Category: Campaign

“Over-flow” crowd at Billy Sunday’s Tabernacle. Syracuse, NY. c. 1915

​

Billy Sunday conducted a significant revival campaign in Syracuse, New York, from October 31 to December 19, 1915. This campaign was part of his broader evangelistic efforts during the 1910s, a period when he held major revivals in cities like Philadelphia, Kansas City, Detroit, Boston, Buffalo, and New York City.

Lincoln Journal Star

Fri, Dec 31, 1915 · Page 2

LEADING CITIZENS LINED UP

BIG MEN OF SYRACUSE HIT TRAIL AT SUNDAY MEETINGS.

Remarkable Results Achieved by Evangelist as Told by Member of Local Committee.

Here is the story of the Billy Sunday campaign in Syracuse, N. Y., as told by a local committeeman in the current issue of the Christian Advocate, one of the leading Methodist papers of the country:

The seven weeks of the ‘Billy’ Sunday campaign have passed altogether too quickly. The interest which was at the flood when representatives of fifty-four churches in 250 automobiles, and hundreds of the faculty and students of Syracuse university, led by the university brass band, met ‘Billy’ Sunday and his party at the railroad station on the afternoon of October 30, and escorted them to the handsome residence on Onondaga street which was to be their home while in Syracuse, has continued without abatement, and there has been no slump at any time in the attendance at the services, a somewhat unusual circumstance Mr. Sunday tells us. At the evening services and three times on Sunday the tabernacle has been packed with an audience numbering from 12,000 to 15,000 people and an evening when, on account of a snowstorm, the streets were well-nigh impassable, was no exception. People from as far west as Buffalo have come in large delegations to the afternoon services and members of the Sunday party have gone out into communities within a radius of fifty miles of Syracuse, and have held evangelistic services and organized classes for Bible study. Stores, factories, high schools and the university have given Mr. Sunday and his party the largest possible audience. No class of persons has been omitted by the ministry of these good people, from the maids in the kitchen to the people of refinement and wealth, into whose homes Mr. Sunday has been most welcome. The choir of 4,500 people was composed of persons without regard to race, color or creed, and this choir was divided into choruses of 1,500 each, one chorus being made up of men, and was under the masterful leadership of a member of the party known familiarly as “Rhody,” who is a soloist trombonist and between whom and Mr. Sunday there is the feeling that existed between David and Jonathan.

A Memorable Sabbath.

A service that stands out conspicuously as one of the most wonderful of the campaign was held on Sunday morning, November 14, when, following the sermon, Mr. Sunday gave the invitation for the first time for the people to come forward and take his hand and 1,500 responded, some for reconsecration, others to announce for the first time their desire to lead the christian life.

Memorable Sabbath that, for Pentecost repeated itself, when over 3,000 “hit the trail.” Another service not soon to be forgotten was on Sunday morning, December 12, when, after a powerful sermon by Mr. Sunday, and an appeal which brought hundreds to the front, Chancellor Day was invited to the platform, to pray for the penitents, and as he and the evangelist stood side by side, men equally great in their respective realms, and the chancellor poured out his soul in a wonderful prayer for those who were inquiring the way of salvation, the great assembly was mightily moved.

The greatest week-day evening, perhaps, was what was known as university night, when about 3,000 of the faculty and students, led by the university band, marched to the tabernacle.

Opportunity was given by the leader before the service for college songs and yells, and the people from the hill certainly owned things for a while. After the sermon, when the invitation was given, scores went forward and took Mr. Sunday by the hand, thereby indicating their desire to lead a Christian life.

Mr. Sunday and his co-workers have given much of their time to the students, speaking to them at mass meetings, chapel services and in their fraternities, sororities and dormitories, with the result that up to this time over 400 have hit the trail.

Hundreds Unite With Churches.

The results of this wonderful religious movement can only be tabulated in part at this time. While hundreds have united with the churches, hundreds who have not been active in the church for years have renewed their vows. Employers have come down the aisles of the tabernacles on evenings when their employees have been attending in a body, leading them by twos and threes to the front. Business men and manufacturers have suspended business and work that their employees might hear the message from Mr. Sunday or a member of his party. Firms which at the beginning were not especially friendly to the movement have extended warm welcomes to those who would hold meetings in the shops. As a striking instance of a change of front toward the Sunday campaign, one church which did not join in the invitation to Mr. Sunday to come to this city, and refused to be one of the co-operating churches in the campaign, was represented on the evening when the brotherhood of the different churches occupied reservations by the rector and over one hundred men. True it is that the people who are speaking against Mr. Sunday are the folks who have refused to hear him.

The liquor traffic has been roughly handled. While “Billy” Sunday does not preach a sermon in which he does not score the rum business, when he preached the booze sermon he said: “You have heard me make a few remarks about the liquor traffic that you might get your mental adjustments, but next Sunday I will preach on booze or get on the water wagon, and this sermon always gives the devil the pneumonia.” Afternoons and evenings he preached to audiences of men only, who packed the tabernacle, and that sermon and his general crusade against the liquor business have certainly made the liquor men sick (of their business). Business in some of the down-town places has fallen off 30 per cent. In three places, where crowds have been accustomed to gather at night, the clientele has been cut almost in two. The receipts of the most fashionable bar in the city have fallen off 80% and an aloonkeeper in referring to the matter said: “The Billy Sunday has about destroyed the saloon business in Syracuse.” Several bartenders have hit the trail and one or lookkeeper, after he had hit the trail, went back to his home and called up the brewers who were back of him in business and told them they could take the business, for he was through. On the day when the “booze” sermon was preached a card requesting the mayor to enforce the law relative to Sabbath observance and liquor traffic was signed by 18,000 voters.

Secular Press Endorses Sunday.

