USA > Illinois > Jefferson County > History of Jefferson County, Illinois, 1810-1962 > Part 22
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Moore's Prairie Township two years and two months prior to this. Pleasant Grove and Old Shiloh, where the first wife of Ransom Moss was buried about this time, are the oldest cemeteries used fon burial purposes today. Rhoda Allen's grave made in August of the same year. was the beginning of Old Union Cemetery.
Mr. Casey never claimed to be the founder of the church, but was always foremost in church work. Others followed and helped him. Methodism had been organized only thirty-six years previous to this time. Its spread was evident. The donon of this sacred spot was licensed to exhort in 1831 and to preach in 1843, ordained deacon by Bishop lionnis and ordained elden by Bishop Janes. He was the father of eleven children. It might be of interest to know that an uncle of his, Zadok Casey, preached the first sermon in Jefferson County in 1817, and every man, woman and child in the county was present. filone might be said of the man who gave the property for this church and cemetery.
It is not known just when the first church was built at Pleasant Grove, but it was soon after Thomas Il. Casey gave the ground for this purpose. There was no money needed to build it, for every- body helped chop the logs and erect the building which was 24 by 30 feet in size, located about twenty nods southwest of the Hal Smith home. Everything was made of the best timber. The logs were oak, not hewn but scalped out and daubed with clay. There were two windows, one in the north and one in the west, each four feet in height with lights made of oiled paper, later replaced by 8 x 10 glass. The floor was of puncheon split like nails and hewn smooth. The building was heated by a fineplace at the east end. The chimney was made of sticks plastered with clay. The door at the south end of the building was made of clapboards hung on wooden hinges. It was seated with hewn puncheon supported on four pins. These seats were worn smooth by the slow process of friction at the expense of pants and dresses. A well was dug at one corner of the building as was the custom in those times. Services were held here for several years.
Just when this log church was torn down and the pretentious frame church was built is not now known, but it is supposed it was at the time the church was properly organized in 1839. It was the only
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frame church with one exception for a hundred miles. Committees came for fifty and sixty miles to look at the wonderful church. A deed was properly made for the property in 1839 and the following men were chosen as trustees on July 2nd, to hold office for twenty years: Thomas M. Casey, James E. Johnson, Wm. B. Johnson, Elihu Maxey, Bennet Waxey, Charles Maxey and Jehu G. D. Maxey. The first preacher sent to the church when it was placed on regular work was Rev. Wm. T. Williams in 1339. The frame church was wainscotted about three feet high and sealed. No plastering was used. The pulpit, located as it is now, was at first four steps high inclosed in a circular affair of two-inch walnut. Then the preacher's head was very near the ceiling. Later the nostrum was taken out and two chains placed back of the pulpit. The altar was made of walnut fifteen inches wide and placed in a semi- circle around the pulpit.
Public school was taught in the frame chunch. Benches were used for desks. Each child furnished his own chain, which was a four- legged home-made stool. At Thursday at eleven o'clock the people gathered at the church for class meetings, and great meetings they were.
The frame building was set on fin, probably by a tramp, on Christmas Eve, 1858. Harris Smith's father (Earl Smith's grandfather), Living at Idlewood, saw the light during the early morning, but there were no telephones to use for notifying the people. The next morning Drucilla Swift (Dr. H. M. and A. R. Swift's mother) with her parents drove to the church for the services and were within a few nods before they knew that the building was gone.
The people immediately set about building another church. Adnak Maxey (links. A. R. Swift's grandfather) had just completed his brick home. Mr. Maxey with the help of his sons agreed to burn the brick for the new church. He also donated the stone for the foundation from the pond in front of the present G. B. Holman farm. The people cleaned the ashes away where the frame church had stood and hauled the stone and brick to the grounds. Masons boarding from home to home completed the thirty by forty foot brick building at a cost of about $2000. Drucilla Swift, a niece of Thomas M. Casey, and G. W. Prince, an adopted brother, then very small children, gathered hickory nuts
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and sold them to raise one dollar each to help pay the expense of building the new church.
In the fall of 1859 the work was completed and Rev. y. .. Hughey was assigned to the change. At the Quarterly Conference he had a resolution that all men sit on the east side of the church and. the women on the west side. The salary was set at $470.00. In 1869 it was raised to $900.00.
On the Fourth of July, 1861, six Sunday Schools gathered at this church. Over fifteen hundred people were present.
In 1851 there were nine officers in the Sunday School and an average of twenty-five scholars present.
