886-1986 : Community Congregational United Church of Christ, Pullman, Washington. [Community Congregational United Church]; 1986.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
1 1 Annual Report
1 item.
1976-1977
1 2 Board of Deacons
13 items.
1967-1976
1 3 Board of Trustees
50 items.
1965-1967
1 4 Budget Information
50 items.
1974-1977
1 5 Church Calendars
6 items.
1969-1976
1 6 Church Council
21 items.
1972-1975
1 7 ChurchRental Policy
4 items.
1973, undated
1 8 Committees
23 items.
1966-1974
1 9 The Communicator
60 items.
1970-1977
2 10 Constitution and Revisions
10 items.
1961-1974
2 11 Education Committee
18 items.
1966-1972
2 12 General Correspondence
16 items.
1966-1975
2 13 Ministerial Correspondence
16 items.
1962-1975
2 14-15 Orders of Worship
100 items.
1964-1976
2 16 Postcard Announcements
16 items.
1968-1975
2 17 Self-Study Commission
20 items.
1972-1973
2 18 Sermons
12 items.
1969-1976
2 19 Various Lists of Members
11 items.
1966-1972
2 20 Vietnam War-Related Activities
3 items.
1973

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Church records and registers -- Washington (State) -- Pullman
  • Congregational churches -- Washington (State) -- Pullman -- Records and correspondence

Personal Names

  • Blackburn, Alice K. -- Archives
  • Blackburn, Charles Edwin, 1915-1976 -- Archives

Corporate Names

  • Community Congregational Church (Pullman, Wash.) -- Records and correspondence
  • Community Congregational United Church of Christ (Pullman, Wash.) -- Records and correspondence

Other Creators

  • Personal Names
    • Blackburn, Alice K., 1917-2013 (creator)
    • Blackburn, Charles Edwin, 1915-1976 (creator)
    Corporate Names
    • Community Congregational United Church of Christ (Pullman, Wash.) (creator)