To quote from a recent editorial in one or but our evening papers not especially favorable to the campaign at the beginning: “Cleaner speech, the only reliable index of clean thought, is everywhere noted. There is a sensible abatement of vice of every kind. Moral derelicts have been rescued by the hundreds and have been placed on th solid ground of hope and renewed self-confidence, but the individual instances of strange conversations, better resolutions sand redeemed estrays do not begin to measure the results of the Sunday crusade. The whole atmosphere of the community has been charged with a fresh and bracing moral ozone and to Mr. Sunday and his party we extend our sincere expression of appreciation, respect and gratitude.”

Last Day of Campaign.

On the last day, Sunday, December 19, four services were held. One of the afternoon services was for men only and with such power did Mr. Sunday reason on the judgment to come that five hundred men responded to his appeal at the close of the sermon. In the evening the tabernacle was packed in every part by thirteen thousand people, hundreds being turned away. The evangelist urged the people to an immediate decision, with the result that fifteen hundred hit the trail. More of the leading citizens took a stand for Christ at these meetings than at any of the previous services. An impressive feature of the evening service was when Mr. Sunday invited members of his party to come on the platform and the vast audience, led by a choir of fifteen hundred voices, sang: “God be with you till we meet again” and gave the chautauqua salute.

Twenty-three thousand one hundred and fifty-five hit the trail during the campaign. Over $50,000 has been received through the offerings, several thousands going to local charities. Mr. Sunday received $11,155 as a free-will offering. The evangelist paid a high compliment to the people of Syracuse at the closing service. He said because of their co-operation with him and their effort to provide him with every comfort he was leaving a very much better man physically than when he came. Thousands went to the depot and sang the songs they had learned to love to Mr. and Mrs. Sunday, whom they had also learned to love, as they took their departure to their western home.

The [Wilkes-Barre] Times Leader. Mon, Dec 20, 1915 ·Page 25

SUNDAY CAMPAIGN CLOSES

Syracuse Gives Evangelist $23,000 and Nearly 20,000 Converts

With the free will offering amounting to more than $23,000 and the converts numbering nearly 20,000, the Billy Sunday campaign at Syracuse closed yesterday amid great enthusiasm. More than 2,000 converts marched down the aisle and grasped the evangelist by the hand during the day.

It is understood that personal checks amounting to several hundred dollars have not yet been counted in the free-will offering and the total collection is expected to reach close to $24,000. Syracuse now ranks third in point of attendance, conversions and free-will offering of all the cities in which the evangelist conducted campaigns.

The Buffalo News. Mon, Dec 20, 1915 ·Page 3

BILLY SUNDAY CLOSES SYRACUSE CAMPAIGN

911,000 Total Attendance—Trail-hitters Numbered 22,449.

Syracuse, Dec. 29—Rev. Billy Sunday closed his seven weeks evangelistic campaign in Syracuse last night. At four meeting during the day he preached to more than 50,000 persons. His thanks offering was $23,112.

The total attendance at the Sunday meetings was 911,000, trail hitters numbered 22,449. The evangelist and his wife left last night for their home at Winona Lake, Wis., to rest a week before opening the campaign at Trenton, N. J., one week from Sunday. Five thousand persons gathered at the railroad station to bid him farewell.

In one of his closing sermons Sunday took a fling at ‘cold church people,’ saying among other things: ‘I’ve got no use for a bottle-fed church. Some preachers are like huge nursing bottle with 500 rubber tubes running to a lot of 200-pound babies in the churches and the preacher has to be a wet nurse to the whole bunch.’

Revival and Collapse: Billy Sunday’s Fiery Campaign in Burlington, Iowa (1905)

By Kraig McNutt

From the moment he arrived in Burlington, Iowa, in November 1905, Rev. William “Billy” Sunday brought with him more than a revival campaign—he brought a storm. For six intense weeks, Sunday preached to thousands daily, confronted sin with his trademark “hammer and tongs” style, and called the city to spiritual awakening.

But the campaign didn’t just stir souls. It nearly cost him his life.

A Town on Fire—Spiritually Speaking

Sunday’s campaign in Burlington ran from November 9 to December 17, 1905. In that span, he preached to crowds of 6,000 to 10,000 in a massive wooden tabernacle built for the occasion. The energy was electric. At one point, over 1,279 converts had been counted, and by the end of the campaign, the total reached 2,484.

The Muscatine Journal described Sunday’s preaching as if “swaying a storm-beaten ocean.” In a men’s meeting alone, 112 responded to the call, with many more turned away due to overcrowding.

But Sunday’s sermons weren’t just altar calls—they were cultural critiques. He lambasted spiritual apathy, criticized parental neglect, and took direct aim at profanity, indifference, and moral complacency. In one memorable line, he warned:

“You say, ‘It is nobody’s business what I do.’ But hear me—it is everybody’s business what everybody does.”

His sermons were equal parts gospel and social conscience.

Revival or Overkill?

Not everyone was thrilled. A Cedar Rapids Gazette editorial warned that while Sunday was sincere, his tone could be offensive and even vulgar. Some churchgoers felt he used “language of the gutter” and painted humanity as far too depraved. They admired his passion but questioned his method:

“Offensiveness and vulgarity may emanate from the pulpit as well as from any other source… but ‘Billy’ Sunday is sincere, and sincerity is a virtue that is not to be despised.”

It was this very sincerity—his relentless, full-throttle commitment—that finally broke him.

The Collapse Heard Across the Midwest

On Monday, December 18, 1905, as Sunday prepared to preach to yet another crowd of 4,000, he suddenly collapsed on stage, fainting in front of the shocked audience. Reports soon circulated that his life was in danger, and that weeks of nonstop preaching had led to total physical and nervous exhaustion.

The Dixon Evening Telegraph wrote:

“He had been preaching steadily day and night for months and during the preceding week had not slept.”

