F.F. Bosworth’s House Recently Up for Sale

Building was once the site of fervent spiritual activity

By Roscoe Barnes III, PhD

Author, F.F. Bosworth: The Man Behind “Christ the Healer”
Copyright © 2021
 
#FFBosworth
#BosworthMatters 

Photo from Zillow

Historian Robert Pears sent me a note recently (Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021) with an interesting bit of news about F.F. Bosworth’s time in Zion City, Ill.

“I don't know if you are aware, but F. F. Bosworth's house is for sale in Zion, Illinois,” he wrote. "On Zillow you can actually see it and the inside.”

The two-story structure at 2810 Elisha Ave. was listed as having six bedrooms and two bathrooms. It had a listing price of $158,800. As of Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021, it was listed as "Off Market."

Pears, who heads Pure Hearts Ministries, included this link: https://www.zillow.com/homes/2810-Elisha-Ave-Zion,-IL-60099_rb/4754158_zpid/

Another listing appeared on Apartments.com at https://www.apartments.com/2810-elisha-ave-zion-il/edjjfsp

When I contacted Pears about this news, he noted it was one of many things he’s been working on.

“I have done in-depth research into [John Alexander] Dowie, Evan Roberts, and other heroes of faith,” he wrote in an email. “I am working on a book. I found an old postcard of Michigan Avenue that shows Dowie’s headquarters there in the late 1890s.”

Bosworth’s home played a significant role in the Pentecostal movement that broke out in Zion. Sarah E. Parham, wife of Charles F. Parham, said Bosworth’s home was a common place for fellowship and prayer meetings. In the book, The Life of Charles F. Parham (1930), Sarah writes about her husband’s visit to Zion City in 1906 and his search for a place to hold meetings.

When Mr. Parham entered the city, it was impossible to obtain a building to hold a meeting in as all doors were closed against him. His first meeting was held in a private room at Elijah Hospice (hotel) at the invitation of the manager. The next night two rooms and the hall way were crowded out and from that time onward the meetings increased in number, attendance and power.

He then began cottage meetings and many of the best homes in the city were opened for meetings. Fred F. Bosworth’s home was literally converted into a meeting house. On some Sundays, morning and evening, four rooms have been closely packed with people at one time, generally uniting in one meeting, but sometimes for a few minutes being divided into three separate testimony meetings until a hymn begun in one room would be taken up in the others until the whole assembly was welded into one body of praise. I am sure those who participated in the divine enthusiasm of these meetings will never forget their sweetness and power. I was permitted to be in the cottage meetings the following winter, and know how the dear people of Zion City did worship God in spirit and in truth as their hungry hearts were filled with the Holy Spirit.

Given the amount of spiritual activity that took place in this home, it should probably be designated as a historic landmark or listed on the National Register of Historic Places. With the right amount of publicity, it could also become a nice tourist attraction.

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Note: My book, F.F. Bosworth: The Man Behind "Christ the Healer," can be purchased
here with a 25% discount. Use the discount code (all caps): BOSWORTH25.

 

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For more information:
Visit the F.F. Bosworth page here. Questions about the research and commentary on F.F. Bosworth may be directed to Roscoe Barnes III, Ph.D., via email at doctorbarnes3@gmail.com or roscoebarnes3@yahoo.com. For updates on F.F. Bosworth history, simply follow this blog or @bosworth_fred and @Roscoebarnes3 on Twitter. #ChristTheHealer #BosworthMention #BosworthMatters