Prairie Star District

Preserving and Retelling the Story of
Unitarians and Universalists
in the Upper Midwest

The UU Prairie Heritage Project

Unitarians and Universalists traveled with the pioneers who settled this region. Pioneers in liberal religion, they also contributed to the social, political, and cultural history of the Upper Midwest. Streets, parks, and institutions bear their names.

About the PSD History and Archives Committee

Adding or Updating Your Congregation’s History

Archive Assistance and Resources

UU Heritage Videos

Videos of two stories have been produced by the PSD Heritage and Archives Committee

• See UU heritage videos on YouTube
• Purchase a DVD (Bringing Our History to Life: Unitarian Universalist Stories from the Midwest) containing both stories from our Prairie Store

1. Heritage of Heresy: Bisbee and Tuttle on the Universalist Frontier
Early Universalists in the Minnesota territory were leaders in intellectual, business, social, and spiritual life. Indeed they brought a well-rounded and reasoned approach to building their new communities. By 1860 there were two Universalist societies thriving within a mile of each other, the First Universalist Society of St. Anthony, and the First Universalist Society of Minneapolis. In the decade that followed, the differences between the ministers of these two societies grew wider than the Mississippi River that flowed between their churches.

In 1872, the traditional and pragmatic approach of Rev. James Tuttle of Minneapolis clashed with the progressive and provocative style of Rev. Herman Bisbee of St. Anthony. The two men presented their views on universalism in competing sermons. While Tuttle preached creationism and the infallibility of the Bible, Bisbee argued in favor of evolution and women’s rights. Bisbee’s proposals were so radical and progressive that he was tried on “unministerial conduct” charges by the Universalist establishment. Heritage of Heresy provides us with a snapshot of the growth of religious liberalism in an expanding America.

2. Full Circle of Life: The Mable Tainter Memorial Theater
Bulky stone walls; large windows to welcome light; a broad, circular entrance that welcomes visitors: the design of the Mable Tainter Memorial reflects both the strength and the generosity of Andrew and Bertha Tainter. To commemorate their daughter Mabel, who died at nineteen, they created an institution dedicated to liberal religion and to the arts that Mable had loved. Long after its completion in 1889, the Memorial continues today to fulfill the function described in the dedication: a church “that ignores nothing that fulfills Full Circle of Life.” Today it houses a theater, the Unitarian congregation founded by the Tainter’s, and a cultural center. It has also served as the municipal offices and the public library of Menominee, Wisconsin.

Andrew Tainter was the wealthy co-owner of the world’s largest lumber company. Bertha was a well-known healer and feminist. Full Circle of Life describes how the building of the Mable Tainter Memorial turned their vision into a lasting reality.

Our UU story has moments of splendor —

• Since 1872, the Unity Unitarian pulpit in St. Paul has been a strong voice for liberal religion in the area and the nation.
• In the 1930s, the Rev. John Dietrich of the First Unitarian Society preached to thousands each Sunday in a Minneapolis theater.
• Social justice issues were important from early on. The first settlement house in Minneapolis was started by the Universalists in 1897.
• In the decades after the Civil War, as male clergymen vied for Eastern parishes, women ministers founded and nurtured congregations in our region. Many are still thriving.
• Humanist congregations of the Western Unitarian Conference fought for admission to the American Unitarian Association, and then saw their beliefs become dominant.

But much of it still waits to be told —

• UUs in our region have been prominent in campaigns for civil rights, peace, gay rights, and the environment. They and their work should be identified.
• Many UUs are looking for heroes and models to help guide them through current struggles and conflicts.
• In many congregations archives are gathering dust or not being kept at all.
• People with rich memories of Unitarianism and Universalism are dying with their stories unrecorded.