While Sunday recovered and eventually continued his national ministry, the Burlington collapse marked a critical moment—a reminder that even spiritual giants are still human.

A Lasting Impact on Burlington

Despite the toll on Sunday’s health, the Burlington campaign left deep footprints in the city. By the time the tabernacle closed:

  • 2,500 had publicly confessed Christ
  • $4,000 had been raised in free-will offerings
  • The mayor ordered all saloons closed on Sundays
  • A Civic Reform League with 150 members formed to continue the moral reform efforts sparked by Sunday’s preaching

According to The Grand Rapids Press, the final night saw 7,000 people crammed inside, with 5,000 more unable to get in. It was one of the most dramatic and consequential campaigns of Sunday’s early career.

Legacy: The Revival That Cost Everything

The Burlington campaign reveals the paradox of Billy Sunday’s revivalism:

  • His methods were polarizing—but effective.
  • His energy was boundless—but not limitless.
  • His message stirred the masses—but came at personal cost.

Still, Sunday “played ball” in the pulpit the way he had on the baseball field: heart first, full speed, no reserve.

And in December 1905, Burlington, Iowa, witnessed both the brilliance—and the breaking—of a man determined to bring America back to God.

Burlington, Iowa (November 9 to December 17, 1905)

​Billy Sunday conducted his revival campaign in Burlington, Iowa, from November 9 to December 17, 1905. He saw 2,484 conversions and generated $4,000 in collections. A newspaper article tells how he fell ill and his very life was deemed threatened during the Burlington campaign.

Reported That Evangelist Sunday Was Taken Ill During Meetings.

It is reported that Rev. “Billy” Sunday, who has hundreds of friends in Dixon, has broken down from overwork and nervous strain and is dangerously sick at Burlington, Iowa. Friends here have heard nothing of this but the following item is published in an exchange:

“Billy” Sunday, the famous baseball evangelist, broke down at a revival near Burlington, Iowa, Monday, and his death is feared. Sunday started to preach to a crowd of 4,000 people when he toppled over on the platform in a dead faint. He had been preaching steadily day and night for months and during the preceding week had not slept.”

  • Dixon Evening Telegraph. Mon, Dec 18, 1905 ·Page 5

Additional related newspaper coverage of the Burlington, Iowa (1905) campaign

REV. “BILLY” SUNDAY.

Burlington is now in the throes of a religious awakening, engineered by that eminent and popular ex-baseball player who now is known as Rev. William A. Sunday, but whose numerous friends still love to call “Billy” Sunday. Sunday has been preaching the old gospel in his own inimitable style for several years, and has drawn to him the friendships of a great many people of all denominations, while he has also offended many good people by his “hammer and tongs” style of argument. He has also many friends among the people outside of all churches, for there is one thing of which “Billy” Sunday cannot be justly accused, and that is insincerity. He preaches just like he played ball—puts his whole heart into the work; in other words, he “plays ball” in his present profession. That he has done and is doing great good cannot be successfully denied, and Burlington will probably be better, for a time at least, for his coming; but he has many friends who do not believe it is necessary to use the language of the gutter in condemning evil, nor that everybody is quite as bad as Mr. Sunday would sometimes have his hearers believe.

Offensiveness and vulgarity may emanate from the pulpit as well as from any other source. And it is barely possible that a religious cathartic may not prove as effective in the long run as a less drastic and more constructive remedy.

Again, those who labor just as hard, year in and year out, and just as faithfully, in the noble calling, at a salary generally less per annum than Mr. Sunday receives in a fortnight, may be doing a more permanent work. But “Billy” Sunday is sincere, and sincerity is a virtue that is not to be despised.

  • The Cedar Rapids Gazette. Mon, Nov 13, 1905 ·Page 4

GREAT REVIVAL.

Evangelist “Billy” Sunday Stirs Up Burlington—Large Crowds.

Burlington, Ia., Nov. 28—The revival services conducted by Rev. William A. Sunday have already grown to be a remarkable thing for Burlington. They have been going on for two weeks, and the evangelist is now speaking to an average of 6,000 people daily. Sunday afternoon he held his first men’s meeting and was greeted by fully 6,000 men, old and young. He swayed this remarkable audience for an hour and a half like a storm beaten ocean and at the close 112 men responded to the call for converts, and it is estimated that 50 were turned away because of the crush in front of the evangelist. Including this number there have been a total of 602 converts since last Thursday night.

  • The Muscatine Journal. Tue, Nov 28, 1905 ·Page 1

SOME “BILLY’ SUNDAYISMS.

From Burlington papers: The indifference of many in the church is keeping back the kingdom of God.

Some of you are constantly breathing out in doing good to others, but do no breathing in; seldom or never give yourselves any time with God.

If you have done your neighbor in jury, go to him and confess it, and ask his forgiveness.

The greatest barrier to the advancement of God’s Kingdom to-day is the indifference and apathy of so many of our church members.

No wonder so many of our children go to the bad; they get no guidance, no inspiration, no help for good in the home.

There are hundreds here to-night who are convinced that Jesus Christ is the son of God, but have not back- bone enough to come down the aisle and confess it.

The historical Jesus? You may repudiate him as the son of God, but you still have the historical Jesus, and you could no more write the history of the world and leave Jesus out than you could write the history of this country and leave out George Washington.

Profanity damns and curses any man who indulges in it.

What would the world be were there no restraining influence? You say “it is nobody’s business what I do.” Bu’ hear me, it is everybody’s business what everybody does.

There are certain men who scoff at religion and at preachers, but when they come face to face with death and the fearful consequences of their dis- solute lives they begin to fear and tremble.

  • Muscatine News-Tribune. Tue, Dec 05, 1905 ·Page 6

Ten thousand people sought to hear “Billy” Sunday preach at Burlington last Sunday, 6,000 succeeding. Converts in his revival services in that city to date number 1,279.

