Category: Freeport, ILL

1906 Evangelistic campaigns Billy Sunday hosted?

Kewanee, Illinois, 1906

JANUARY

Freeport Journal-Standard. Thu, Jan 25, 1906 ·Page 1

  • Tabernacle to be built:
    • 90×120 feet
    • Will seat 2,000
    • Costs: $2,500 for lumber
    • Located at Jackson and Walnut in Freeport, ILL
  • Lumber, lighting and labor to cost $6,900
    • Freeport Journal-Standard. Tue, May 15, 1906 ·Page 1

FEBRUARY

  • Feb 17th newspaper article:
    • “Revival Wave Sweeps State”Freeport Daily Bulletin. Sat, Feb 17, 1906 ·Page 7 Refers to the upcoming April revival w Billy Sunday

MARCH

  • Freeport Daily Bulletin. Fri, Mar 16, 1906 ·Page 4
  • Sunday just finished his campaign in Princeton, ILL.
  • 1,890 conversions of a population of 5,000.
  • March 26th
    • Freeport Daily Bulletin. Mon, Mar 26, 1906 ·Page 5
    • Churches agree to NOT meet on dates of Sunday revivals

APRIL

  • Finished tabernacle by Hamlyn Brothers
  • Freeport Journal-Standard. Wed, Apr 04, 1906 ·Page 1

Initial Dates for Freeport revival set:

  • April 28 – May 11 (every night)
  • Freeport Daily Bulletin. Sat, May 12, 1906 ·Page 1

MAY

After the initial last night of May 11th, the revival was extended.

The Freeport Bulletin (May 24) says…..

  • His campaign in the city will end June 3rd.
  • Freeport Tabernacle the largest (at this point)
  • From May 11 – May 22nd, 490 conversions are reported

JUNE

Last date for Freeport Revival is June 3rd

JULY

Post Freeport campaign Freeport Journal-Standard. Thu, Jul 05, 1906 ·Page 5

  • Billy preached at Prophetstown, ILL

The 1906 Billy Sunday Revival in Freeport, Illinois: A City Shaken

In early 1906, the city of Freeport, Illinois, began to prepare for what would become one of the most talked-about spiritual events in its history: a full-scale revival campaign led by the former professional baseball player turned evangelist, Billy Sunday.

The Tabernacle and the Build-Up

As early as January 25, the Freeport Journal-Standard announced the ambitious plans for a massive temporary tabernacle to be constructed at the corner of Jackson and Walnut Streets. Measuring 90 by 120 feet and designed to seat 2,000 people, the structure reflected both the scale of Sunday’s influence and the expectations for a large crowd. With $2,500 allocated for lumber and a total projected cost of $6,900 for lighting, labor, and construction, the city made a significant investment in preparing for the revival.

By February, anticipation was spreading beyond Freeport. A February 17 Freeport Daily Bulletin article declared that a “revival wave [was] sweeping the state,” pointing to the upcoming April arrival of Sunday as a major contributor. Just weeks earlier, Sunday had concluded a powerful campaign in Princeton, Illinois, resulting in nearly 1,900 conversions out of a town of just 5,000—numbers that generated buzz and raised expectations for Freeport.

As March turned to April, preparations intensified. Local churches agreed not to hold their own services during the revival campaign, recognizing the potential for unity and focus. The Hamlyn Brothers completed the tabernacle by early April, just in time for the set launch date of April 28.

Revival Unleashed: April 28 – June 3

The revival began on April 28 and was initially scheduled to last just two weeks, ending May 11. But as nightly crowds filled the tabernacle and the number of conversions grew, the campaign was extended through June 3. By May 24, reports in the Freeport Bulletin indicated that 490 conversions had taken place just between May 11 and May 22. Momentum was building.

The Freeport tabernacle became, at that time, the largest such structure Sunday had used. Thousands streamed in nightly to hear his fast-talking, energetic sermons that combined homespun stories, baseball metaphors, and unflinching moral appeals. He denounced sin with the fervor of a prophet and the flair of a showman, and the people of Freeport couldn’t get enough. The revival stirred the city so thoroughly that even local skeptics had to admit its impact.

Aftermath and Legacy

The meetings formally ended on Sunday, June 3. Though exact figures for total conversions are not available in your data, the revival left a lasting impression. Just a month later, Sunday was preaching in Prophetstown, Illinois (Freeport Journal-Standard, July 5), continuing his revival circuit—but the spiritual spark he had ignited in Freeport still lingered.

The 1906 campaign marked a pivotal moment in Sunday’s early evangelistic career. Freeport, known for its beer and pretzels, had experienced a spiritual shake-up. Though some converts would later drift away—as often happens after revival—the consensus, even among critics, was that Sunday’s visit had made Freeport a better, more sober, more spiritually awakened city.

“The Town of Beer and Pretzels Shaken Awake”: Billy Sunday’s 1906 Revival in Freeport, Illinois

By Kraig McNutt

In the spring of 1906, the city of Freeport, Illinois—nicknamed by some as the “town of beer and pretzels”—became the unlikely stage for one of the most memorable revivals in early 20th-century American evangelicalism. It was led by none other than Rev. William Ashley “Billy” Sunday, the baseball-star-turned-evangelist whose fiery sermons and athletic stage presence would eventually captivate audiences across the country. But in Freeport, his gospel campaign left an impression still remembered more than a century later.