The pulpit in the church is one of the finest in Jefferson County. It was hand made by Sylvanis Foster, a civil war veteran and donated to the church between 1890 and 1895.
Much of the sterling quality in the character of the early settlers can be seen in the descendents of today. Such character founded on the religious characteristics of James C. Johnson, who never took a drink of water without first thanking the Lord for it, will not be soon eliminated from the pages of history. Thomas 1. Casey held secret prayer in the timber back of his house, and fingerprints where he clasped a wild grape vine could be seen for years after he departed this world.
One of the highlights concerning the history of Pleasant Grove Church in recent years is the building of the present church, which was dedicated in 1924. This was the fourth church to be built on this site, it being preceded by three other buildings: a log, a frame, and a brick church.
The first brick church, built in 1859, was sixty-four years old in 1923, when the decision to replace it was made. Those early brick buildings were not as substantial as those built today. There were cracks in its walls, one especially noticeably which nan from above the front door to the roof. An iron brace rod on the inside south wall and another on the inside west wall helped hold the walls in place. One Sunday morning after Sunday School some of the men present made an examination of the loft of the church and there they discovered some of the hewn joists supporting the ceiling had slipped
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from their position on the wall, so the building was considered dangerous, especially in the event of a wind storm. The problem of replacing the old building with a new one was acute. The members set forth with determination to accomplish the task, but a year and eight months were to elapse before the new church was ready for service.
On April 2nd and 3rd of 1923, the old church was emptied of seats, piano and pulpit, and the floor was taken up. Less than a week later the windows were taken out and the roof taken off by a number of men, including the paston, Rev. Charles Ramsden. On April 3 there was purchased of G. B. Hawkins two carloads of brick to be shipped to Idlewood. They arrived April 11th and 14th, and were promptly unloaded by a number of teams. In those days the Southern Railroad Company maintained a siding at Idlewood where freight cars were loaded and unloaded. Passenger trains stopped there on flag, and a small depot was there to shelter passengers.
A tentative plan for the new church was submitted and generally approved on which a cost of $5000 was estimated. This plan was laten changed in favor of a plan received from the Bureau of Architecture of the Methodist Episcopal Church (now Methodist Church since 1939). This plan was studied and discussed and modified to suit the location and conditions and was approved without a dissenting vote by a meeting of the congregation held on the evening of June 8, 1923. Robert B. Moss was chairman of the Committee on Plans and Specifications, which committee was named the Building Committee by the Quarterly Conference held on June 9, 1923. Ihr. Iloss was also treasurer of the building fund, with Robert Paisley as secretary. These men devoted many days of Labor and evenings of work over the problems necessary to the building of the church.
The estimated cost of the church on the approved plans was $6500 for a building with auditorium approximately 30 by 40 feet inside measurements and two 12 by 15-foot classrooms, a vestibule on the southeast corner with belfry above, and a full basement.
The work of cleaning away the brick and debris of the old church continued, with the ladies bringing Lunch and helping clean the brick. On October 29, 1923, a few men including Rev. Z. W. Story, who replaced Rev. Ramsden after annual conference, began excavating
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from their position on the wall, so the building was considered dangerous, especially in the event of a wind storm. The problem of replacing the old building with a new one was acute. The members set forth with determination to accomplish the task, but a year and eight months were to elapse before the new church was ready for service.
On April 2nd and 3rd of 1923, the old church was emptied of seats, piano and pulpit, and the floor was taken up. Less than a week later the windows were taken out and the roof taken off by a number of men, including the paston, Rev. Charles Ramsden. On April 3 there was purchased of G. B. Hawkins two carloads of brick to be shipped to Idlewood. They arrived April 11th and 14th, and were promptly unloaded by a number of teams. In those days the Southern Railroad Company maintained a siding at Idlewood where freight cars were Loaded and unloaded. Passenger trains stopped there on flag, and a small depot was there to shelter passengers.
A tentative plan for the new church was submitted and generally approved on which a cost of $5000 was estimated. This plan was laten changed in favor of a plan received from the Bureau of Architecture of the Methodist Episcopal Church (now methodist Church since 1939). This plan was studied and discussed and modified to suit the location and conditions and was approved without a dissenting vote by a meeting of the congregation held on the evening of June 8, 1923. Robert B. Moss was chairman of the Committee on Plans and Specifications, which committee was named the Building Committee by the Quarterly Conference held on June 9, 1923. In. Moss was also treasurer of the building fund, with Robert Paisley as secretary. These men devoted many days of labor and evenings of work over the problems necessary to the building of the church.