  • Quad-City Times. Wed, Dec 13, 1905 ·Page 2

Closed by “Billy” Sunday.

Burlington, Ia., Dec. 20.—The wave of reform in Burlington, growing out of William A. Sunday’s revival meetings, resulted in the formation of the Civic Reform league of 150 members, and the issuance last night by Mayor Caster of an order closing all saloons on Sunday.

  • The Grand Rapids Press. Wed, Dec 20, 1905 ·Page 9

2,500 Converts

Secured by Rev. Billy Sunday in Burlington

Burlington, Ia., Dec. 19.—The Rev. William A. Sunday has closed his series of evangelistic meetings here. There were 7,000 people packed into the tabernacle, with at least 5,000 outside unable to get in, last night. The results of the meetings are 2,500 converts. The people of Burlington have given him a free-will offering of over $4,000.

  • Marion News-Tribune. Wed, Dec 20, 1905 ·Page 9

Billy Sunday campaigns 1904-1905

Here’s a blog-ready narrative reflecting on the 1904–1905 campaign data from Billy Sunday’s early revivals:

Billy Sunday’s Early Impact: What the 1904–1905 Campaign Numbers Reveal

By Kraig McNutt

Before Billy Sunday became a national sensation—packing tabernacles in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh—he cut his evangelistic teeth in smaller Midwestern towns. The data from his 1904–1905 revival campaigns offers a fascinating glimpse into the early momentum of a man who would become America’s most celebrated evangelist of the early 20th century.

Here’s what the numbers reveal.

Small Towns, Big Spiritual Response

Many of the towns on Sunday’s early itinerary were small agricultural or industrial communities scattered across Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, and Colorado. Places like Exira, Iowa and Audubon, Iowa boasted modest populations—yet hundreds came forward to respond to Sunday’s message.

  • Centerville, Iowa (1905): 900 conversions
  • Sterling, Illinois (1904): 1,678 conversions
  • Macomb, Illinois (1905): 1,880 conversions
  • Dixon, Illinois (1905): 1,875 conversions

These numbers are especially impressive when viewed through the lens of population density. In many cases, Sunday was reaching 10–20% or more of the town’s residents. His message wasn’t simply heard—it reshaped the spiritual landscape of entire communities.

Collections: A Window into Support and Sustainability

While conversion data was consistently recorded, collections (monetary offerings) were only occasionally noted:

  • Centerville, Iowa: $1,500
  • Keokuk, Iowa: $2,200
  • Dixon, Illinois: $2,000
  • Macomb, Illinois: $3,100

These figures indicate that even in smaller towns, there was strong financial support for revival efforts. The money likely covered the costs of tabernacle construction, music, printed materials, and Sunday’s own ministry team.

These generous gifts also reflect the deep gratitude communities felt for the spiritual impact they experienced.

Consistent Fruit Across the Heartland

Across 22 cities recorded between 1904 and 1905, Sunday saw tens of thousands make public professions of faith. The median number of conversions hovers around 900–1,000 per town. For a relatively unknown evangelist in his early 40s, this marks a period of accelerating credibility and growing influence.

It was this consistency—town after town, soul after soul—that built the foundation for Billy Sunday’s national platform just a few years later.

A Revival Rooted in the Midwest

It’s no accident that Sunday’s early years focused on Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota—regions that mirrored his own upbringing and values. These were towns where the church was central, alcohol was a public enemy, and personal salvation was not just a religious idea, but a community matter.

Sunday’s fiery oratory, moral clarity, and theatrical flair found fertile ground in these heartland soils.

Final Thought: The Humble Beginnings of a National Voice

The revival fires Billy Sunday lit in places like Bedford, Harlan, and Canon City were more than regional events—they were launchpads. These early campaigns showed that revival could still grip a town, change hearts, and reorder lives.

In 1904 and 1905, he wasn’t yet preaching to hundreds of thousands—but he was proving that he could.

And history shows—he would.

Enjoying this kind of historical insight? Subscribe to the blog or check out more posts at EvangelistBillySunday.com

Source: The Spectacular Career, p. 126.

CityConversionsCollections
Marshall, Minn.600
Sterling, Ill.1678
Rockford, Ill.1000
Elgin, Ill.800
Carthage, Ill.650
Pontiac, Ill.1100
Jefferson, Iowa900
Bedford, Iowa600
Seymour, Iowa600
Centerville, Iowa9001500.0
Corydon, Iowa500
Audubon, Iowa500
Atlantic, Iowa600
Harlan, Iowa400
Exira, Iowa400
Keokuk, Iowa10002200.0
Redwood Falls, Minn.600
Mason City, Iowa1000
Dixon, Ill.18752000.0
Canon City, Colo.950
Macomb, Ill.18803100.0
Canton, Ill.1120

Revival in the Rust Belt: What the Numbers Reveal About Billy Sunday’s Evangelistic Impact (1912-1915)

By Kraig McNutt

In the early 20th century, few public figures stirred the American soul quite like Billy Sunday. A former professional baseball player turned dynamic evangelist, Sunday launched revival campaigns that were part gospel meeting, part moral crusade, and entirely unforgettable.

But beyond the sawdust trails and thunderous preaching, what do the numbers tell us about his real impact?

Let’s dive into an analysis of over twenty of Sunday’s campaigns—spanning from the industrial sprawl of Philadelphia to the steel towns of Ohio and Pennsylvania—to find out.

Big Cities, Big Numbers

Unsurprisingly, the nation’s largest cities saw the highest total conversions:

  • Philadelphia (1915): 41,724 conversions
  • Pittsburgh, PA (1914): 26,601 conversions
  • Columbus, OH (1912): 18,137 conversions

Impressive, no doubt. But when measured per capita, a surprising truth emerges…

The Real Revival Was in Small-Town America

Here’s where it gets fascinating:

  • Beaver Falls, PA (1912): 6,000 conversions in a city of 12,191 – nearly 49%!
  • East Liverpool, OH (1912): 6,354 conversions in a population of 20,387 – over 31%
  • Steubenville, OH (1912): 7,888 conversions out of 22,391 – over 35%

In these towns, Sunday didn’t just stir hearts—he helped reshape the entire community’s spiritual identity.