A Tabernacle Rises

On January 25, The Freeport Journal-Standard announced plans for a wooden tabernacle to be built at the corner of Jackson and Walnut Streets—a temporary structure, 90 by 120 feet, with seating for 2,000. The project, including lumber, lighting, and labor, came with a hefty price tag of nearly $7,000, a bold investment for a campaign that hadn’t even begun.

But the momentum was building. By February, reports described a “revival wave sweeping the state” (Freeport Daily Bulletin, February 17), with Sunday’s campaign seen as the crest of that spiritual tide. Sunday had just completed a campaign in Princeton, Illinois, where 1,890 people—over one-third of the town’s population—had responded to his call for conversion.

Anticipation spread quickly in Freeport. On March 26, area churches agreed not to hold their own meetings during the revival, uniting in support of the citywide effort. By April 4, the Hamlyn Brothers had completed the tabernacle—just in time.

“Hit the Trail!”: Revival Fire Ignites

The meetings began on April 28 and were originally scheduled to conclude May 11. But it didn’t take long before city leaders and church officials realized something extraordinary was happening. The campaign was extended through June 3.

Night after night, thousands packed into the tabernacle to hear Sunday thunder against sin and call the city to repentance. By May 22, just eleven days after the originally scheduled end date, 490 conversions had been recorded. Local papers declared the Freeport tabernacle the largest Sunday had ever used at that point in his ministry.

He preached with unmatched energy—sometimes leaping onto the pulpit or running across the stage—and wielded everyday language that even the most skeptical workingman could understand. Sunday brought the gospel to life with baseball metaphors, streetwise illustrations, and all the force of a man who believed eternity was at stake.

“A Lasting Benefit to the City”

The campaign officially ended on Sunday, June 3. Though complete statistics remain elusive, the revival had clearly left its mark. One local newspaper would later reflect that Sunday’s campaign had done “more good than we thought it would” and credited it with producing “better citizens, law-abiding and self-respecting men.”

The same article pointed out that even those who didn’t remain in the church long after the revival had still taken a meaningful step: they had responded, they had come forward, they had heard. “A step in the right direction,” it noted, “builds character.”

Sunday himself moved on to Prophetstown by early July (Freeport Journal-Standard, July 5), but in Freeport, something remained. The revival had galvanized the churches, stirred the consciences of many, and sparked conversations about faith, morality, and public life that would reverberate for months to come.

Beyond Freeport: Sunday’s 1906 Trail of Revival

The Freeport campaign was not the end of Billy Sunday’s evangelistic fire for the year—far from it. Fresh off the sawdust trail in northern Illinois, Sunday continued his whirlwind revival circuit, reaching small towns and stirring hearts across the Midwest and beyond.

Just a month after concluding in Freeport, Sunday preached in Prophetstown, Illinois, in July 1906, continuing to draw crowds eager for his message of repentance and salvation. By fall, he had moved westward to Salida, Colorado, where an unexpected snowstorm destroyed his revival tent. That loss became a turning point in his method: from that point forward, Sunday transitioned away from using large tents and instead began constructing permanent wooden tabernacles—just like the one used in Freeport.

But it was Kewanee, Illinois, in late October through early December of 1906, that demonstrated just how rapidly his influence was growing. Holding a five-week revival in the newly built National Guard Armory, Sunday drew crowds of 2,000 to 4,000 each night, with a staggering 200,000 total attendees reported. So many people flocked to hear him that some had to be turned away at the doors.

Each campaign added to Sunday’s legend, but in many ways, Freeport stood as the hinge moment—a city that proved how a local revival could shake not just individuals but an entire community. And as Sunday’s trail moved on from town to town, the echoes of his voice still lingered in the tabernacle on Jackson and Walnut, where for a few electric weeks in the spring of 1906, revival fire had burned hot in the town of beer and pretzels.

Legacy

Billy Sunday’s Freeport revival was, in many ways, a preview of what was to come. He would go on to preach to millions, become the most prominent evangelist of his era, and leave behind a complex legacy that combined bold preaching with theatrical flair. But in the spring of 1906, before national headlines, before the surge of prohibition politics and radio broadcasts, he stood in a sawdust-covered tabernacle in northern Illinois and offered one simple message: “Choose you this day whom ye will serve.”

Results from Freeport, ILL revival?

The Pantagraph. Sat, Jan 25, 1908 ·Page 5

[Refers to previous year’s campaign in Freeport.]

AFTERMATH OF SUNDAY’S WORK IN FREEPORT

SITUATION NINE MONTHS AFTER REVIVAL.

How Many of the Converts Have “Stuck” —General Effect on Some of the City—Bloomington Men to the Front.

(By Staff Correspondent.)