The estimated cost of the church on the approved plans was $6500 for a building with auditorium approximately 30 by 40 feet inside measurements and two 12 by 15-foot classrooms, a vestibule on the southeast conner with belfry above, and a full basement.
The work of cleaning away the brick and debris of the old church continued, with the ladies bringing Lunch and helping clean the brick. On October 29, 1923, a few men including Rev. Z. W. Story, who replaced Rev. Ramsden aften annual conference, began excavating
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for the basement. Sand and rock were ordered shipped to Idlewood. C. M. Winn contracted to do the basement concrete work for $1.00 per hour for his time and $1.00 per hour for his machine, other labon to be paid for by the church.
On November 26 constructing Levels and making forms began, and the first concrete was poured on December 1. A severe cold wave came when the floor was put in and hay and all available coverings were used to protect the newly poured concrete, but the efforts were unsuccessful, the floor was damaged, and a new floor had to be put in the next spring over the damaged floor, making a floor seven inches thick in the basement. The cost of the basement was about #1250.
The brick work began June 30, 1924 by Oscar Williams at a contract price of $1500. W. T. Dennis was hired at his offer of $1.00 per hour as a carpenter and also to superintend the carpenter work. The total carpenter work amounted to $1430. Walter Atkinson's bid of $263 on window and door frames and outside doors and transoms was accepted.
The cornerstone was donated by the lit. Vernon Monument Com- pany. The laying of the cornerstone was on July 13, 1924. Rev. C. L. Peterson, paston of the First Methodist Church of lit. Vernon, preached the sermon at the cornerstone laying; others speaking briefly were Norman H , loss, Mins. J. M. Swift and Judge Albert Watson.
The work progressed and the Dedication Day arrived on December 7, 1924. Dr. Cameron Harmon, President of lickendree College at Lebanon, Illinois, preached the dedicatony sermon.
The cost of the new church was approximately $11, 000. Every one had a part in helping build the church including the Primary Sunday School Class, who paid $165.00 for the furnace. Every dollar counted, and ten of them came into the building fund from the sale of a horse furnished Rev. Ramsden by the church for transportation and sold when he left the Circuit in the fall of 1923.
The 100th Anniversary (Centennial) was observed on Sunday, August 13, 1939, one hundred years after the church was formally organized in 1839, although a log church was probably erected soon after the first burial in the cemetery in 1320. The Centennial was observed with a big basket dinner on the grounds; a tent was erected
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in the church yard where old relics and souvenirs were exhibited. Sunday School teachers from West Salem and Hopewell churches taught the Sunday School classes at the ten o'clock hour. After the Sunday School hour and in the afternoon several visitors spoke, the oldest speaker being Sylvanus Foster, last survivor of the Civil Jan in Jefferson County, who had built and presented to the church the pulpit.
The new church had become old enough for a new roof in October, 1946. In the fall and winter of 1947 the interior was redecorated, which also included new plaster for the ceiling, ne- finishing the floors, and painting the outside woodwork. Services were held in the basement during this period which lasted about five months.
Referring now to the land where the cemetery and church are located in Shiloh Township, bordering the west line of lit. Vernon Township, there are two deeds on record, both from Thomas M. Casey and Harriet, his wife, to the Trustees of the M. E. Church and their successors. The first deca recorded in June 1841 (Deed Book A, page 707) conveyed a parcel of Land 14 by 16 rods amounting to one and two- fifths acres. The names of the trustees in this deed are named in Rev. Seymour's history and were to hold office 20 years. The second deed recorded twenty years later in July 1861 (Deed Book M, page 461) increased the size of the cemetery to 23 by 28 rods (four acres and four square rods) which is the present church grounds and cemetery. Many years later a number of the friends and patrons of
Pleasant Grove Cemetery, wishing to insure the future care of the resting, place of their departed loved ones, petitioned subscriptions to an endowment fund, the interest and interest only of such fund to be used from year to year in caring for the cemetery. Wishing to make it legal and more secure, R. B. Moss, J. N. Pettit, Harris Smith, A. F. Maxey, R. F. (low and T. J. Holtslaw made application for and obtained a chanter under the state as an incorporated body, to be known as "Pioneer Pleasant Grove Cemetery Association. " The above mentioned chanter was filed for record on March 25, 1912 and recorded. in Book 82 Page 312 of Deea's, Jefferson County, Jilinois.