A Strategy Rooted in the Industrial Heartland

Most of Sunday’s campaigns concentrated in:

  • Pennsylvania
  • Ohio
  • West Virginia
  • Indiana

Why here?

These regions were filled with working-class cities grappling with the social challenges of industrialization: alcoholism, labor unrest, poverty, and moral uncertainty.

Sunday’s sermons, full of vivid illustrations and uncompromising moral appeals, landed powerfully in these settings. He spoke their language, addressed their fears, and challenged their habits.

His Peak Impact Years: 1912–1914

Many of the most spiritually responsive campaigns occurred just before World War I:

  • Scranton (1914)
  • Wilkes-Barre (1913)
  • McKeesport (1914)
  • Des Moines (1914)
  • Johnstown (1913)

This was Sunday’s sweet spot—a season where both momentum and message aligned. Before the war brought cultural upheaval, Sunday’s campaigns offered a moral anchor to cities teetering on the edge of change.

The Bottom Line: Revival by the Numbers

Across 23 cities analyzed:

  • Total population: 3,559,070
  • Total conversions: 250,872
  • Average conversion rate: ~7.05%

That’s 1 in every 14 people making a spiritual decision.

But the real story is this: Sunday’s numerical reach was greatest in big cities, but his transformational impact was most profound in smaller towns where community bonds were tighter, distractions were fewer, and the message spread like wildfire.

Final Thoughts: When Revival Was a Shared Story

Billy Sunday didn’t have Instagram reels or livestream sermons. He had sawdust floors, a voice like thunder, and a message about Jesus that could shake a city.

And in towns like Beaver Falls, East Liverpool, and Steubenville, it did more than shake—it changed lives. Not in abstract theological terms, but in the daily rhythms of work, family, and community.

In these places, revival wasn’t just a moment. It was a movement.

Want more historical insights like this? Subscribe to my newsletter or explore more at https://evangelistbillysunday.com/

Total population 3,559,070
Total conversions 250,872

Data from The Man and His Message, Ellis

The Tabernacle at Scranton

​Billy Sunday commenced his seven-week evangelistic campaign in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on March 1, 1914. The opening day was marked by a significant snowstorm, later referred to as the “Billy Sunday Snowstorm,” which resulted in approximately 2,500 attendees being stranded overnight in the temporary tabernacle constructed for the revival. The campaign concluded in mid-April 1914.

The Man and His Message, Ellis

Billy Sunday’s Tabernacles: How a Revivalist Revolutionized Urban Evangelism

By Kraig McNutt

When we think of early 20th-century American revivalism, the name Billy Sunday often comes to mind—fiery sermons, theatrical gestures, sawdust trails, and roaring crowds. But behind the pulpit drama was a logistical innovation that changed the face of evangelism: the custom-built tabernacle.

While evangelists before him preached in churches, tents, and open fields, Sunday did something revolutionary: he constructed massive wooden structures—tabernacles—specifically for each citywide campaign. These were more than just venues. They were the heartbeat of a new era of professionalized, urban mass evangelism.

A Tabernacle for Every City

Beginning in the early 1900s, Sunday’s team would send advance workers to a target city months ahead of the campaign. Their job? Not just promotion and prayer, but planning the construction of a new tabernacle from the ground up.

These weren’t small tents or temporary stages. They were giant, rough-hewn wooden auditoriums built by local volunteers, often capable of holding 10,000 to 20,000 people. Once the campaign ended, the structure would be dismantled—or sometimes repurposed for community use.

The tabernacle gave Sunday’s campaigns a physical and symbolic presence in the city, a spiritual landmark that couldn’t be ignored.

Spectacle Meets Sacred Space

The experience inside these tabernacles was part of the draw. With their sawdust-covered floors, long wooden benches, and raised stages, the atmosphere was electric.

  • The “sawdust trail” became a metaphor for conversion—people physically walked down the aisle to commit their lives to Christ.
  • Sunday’s preaching style, full of athletic energy and booming voice, was designed for big, echoing spaces like these.
  • The structures were simple but powerful: stripped of ornate church trappings, they conveyed urgency, accessibility, and raw conviction.

In a way, Sunday turned these tabernacles into temporary temples of decision—spaces where entire communities were invited to wrestle with the gospel.

Billy Sunday Tabernacle, Denver, Colorado

Strategy, Media, and Momentum

The construction of the tabernacle itself became part of the publicity strategy. Local newspapers reported on its progress. Crowds gathered to watch it rise. And anticipation built as opening night drew near.

In today’s terms, it was like launching a faith-based pop-up arena. The visual dominance of the tabernacle in the cityscape sent a message: something big—and holy—is happening here.

Legacy: From Sawdust to Stadiums

Billy Sunday’s tabernacle strategy was a game-changer. It showed that revival campaigns could be:

  • Logistically organized
  • Massively scalable
  • Culturally embedded in cities
  • Visibly and tangibly part of the urban landscape

His model directly influenced Billy Graham, who adapted the same principle—just with stadiums, microphones, and television cameras. The tabernacle gave way to the arena, but the blueprint remained the same.

Even today, the spirit of Sunday’s tabernacle lives on in modern megachurches, tent crusades, and evangelistic events that blend spiritual fervor with logistical excellence.

Final Thoughts

Billy Sunday’s preaching converted thousands. But his tabernacle model converted the very mechanics of mass evangelism. It was no longer just about the message—it was about how you delivered it, where you delivered it, and how many could hear it at once.