Freeport, Ill., Jan. 23.—Less than a year ago Rev. William Sunday, who is now holding forth in union revival meetings in Bloomington, waged war on sin and unrighteousness in this city, nicknamed the town of beer and pretzels. How have the converts stuck? Have they remained true to the public confession made when they stepped forward and gave Billy Sunday a shake of the hand? The answer must be yes or no. This is true of all revivals and the meetings conducted by the great evangelist named above are no exception. His converts remain steadfast or backslide just as those of other leaders, great or small, have in the many years gone by.

A Benefit Certainly.

No matter what the critics may say of Billy Sunday the man, or of his methods, the results of his protracted meetings are beneficial to a city. It has helped Freeport and it will likewise benefit the city of Bloomington. The fact that he has made some men in this city better citizens, law-abiding and self-respecting men, cannot be denied and the city is now much more the gainer by their residence here.

Are Marked Men.

Walk down Stephenson street, the principal business and residence thoroughfare, in company with a Freeporter, and mention the name of Billy Sunday and he will, in nine cases out of ten, raise his finger and point out a convert won by this evangelist. They are marked men, and one hears this remark often: “There goes one of Billy’s converts.” He won for Christ men and women in all walks of life, many of whom united with the church, all denominations adding to the membership roll. Some remained true but a short time, yet even so, the step they took was in the right direction and indicated a previous good thought and good thoughts build up and make character.

A Good Judge.

Perhaps there is no one in a city who knows the people, their history and life better than the newspaper man. A local newspaper writer said: “Billy Sunday did more good in this town than I thought he could and it seems to be a lasting benefit. While, of course, many backslide, some as soon as the evangelist departed, others have remained true to their vow and have become leaders in church work. Really more “stuck” by far than I expected.

It is said one of the leading business men of the town, who used to go on periodical sprees, after hearing Billy Sunday’s sermon on “Booze” became converted and his friends have been congratulating him on his stick-to-it-tive-ness.

About Usual Number.

Another resident said as the result of the meetings conducted here last year about the average number of converts are continuing steadfast. The pastors, following Mr. Sunday’s departure, put their shoulders to the wheel and took up the work where the evangelist left off.

They got young people into the church and put them to work, so on the whole it must be admitted that Freeport was made a better city by the religious awakening under the leadership of the man who is arousing such interest in things religious in Bloomington.

A Comparison.

This city has a population of 20,000 in round numbers and, being the center of 26,000,000 people, all within 400 miles, had a good territory from which to draw the crowds to hear Mr. Sunday, whose meetings continued from April 28 to June 4 of last year. Yet the attendance was small compared to that in Bloomington. The tabernacle was not quite so large and the crowds were not so immense. The people did not hang from rafters and almost by the eyebrows as is the case in Bloomington. In fact, the record shows an average attendance of only 2200 at a meeting, while the 5000 mark was only reached one evening, on June 3.

It took over three weeks to raise the amount needed for the expenses of running the meetings, about an equal sum as required in Bloomington. The Rev. Mr. Sunday called the people here, who are chiefly Germans, the “stingy Dutch,” but before his meetings closed the purse strings were loosened like they had not been in years past. The people of this city did well by Mr. Sunday. He on one occasion declared the curse of Freeport to be “the set of infidels who live here.”

Amount Paid Mr. Sunday.

The first converts were secured May 11, when sixteen went forward, and the largest number at any one time 184, on May 30, the total number of converts being 1365. Up to January 28 in Bloomington the total number of converts was 2,000, with a total attendance on that date of 20,000. The people of Freeport gave Billy Sunday $3064.38 for his services, extending over a period of five weeks and three days.

Helped Y.M.C.A.

Mr. Sunday remained over one day to help the Y. M. C. A., which had a debt of $11,500 hanging over it. Secretary Ralph Smedley, of the local Y. M. C. A., formerly of Bloomington, had just assumed charge at this time and had secured, with the assistance of others, some $9000 in pledges. Mr. Sunday at his farewell meeting raised $2000 and all pledges were announced at this meeting, showing a sum total of $12,000 secured by the Y. M. C. A., placing the association on a substantial footing.

Bloomington Men to the Front.

Heading two of the most important institutions which go to make any city are two Bloomington young men, Mr. Ralph Smedley, secretary of the Y. M. C. A., and Mr. Wilbur Coons, secretary of the Freeport Business Men’s Association. So successful has been Mr. Smedley in his work that the committee in search of a secretary for the Business Men’s Association made straight for Bloomington to find their man. And if the town needs others there are plenty more at home like these. No lack of material in the Evergreen City. Mr. Smedley received his training in the work while educational secretary of the Bloomington Y. M. C. A. and is making good progress. Under his leadership all departments of work have taken on new life and the membership is steadily growing. The register now shows 432 and they are passing toward the 500 mark.

Secretary Coons, who was a member of the Bloomington Bulletin editorial staff and a first-class newspaper man, has only recently taken up his new duties here. He has just issued a new circular setting forth the advantages of this city which is growing rapidly. It is largely a manufacturing town, several very large establishments being located here. Here are also the largest windmill factories in the world. The Business Men’s Association has over 150 members and owns fine factory sites. There are over thirty miles of paved streets, nine of these are of brick laid since 1902, and twenty-one of macadam.