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According to the early religious history of Jefferson County, the majority of the early settlers in Jefferson County were Methodists, several of them liethodist ministers. This was different from most of Southern Illinois, for in the majority of the counties the Baptists were the pioneers of religion. The Methodists organized the first church society in the county in 1819 and in the fall of 1020 a house was built at Old Union, where the Old Union Cemetery is located. However, the building has long been gone and in recent years a Baptist church has been built near the cemetery. The first religious society organized in lit. Vernon Township was Baptist and was organized in the old log courthouse in 1820. In the fall of 1821 a liethodist house was built at Old Shiloh, both of these early buildings being used for church and school purposes. Mt. Vernon had no Methodist church until about 1836 and the people walked out from town to Old Union for preaching services except when services were held in the courthouse on in private houses.
Pleasant Grove, after being properly organized in 1839, was part of the lit. Vernon Circuit except from 1851 to 1869, when it was a part of the Walnut Hill (incuit. The annual conference of 1869 united lit. Vernon Circuit with a part of the Walnut Hill Circuit and a part of Knob Prairie, making a lange circuit called the it. Vernon Circuit. At this time the circuit consisted of the following churches: Pleasant Grove, Rome, Hopewell, Shiloh, Little Grove, Salem, Bethel, Elk Prairie, Knob Prairie and Zion. In 1944 the circuit was reduced to three changes: Pleasant Grove, West Salem and Hopewell.
The following is a nearly complete and connect list of ministers who have served Pleasant Grove Church, the date given being that in which the conference year began, in autumn: 1839, William T. Williams; the following seven not in order: John J. Hill, Norman Allen, Thomas Jones, Rev. Van Cleve, T. J. Farmer, Thomas A. Eaton, LaFayette Casey; 1847, John Thatcher; 1848, Isaac Kimber; no record for two years; 1857, Richard J. Nall; 1852, James Walker; 1853, Wiley Wood; 1854, J. A. Scarnitt; 1855, A. Campbell; 1855, Cavey Lambert; 1857, George W. Keener; 1858, John Shepherd; 1859, G. W. Hughey; 1860-1861, John !. Lane; 1862, J. C. Willoughby; 1863, T. O. Spencer; no record for five years; 1869-1870, L. A. Hanpen; 1871, Jm. Van Cleve; 1872-1873,
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J. B. Ravenscroft; 1874, G. W. Farmer; 1875, C. N. Bottonff; 1876- 1877, S. Brooks; 1878, J. P. Younghing; 1879-1080, J. : ). Flint; 1881, J. R. Reefe; 1882, Levi S. Walker; 1883, W. E. Ravenscrofts; 1884- Dec. 1884, Thomas Sharp; 1884, H. W. Leever; 1885-1886, W. A. Browder; 1887-1838 (no notation); 1889-1890, H. Hutchcraft; 1891-92-93, Silas Green; 1894-1895, W. D. McIntosh; 1896-97-98-99, Josiah C. Kinison; 1900-1901, John H. Davis; 1902, William Powis; 1903-1904, A. G. Proctor; 1905-1906, Charles Atchison; 1907-1908, Samuel Albright; 1909-10-11, S. O. Sheridan; 1912-13-14-15, William J. Hopper; 1916-1917, Marion S. Bumpus; no preacher from Oct., 1918, to Jan., 1919; Jan. 1, 1919 to Sept., 1920, R. L. Seymour; 1920, Louis Jones; 1921-1922, Charles Ramsden; 1923-1924, Zachary W. Story; 1925-1926, Angus Phillips; 1927- 28-29, J. J. Leslie; 1930-1931, Henry C. Ingram; 1932-1933, Marion Jackson; 1934-35-36-37, J. L. Miller; 1938- 11. E. Shaffer; 1939-1940, n. B. Clodfelten; 1941, J. T. Smith, who was ill four months and his place filled by C. J. Heflin during his illness; 1942-43-44, Orlando i. Brakemeyer; 1945-1946, Cal C. Ryan, who was in school until Feb., 1946. Rev. Earle Harmon supplied the circuit from Oct. 1945 to Feb. 1, 1946, until Rev. Ryan finished school.
The circuit year of 1947 was a nine-month year, and Paul &. Wartenbe served eight of those months. Following are subsequent min- isters and the conference years they have served: Joseph C. Harris, 1948-1951; lins. Alma Michain, 1952-1953; Dennis Ramsey, 1954-1955; I. A. Souens, 1956; R. E. Willis, 1957; James & Jefferies, 1958; Gary D. Jenkins, 1959; Benjamin Anderson, 1960-1961; and L. E. Hand, 1962. No one living can estimate the great influence for good this church has rendered to the community.