By literally building revival into the city, Sunday laid a foundation that evangelists still build on today.

Work begins at Prophetstown, June 1906

Sterling Standard. Fri, Jun 08, 1906 ·Page 2

WORK BEGINNING AT PROPHETSTOWN

SPLENDID MEETING IN TABERNACLE MONDAY NIGHT.

HISTORY OF MOVEMENT

The Men Who Were First Interested and Their Work to Interest Others.—Sunday Coming Wednesday.

Excerpt:

The tabernacle extends north and south, with entrances on the north and west. It is built on the plans of the Sterling tabernacle of two years ago, only of course it is not so large. It’s dimensions are 80×128 and 32 feet to the gable. The seating capacity, including the choir, seats and platform is easily 2,200, while the spacious isles, the outer circle and space to the east of the platform will comfortably accommodate three or four hundred more. The cost of the building complete is $1,500.00. Contractor John Blackmore completed his work nearly six weeks ago, so that Prophetstown has been ready and waiting for Rev. Sunday, with her lamps trimmed and burning. The choir and platform are at the south end of the building. A natural contour of the ground as it rises from this point to the north forms a natural amphitheater for the audience.

SUNDAY REVIVAL AT PROPHETSTOWN (June 8)

Evangelist Says Freeport, “Except Bunch That Devil Has Got,” Sends Greetings.

In opening his revival at Prophetstown Wednesday evening Rev. William A. Sunday said he understood that “a lot of derogatory stuff had been sent out broadcast concerning the Freeport meeting, but not one-hundredth part of what you have heard is the truth.” As to his being a grafter, he said that he would give $100 to prove any of the lies that had been said against him.

Freeport people, he said, with the exception of “a bunch that the devil had got,” sent Prophetstown their love and greetings. He kicked a little about the small contributions at the first two meetings and sent out the ushers with tin pans instead of pie plates.

Freeport Journal-Standard. Fri, Jun 08, 1906 ·Page 1

PROPHETSTOWN’S GREAT REVIVAL OPENED IN TABERNACLE BY SUNDAY (June 8)

All the Southern Half of Whiteside Represented Wednesday Night

GREAT PREACHER IS IN EARNEST IN WORK

Professor F. C. Fisher Marshaling the Singers of the Place for a Grand Chorus-Rev. Mr. Sunday Introduces Himself to the people, as no stranger-Wants Better Lights-Daily Reports

Rev. W. A. Sunday opened what will without doubt be the greatest revival in Prophetstown’s history, in the big tabernacle last night, before a congregation representative of the southern half of Whiteside and northern part of Henry counties. While not so many attended the opening meeting as might have been expected, yet the interest was great among all who were present—sinner and saint alike. It is a question how anyone could hear and see ‘Billy’ Sunday in action and not become interested. We do not mean converted, but interested. Convincing a lot of hard shell sinners is not so easy at first, but no one could have been in the tabernacle last night without being deeply interested and satisfied in his own mind that Rev. Sunday is in earnest.

On the platform last night besides the choir, and supporting the evangelist, were Reverend Elijah P. Brown, who opened the two preceding nights; Rev. J. E. Courter of the Lyndon M. E. church, Rev. C. T. Brown, and Rev. J. F. Fumston of the local churches, Prof. G. P. Fletcher, who accompanies Rev. Sunday, was on hand, early, marshalling the singers towards the platform and hurriedly forming them into a choir. Fletcher is a songster and the way he drilled that choir right before the congregation and then the congregation, before the choir was inspiring to lovers of vocal music. Some of the best known of the gospel hymns were used and it was surprising how Prof. Fletcher’s individuality was felt and made manifest in that short half hour of song service. Prof. Fletcher says: ‘Pound out every one of those words in that chorus,’ and they were pounded out, and with vim.

The Introduction.

Rev. Sunday introduced himself in a way which seemed to please everyone; he had met many from here at his meetings in Dixon, Sterling, Princeton and Aledo, and therefore felt that he did not come to Prophetstown as a stranger; those whom he did not know he requested to forget that he was a stranger and know him as they would any other man. He thought the splendid tabernacle and the people of the city and the country, due to their earnestness and the enthusiasm of the meetings, a great feast. Freeport, with the exception of a bunch that the devil has got, sends Prophetstown her love and greetings.

Defends Position.

Rev. Sunday said he understood that a lot of derogatory stuff had been sent out broadcast concerning the Freeport meeting, but, that not one-hundredth part of what you have heard is the truth. As to his being a grafter, he said that he would give $100 to prove any of the lies that had been said against him. The lighting of the tabernacle he thought was a little dim and he would have it improved tomorrow. A dimsey little lamp in the home drives many a boy to town where the lights are brighter, and Rev. Sunday don’t want anyone to leave the tabernacle to go where the lights are better. He congratulated the Daily Standard on its enterprise in securing a daily report of these meetings; kicked a little about the small contributions at the first two meetings and sent out the ushers with tin pans instead of pie plates; announced his meeting for next time for next Sunday afternoon at 2:30 and then read his text—Genesis, 32nd chapter, 28 verses—And he said Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.”

The Sermon.

The speaker said that the history of Jacob was the history of the Jewish nation. Jacob cheated his brother, deceived his father and was compelled to leave home. When it came time to return at the Lord’s command Jacob wished to find out what sort of a reception he would meet, so he sent out messengers, who returned and said his brother Esau was coming to meet him with 400 men.

This made Jacob afraid, and he thought to appease Esau with presents. The Rev. Mr. Smith can illustrate in these people who try to buy their way into the kingdom through their works. How the spectacle of Jacob’s mind must have appeared to the Lord. Here, you poor little creature, such an one is unfit and you and think that these gifts money will buy them anything, even to a reserved seat in Heaven.

When to Pray.

