Akers Chapel and Cemetery

A Brief History of Akers Chapel

On Dec. 25, 1839 the people in the vicinity of what is now Plainville and Hull, Illinois, formed a society to solicit funds for the erection of a house of worship. The location selected was what is known as Akers Chapel in the western part of Pike County about midway between the two villages. The necessary funds were soon secured and building operations started at once. When the building was completed, it was dedicated by a Methodist Minister whose name was Peter Akers and was given the name of Akers Chapel. The congregation increased in number until the original structure was inadequate, and in 1868 it was decided to build a larger structure to accommodate the increased membership.

When this new building was completed, the Trustees thought it to be fitting to ask Rev. Peter Akers to dedicate the new church. In spite of his advanced age Rev. Akers made the hundreds of miles trip by stage coach and horseback to comply with the wishes of the congregation.

Around the 1920’s conditions had changed to intermittent services. Because of this, the Methodist Conference sold the building at auction on Dec.14, 1939. The day after the sale the Trustees of Akers decided to try to buy it back and let it stand as a monument for future generations.

Akers Chapel History Continued

The buyer, Mr. Henry Schmiedeskamp, an attorney of Quincy, Illinois, agreed to sell the property back to the trustees for the same price he had bought it $370.15.

This amount was achieved within a week and on Dec. 19, 1939 it was again back in the hands of the Trustees. Contributions were received from several states and more than 100 individuals, including donations from Rev. Akers descendants. Unfortunately, only a small portion of the original fixtures could be retrieved.

Interesting note is that the original wooden structure of the 1839 Akers Chapel still stands as of 2023. It was moved to private property when the new brick building was completed.

In the subsequent years there have been a few different congregations worshiping in the building and they have made many improvements. Including an addition on the northside of the building with a kitchen and class rooms.

Akers Chapel Cemetery is also at this location. The oldest graves date to the late 1830’s