PLEASANT HILL (LIMESTONE) BAPTIST CHURCH
In 1852 a group of Baptists met in a small log cabin located near Limestone Creek in southwest Rome Township and organized the Pleasant Hill Baptist Church. This location was on the property now known as the Parker Sangent farm. The name "Limestone Church" stayed with the organization for most of its history, and many of the older people still refer to it by that name.
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Among the chanten members of the church were: I.r. and ins. Freeman Walker, In. and lins. B. B. Harvey, in. and ins. James Ward, wir. and lins. Levi Williams, mr. and ins. R. Whitlock. The early records of the church were destroyed by fire and there are other names, but they cannot now be located. The first pastor was Elden James A. Keele who died in 1367, the year the second church building used by the church was built.
The church met for a time following the moving from the cabin at a location now in the present cemetery where some of the dead had been buried before this move was made. This was a small frame building. with a "lean to" type of shed on the east in which meetings were held during the warm weather. One of the stones, a part of the original foundation of this building, is easily located in the burial grounds. It was pointed out to the present pastor, Rev. Ross Partridge, by Rev. A. L. Smith, who was paston of the church for thirty-three years.
The building in which the present congregation worships was erected in 1375 and has through the years undergone very extensive remodeling, as we shall discuss later.
The cemetery, where the small second building was located for a few years, is known as the "Westminister Abbey for Baptist ministers. " The first paston, Elden James A. Keele, is buried there along with other pastons of the church and other ministers. Among those buried here are: Elden W. P. Proffitt, Elden George Grant, Elden R. C. Keele, Elden Enoch Keele, Rev. Raymond P. Hay and his father, Rev. "). W. Hay, Elden A. L. Smith, Rev. Everette S. Apgar, and Rev. C. W. Moulding. Some other earlier ministers of the area no doubt are buried there, but it is impossible to locate all the graves. Other ministers have burial lots there on ane planning on purchasing them.
The cemetery is under control of the church. It was under the supervision of bin. Miles A. Osborn for many years. His son, liv. N. W. Osborn, continued that service for many years. In 1955 the church presented In. W. W. Osborn a Certificate of lienit, the only one ever voted by the church, for his many years of service as a layman serving as Sunday School teacher, superintendent, Brotherhood president, Church and Cemetery Trustee and other offices with distinction. He was in the
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furniture and undertaking business in Dix, Illinois, for fifty-five years previous to his death in 1960. The cemetery is now under the supervision of seven trustees who operate it under an endowment fund jon perpetual care.
There was no District Association for the Baptist churches of the area until 1852, the year Pleasant Hill Church was organized. Many of them were known as "Union Baptist Churches" and Pleasant Hill was characterized as such for years. The Salem South Baptist Associ- ation was formed laten and Pleasant Hill became a member of it, and now the Association has a membership of thinty-nine churches.
Pleasant Hill is known by the long pastorates of a few of the men who have served it. Three pastorates are especially out- standing, as to length. Elden W. W. Hay served over twenty years. Elden A. L. Smith served thirty-three years, having been elected, according to the testimony of older members, that many times by private ballot without an opposing vote. The present paston, Rev. Ross Partridge. began his ministry with the church in 1935, and in three pastorates has served twenty-one years, beginning his twenty-second year on September 2, 1962. He was the first full-time pastor, being called full time in 1942.
Other pastons of this church have been: Rev. James A. Keele, Rev. George 1. Grant, Rev. J. P. Proffitt, Rev. R. C. Keele, Rev. Cnoch Keele, Rev. J. T. Payne, Rev. Sam Wilson, Rev. Isaac î. Dale, Rev. J. R. Keele, Rev. C. W. Overstreet, Rev. J. In. Billingsley, Rev. Sam lidoy, Rev. Frank C. Hooker, Rev. john B. Maulding, Rev. Ross Davidson, Rev. I. T. Waring. Rev. A. L. Smith served the Salem South baptist Association as Moderator for twenty-eight years, Rev. Sam McCoy served for nine years, and the present pastor, Rev. Ross Partridge, has served fon ten years and is holding office as this is written in 1962.
The church has ordained the following men to the ministry during the past twenty years: Rev. Paul N. Jolly, Denver, Colorado; Rev. H. Bynon Bruce, Kansas City, Missouri; and Rev. Lester Riley, Texico, Illinois. All are active in the ministry.
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