You pray when you are distressed—when the physician shakes his head you make all kinds of promises, but when the clouds roll away, then you swell out your chest and bid God good-bye. But God heard Jacob’s prayer, even if he wasn’t sincere, that night He sent an angel to him and he wrestled with God all day. God had to use forcible means with Jacob before he got him into a his right frame of mind, just as He has to do things these days in order to get people to think. No one ever won out in a fight against God yet. Jacob prayed for deliverance.

Gave Some Advice.

Here Rev. Sunday told of a lot of things from which he thought some Protestant people ought to pray for some kind of deliverance. Jacob reached a crisis out there wrestling with God. He is wrestling with you to give up your lives and this, this will be your crisis. Oh, many of you are in your crisis. You get religion and get the right get the kind that pays your debts whether they are outlawed or not. The speaker figured that we can’t expect the merchant down town to have any respect for or faith in religion when some old skin-flint in the front pew in the church owes him a debt that’s been

outlawed for years.

Jacob Renamed.

The re-naming of Jacob was compared with God’s re-naming and making new men of the present day sinners. God will hear all of you, red or yellow, black or white. When you kneel before the Lord it’s either as a saint or sinner, not a labourer or a millionaire. Rev. Sunday made it plain that he would rather see the tabernacle half full of people wanting to be saved than to see it full of people praying for other folks to be saved.

Went After Society.

He said people are inclined to eat and sleep too much over this old world going to hell; and he dealt some fierce blows over the indifference of man’s last condition generallly. Prophetstown society also got a few rare, possibly gentle, reminders of what will follow when ‘Billy’ Sunday unwinds himself a few more coils; he intimated that old Prophetstown would roll over on its pillow and hope for a new place to rest its head. People are not brought to God on an excursion, said the speaker, some one has got to lay awake nights and we’ve got to do it. God will cash your check if your name is good and you have the right kind of a signer with you; when you go with the name of Jesus Christ, you have a name that moves the world.

Canine Interruption.

A barking dog under the platform here caused the speaker to ask that the canine be removed, remarking that it was hard enough to preach to humanity without adding dog to the proposition.

His next line of thought was that as we plow, plant and harrow, God doing the rest to produce crops, so if we want to save people at this revival we must go to praying—Jacob did—and God will do the rest; he will save souls if the prayers of these people come to Him. Rev. Sunday reminded his hearers how this republic and its constitution was brought forth in prayer and went on to assert that great things are accomplished only by prayer. He brought up the matter of Jacob’s mother mixing in the mess between the brothers and father and making it worse, and said that many a child was going to the devil on account of a fool mother. His final effort was the portrayal of the meeting of Jacob and Esau; when Jacob prevailed with God it didn’t take him long to prevail with his brother, and the reconciliation was complete.

A Happy Religion.

Rev. Sunday pleaded for a smiling, happy religion; be joyful and pray to that end; live your religion—bake bread, govern your children, plow corn with religion. Here the speaker looked at a watch and announcing that he had already spoken over his time, abruptly closed the meeting  without prayer, song or benediction.

Rev. Sunday is a gymnast and most of his new Prophetstown friends cannot help but smile at some of his gymnastics and character work in the pulpit or rather on the platform; you don’t keep “Billy” in any old pulpit—he covers the whole platform and will probably be all over the old tabernacle before he gets through.

The Town Waking.

Prophetstown, after hearing Sunday in her midst just once, has already begun to sit up and take notice, for what manner of man is this who calls things by their right names, does character work and gymnastic stunts in the pulpit—calls the evil one devil and the the bad place hell, and many more things of this order, yet keeps up a steady rapid fire of scorching gospel truths against the ramparts of sin and unrighteousness? Prophetstown will no doubt see.

Sterling Standard. Fri, Jun 08, 1906 ·Page 1

CROWDS AT PROPHETSTOWN HEAR REV. WILLIAM SUNDAY’S SERMONS (June 12)

Address of Convincing Nature Delivered Friday Evening

EVANGELIST WILL PLAY BALL EARLY NEXT WEEK

Miss Miller Coming From Chicago to Hold Meetings For Children-Text Friday Night was, “Lord, it is I?”. Large Number of People Respond to First Call For Workers From the Platform

The attendance and interest at the Sunday revival meetings in Prophetstown is increasing and it begins to look as though they would have a revival, down in the little city of the Prophet. Probably as many more as were there last night could be crowded into the tabernacle, but nevertheless it was an encouraging crowd that greeted Rev. Wm. A. Sunday at his third meeting. The choir now nearly numbers 200 and is still growing.

Visitors Coming In.

People from outside towns are beginning to come, many from Tampico, Lyndon, Leon and Hooppole vicinities being in the congregation.

The baseball fans have also become quite regular attendants for the news has gone out that Billy Sunday is to play center field with the Prophetstown team on the local diamond in a game with Walnut some day next week. Mr. Sunday is now getting acquainted in Prophetstown; he spent much of yesterday on the streets in company with States Attorney Waite, meeting the business men and citizens.

Children’s Meetings.

Miss Miller of Chicago will be here early next week to take charge of the children’s meetings. Mr. Sunday talked contributions to his congregation last night in a manner that made the Prophets think they were pretty tight with their pocketbooks.

$18.00 was the sum total collected Thursday night and Sunday handed the folks a heart-to-heart talk about it. Then he let loose a few more hot shots about the graft talk which has run riot in Prophetstown concerning him. He warned these old character highwaymen that this talk would have to cease or he would make some of them hunt their holes:

“If I had gone to playing the races or the devil after I quit baseball,” said Sunday, “these old reprobates wouldn’t have had a word to say against my character.”

Submits Proposition.

The evangelist said it cost him just $350.00 to preach in Prophetstown; would some of the old snarling devils do as much for humanity?

