Churches United of the Quad City Area records
Scope and Contents
The Churches United of the Quad City Area records, 1958-1973, and undated, are divided into three series.
World Affairs Council, 1968-1972 and undated, includes council meeting minutes, conference planning materials, correspondence with conference panelists, and documents from the conferences including programs, brochures, and data on attendees.
Action for Civil Rights, 1958-1964, 1973, and undated, consists of meeting minutes, newspaper clippings about civil rights issues and organizational events, conference planning materials, volunteer guidelines, and documents about the Fair Housing Act of 1963. The materials mostly highlight the ACR's efforts for fair housing and equitable social conditions in the Quad Cities. Of particular note, the series includes records regarding other regional and national civil rights organizations, such as the United Citizens’ Committee for Freedom of Residence in Illinois (FOR), the Illinois Commission on Human Relations, and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).
Papers and recordings from Ross Paulson’s historiography class, 1973 and undated, includes two student papers accompanied by audiocassette tapes containing interviews.
Dates
- Creation: 1958-1973 and undated
Creator
- Churches United of the Quad City Area (Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
Materials in box 3 are closed to researchers 80 years from the date of creation.
Conditions Governing Use
Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from Augustana College Special Collections and the copyright holder.
Biographical / Historical
Churches United of the Quad City Area was originally formed in 1961 under the name “Council of Churches of Scott and Rock Island Counties” with the merging of the Councils of Churches in Rock Island County, Illinois, and Scott County, Iowa. The organization was renamed “Churches United of the Quad City Area” in 1990 to “reflect [an] expanding vision of the faith traditions in [the] community” (Churches United, “About Us”). Churches United partnered with organizations locally and nationally to host fundraisers, interfaith religious services, concerts, educational events, and more. Churches United is now based in Bettendorf, Iowa, after Augustana’s growth and accompanying need for office space necessitated the organization’s relocation from Sorensen Hall in August 1983.
Churches United sponsored the World Affairs Council of the Quad Cities (WAC), a member of the World Affairs Councils of America. Founded in 1970, WAC is focused on promoting “global education and international understanding within the Quad Cities and beyond” (World Affairs Council of the Quad Cities, “Our Mission”). Churches United sponsored conferences held by WAC in the 1970s.
Churches United also supported local and state organizations focused on civil rights, including the Action for Civil Rights Organization of the Quad Cities (ACR) and the United Citizens’ Committee for Freedom of Residence in Illinois (FOR). ACR took a broad approach to civil rights issues, staging rallies and speeches locally and encouraging citizens to be involved with local and national interest groups. ACR participated in initiatives organized by the United Citizens’ Committee for Freedom of Residence in Illinois (FOR), a group founded in the 1960s, focused specifically on issues of discrimination in the housing market.
Full Extent
0.93 Cubic Feet (/ 3 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
In 1961, churches in Rock Island County, Illinois, and Scott County, Iowa, formed the "Council of Churches of Scott and Rock Island Counties." In 1971, Roman Catholic and Orthodox congregations were added to the group, and in 1990 the group was renamed "Churches United of the Quad City Area.” Churches United partnered with organizations locally and nationally to host fundraisers, interfaith religious services, concerts, educational events, and more.
Materials in this collection include the organization’s articles of incorporation, minutes, correspondence, proposals, conference papers, biographical sketches, registration papers, rosters, and news clippings. Records related to other civil rights organizations and initiatives, such as the World Affairs Council (WAC), the Action for Civil Rights (ACR), the United Citizens’ Committee for Freedom of Residence in Illinois (FOR), and the Illinois Commission on Human Relations, are also included.
Arrangement
Original order of folders and materials within folders has been maintained where possible. Folder titles have been revised to more accurately describe contents. Materials from Ross Paulson's class separated and restricted.
Custodial History
Collection transferred in September 1986. Donor unknown.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Immediate source of acquisition unknown.
Processing Information
Processed by Rebecca Hopman. Revised by Madeline Kusar and Micaela Terronez, May 2025.
- Title
- Churches United of the Quad City Area records, 1958-1973 and undated.
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Madeline Kusar
- Date
- May 2025
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the Augustana College Special Collections Repository
639 38th Street
Thomas Tredway Library
Rock Island Illinois 61201 United States
specialcollections@augustana.edu