Washington Street Mission History

Founded in 1910 in the wake of a series of meetings by famed evangelist Billy Sunday, Washington Street Mission continues to provide comfort and the Gospel to people in need in the Springfield community.

Conducting evangelistic Gospel services each evening, the Mission was first located in a seamy section of downtown Springfield on Washington Street. It found a permanent location just around the corner, fronting on Eighth Street. In 1974 with the construction of Springfield's convention center, the Mission was forced to relocate to its current home at 408 North Fourth Street.

Businessman Bob Brown served as director of the Mission during its early years. His daughter and her husband, Mr. And Mrs. Robert O. Miller, took over the directorship of the Mission during the 1940s. With the death of Mrs. Miller in about 1980, Jim and Lorraine Beatty took over the Mission's leadership. The current Executive Director and Associate Director, Ken and Mary Lynn Mitchell, have been serving at the Mission since 1999.

Always aware of the needs of the people being served, the Mission has looked for creative ways to address these needs. Early in its history, the Mission operated a home for wayward girls. During the economic depression of the 1930s, the Mission established a work camp for unemployed men, cutting down trees and providing firewood for Springfield homes. Chapel services for Italian immigrants were conducted in their own language and English classes were offered to help them adjust more quickly to American culture. Housing was located for displaced miners moving from southern Illinois.

Brown Chapel