“If it’s necessary,” he said, “I’ll preach here for a month and pay $350 for the privilege of doing it; will some of these old sons of perdition do that? Prophetstown shows much evidence of prosperity; you have fine homes, plenty of money in the banks and all that, now let’s be stingy in showing your gratitude to God. A $50 per capita would just about do the business and let the money stay right here; I don’t need it. You folks sit right here in a religious way on your own bills, now then, dig up!”

The Sermon.

Rev. Sunday took as his text last night, a part of the 22nd verse of the 26th chapter of St. Matthew— “Lord is it I?” A synopsis of this sermon follows: God placed man in the garden of Eden, he ate of the forbidden fruit and the world became a graveyard. If man hadn’t done this we wouldn’t have had all the ills and sins of this world to contend with. God’s plan was overthrown because man disobeyed him, therefore a plan of redemption was made and it is that man can be saved if he will; it’s off God’s shoulders and on your own; it’s up to you. If you do not grasp the opportunity, no one will lie to blame but yourself. Jesus, Christ came to fulfill God’s promise.

Selling Jesus.

“You are selling Jesus Christ,” he told his hearers, “for a mug of beer, for adultery, for a bank account and for the pleasures of the world; don’t you condemn Judas; you’re as black a blot as he. Mr. Sunday described in detail the scene of Judas’ leaving the supper and of the movements of Christ and the disciples till they reached Gethsemane; the disciples were placed in groups (while Jesus went to pray alone), according to their decency, just as He does you; it don’t make any difference what your bank account amounts to, what God reckons is your character.

Stand up for Christ; it makes no difference whether the world acclaims you or not; look out for that man whom all men acclaim; the man or woman who has no enemies is a flat fizzle; stand up for God, even if it does make you enemies.

Not every man or woman whose name appears on a church roll is a true Christian; out of possibly 27 million people who belong to church in this country, probably no more than five or six million are downright honest, true, sincere Christians; as we increase the principle, we decrease the number.

Some of you church members act as though you had a through ticket to heaven with Pullman palace car privileges; but I want to tell you some of you are going to be sidetracked long before you get there, with a hot box; some of you don’t like this but I’m a surgeon working for God and I drive my wagons up to the hilt in the plague spots.

The Modern Church.

Many of our churches are becoming third rate amusement bureaus. The world needs the gospel of the Son of God, and in this the evangelist includes the Methodists. He asked what had become of the old time class leaders and their meetings of the old days; where were the fervent amens of the Methodists of long ago; of course we don’t expect a simon-pure, milk-fed-out-of-the-bottle congregationalist to holler amen, but where has the Methodist amen gone to?

You fellows haven’t any use for a preacher as long as you can clip compass, but when the doctor shakes his head you send in a 4-11 call for the preacher.

Mr. Sunday then drew a beautiful word picture of the betrayal, the journey with the cross and the crucifixion. There’s a cross for you to bear, a crown for you to wear. Jesus suffered and died to open up and make possible a plan of redemption whereby you and I may be saved from hell. After the mockery of Jesus on the cross came the words, “It is finished”; across the chasm of 1900 years come these words: Peace for you was made through the death on the cross; you ought to shout for joy that Jesus died for you; thousands upon thousands would in turn die for Jesus, but some of you wouldn’t sweat a hair for him.

An invitation to all who “want to be a better man or woman” was extended to gather in the space before the platform. Lots of enquirers knelt in the front and a also a goodly number of those outside the fold. A short season of tense prayer closed the service.

Sterling Standard. Tue, Jun 12, 1906 ·Page 7

Prophetstown, Illinois campaign, July 1906

Closed July 8th, 1906. Republican-Northwestern. Tue, Jul 10, 1906 ·Page 3

SUNDAY PROMOTES GREAT REVIVAL

At Prophetstown—Converts Nearly the Entire Town—Collection Totals Greater Number of Dollars Than There Are People in the Town.

Evangelist Sunday’s campaign at Prophetstown, a town of 1,800 people, has closed. At the closing meeting a fund of $2,300 was made up for the evangelist and his helpers. People in that vicinity are enthusiastic over the effect of the meetings. The Sterling Standard says: The greatest of Rev. W. A. Sunday’s meetings in Prophetstown was held last evening in the tabernacle—after the series of revival meetings were thought to be over. Mr. Sunday had consented to remain over one day and preach one more sermon to the Prophets and the people down that way are rejoicing today and are saying, “It is well, it is well!”

Great Upheaval.

The tabernacle was nearly filled with people mostly from Prophetstown, a majority of the audience being young people. No one was especially looking for so great an upheaval within the forts of sin as occurred last night, when 125 people went forward to grasp Billy Sunday.

by the hand and by this act accept God’s plan of redemption as preached for four weeks by the evangelist who, for that length of time has been in their midst.

All Classes and Ages.

There were all classes of people in that assemblage who went forward—old gray heads, active hard headed business men, women, young ladies—and young men, among the latter being a score of more who have long been “hitting the grit” on the downward path. The righteously inclined people of Prophetstown are glad to the bubbling over point today over the havoc wrought in the devil’s ranks last night.

Great Change in City.

They say that it means a change of the moral level of the city, well filled church pews, a quiet and law-abiding Sabbath and finally—the last year for the saloon keeper and his business in Prophetstown. It wasn’t the singing that did it all last night, for Billy Sunday led it himself; it wasn’t particularly the sermon, although one of the best delivered during the past month, but it was the everlasting pounding away of Mr. Sunday, morning, noon and night, for four long weeks, that finally culminated in a smash up of the hosts of satan who have long besieged the little city on the Rock.

Effect of Sunday’s Work.

The entering wedge was set Sunday afternoon when the able and convincing talk was given on the liquor business—when Sunday skinned the booze shops of Prophetstown of all the gilt and plate glass, leaving exposed to his 2,500 masculine hearers the woe, despair, lost hopes, ruined fortunates and wrecked humanity within.