New Jerusalem Reserved Congregational Church - 657 W Washington Street
When the old church burned in 1909, a new and grander one was built in a more prosperous part of town. A high steeple—that is, higher than any other church in town—was not part of the design, and many contributors were deeply upset. Roger Hallburg currently presides over the congregation.
Forgotten in a stack of moldering binders in the basement is the rotting journal of long-gone pastor Wharton Armbruster. The journal details in the cleric’s own hand his embezzlement of churchgoer donations from the rebuilding of the church back in 1909. The funds – originally slated to build a much higher steeple than the existing one – instead inexplicably went to an obscure Boston-based organization called the “Chapel of Contemplation.” Armbruster’s journal hints darkly at his clandestine involvement with this other church.
Type
Temple / Church
Parent Location
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