USA > Indiana > Decatur County > History of Decatur County, Indiana: its people, industries and institutions > Part 21
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The first church was built in 1834 and called Mt. Pleasant. It was a log structure, twenty-four feet wide and thirty feet long. This building was used until 1854. when a new church was built. The present pastor is T. J. Lewis, who has built up the church until it numbers one hundred and thirty members.
ADAMS METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
The Adams Methodist church was organized January 14, 1859. by the Rev. Jesse Brockway, of Milford circuit. The church was organized with seven members : William Ryan, Mary E. Ryan, Barnard Young. Jane Young. Minerva Young. J. W. Deem and Lemmel Deem. Some time later. Jona- than Tindall and family and George W. Kirby united with the church. Jona- than Tindall was appointed class leader.
Reverend Brockway preached until the conference of 1859 and was followed by Rev. Jacob Montgomery. In 1860 the class was placed on the Westport circuit by the Rev. Joseph Tarkington. A subscription was taken by the Reverend Tarkington in the spring of 1861 for the erection of a church at Adams. The trustees chosen were J. G. White, J. T. Hamilton, D. N. Hamilton. T. W. Deem and William Ryan.
Rev. James Tarkington, G. W. Pye and T. S. Turk preached until the conference of 1861. when Rev. P. J. Rosencrans was placed in charge. He served one year and Rev. J. B. Lathrop was sent in the fall of 1862. The church was built during his pastorate. The building committee was G. W. Kirby, Lemuel Deem and William Ryan. The church was erected by Ander- son Stevens and dedicated on January 14, 1863, by Rev. Samson Tincher, the presiding elder. Adams was then taken into the Milford circuit. with Rev. James McCann as pastor. The Sunday school was organized on Easter
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Sunday by Rev. P. J. Rosencrans. The church now has a membership of one hundred and sixty-two and is served by Rev. J. A. Gardner.
MILFORD METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
The Milford Methodist Episcopal church, which is one of the original outposts of Methodisni in Decatur county, was organized in 1834. at the home of Samuel Burney, by Rev. William Daily. Early records of the church have disappeared, but it is known that the Rev. Joseph Tarkington was the first pastor appointed to the charge. He was followed by a long line of. min- isters, earnest, hard working and prayerful, who, with dauntless courage and matchless energy, wrought a church in surroundings that were none too favorable.
The ministers who served this church have been the following: William Daily. James Scott and C. M. Reeves, Amos Busey and Allen Wiley, Elijah Whittier and C. Carey, T. Hurlburt and Edward Burris, L. Havens, Jacob Miller, John Reisling, John T. Keely, Seth Smith, C. B. Jones, Lewis Doles, Lundy Havens and John S. Lewis, Nimrod Benick, John Winchester and J. Crawford.
In 1854, during the pastorate of John Winchester, the church was erected at a cost of nine thousand dollars. Following Reverend Crawford, came Rev. Jessie Brockway, during whose pastorate the Adams church was added to the Milroy circuit. Since then the two charges have been tended by the following ministers : Jacob Montgomery, J. S. Barnes, W. F. Maulsin, James McCann, T. B. McClain, J. S. Winchester, F. S. Woodcock, J. C. White M. H. Mullin, J. N. Dashiel, Jolin Machłan, J. R. T. Lathrop, T. N. Jones, T. Kennedy, H. Morrow, T. D. Keys, W. R. Plummer, S. C. Clouds, S. A. Morrow, 1900-03; H. M. Elwyn, 1903-4: C. R. Sylvester, 1904-06; P. E. Edwards, 1905-09: J. T. Perry, 1909-12; C. E. Smith, 1912-13, and J. A. Garduer, 1913 to the present time. The present membership of the Milford churchi is one hundred and ten.
ST. PAUL METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
The Methodists organized a class in St. Paul about 1857, and for a time met in the upper room of the building now occupied by the Johannes buggy factory. The early records of the church were destroyed when the parson- age burned in 1914, and hence the early history of the church is lacking in (15)
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many of the minor details. About 1858 a union church was erected in the town and it seems to have been used principally by the Methodists and the Lutherans. The fact that the Lutherans outnumbered the Methodists caused the church to be usually known as the Lutheran church. This building was bought by the Christian church in the seventies and is still used by them.
During the Civil War the Methodists erected a house of worship, which remained in use until it was burned down in 1891, during the pastorate of Rev. S. W. Troyer. The same year the congregation erected the present building. Extensive repairs, to the amount of twelve hundred dollars, were made on the building in 1913, while Rev. E. T. Lewis was pastor. The pul- pit was changed from the end to the side of the building and a choir lofi was installed in the rear of the pulpit. The pews were changed and art windows and frescoing added to the general attractiveness of the interior.
.\ parsonage was acquired early in the seventies and when it was burned with all its contents in the spring of 1914, the present beautiful parsonage was erected. at a cost of eighteen hundred dollars.
For a number of years the St. Paul church was in the St. Omer circuit, but in 1866, at the close of the first year's pastorate of Robert Roberts, it was placed in the St. Paul circuit, where it has since remained. The mini- isters since 1859 have been as follow: S. B. Falkinburg, 1859: Asbury Wilkinson 1860: H. M. Lore, 1861; J. H. Stallard, 1862; Joseph Tarking- ton, 1863 ; G. M. Hunt, 1864: Robert Roberts, 1865-66; William A. Thomp- son, 1867: J. S. Winchester, 1808-69: J. Crawford, 1870: B. F. Morgan, 1871; W. S. Jordan, 1872; Asbury Wilkerson, 1873: M. Black, 1874; Landy Haven, 1875: M. H. Molen. 1876: J. D. Pierce, 1877: William Evans, 1878; J. McCaw, 1879: J. D. Pierce, 1880-81; J. T. Pell, 1882-83; J. W. McLain, 1884: D. C. Benjamin, 1885: Henry Morrow, 1886-88; G. W. Winchester, 1889-90; S. W. Troyer, 1891; T. K. J. Anthony, 1892; J. P. Maupin, 1893-94: D. A. Wynegar, 1895-97; G. H. Reibolt, 1898-99: H. C. Pelsor, 1900-01 ; H. D. Sterrett, 1902-03; C. R. Stout, 1904-05: C. W. Maupin, 1906: J. W. Cordrey, 1907; J. L. Brown, 1908-10; C. S. Whitted, IQ11; E. T. Lewis, 1912-13: S. L. Welker, 1914 to the present time. St. Paul has been in the following districts: Greensburg, 1859-62; Indianapolis, 1862-68; Lawrenceburg, 1868-71; Greensburg, 1871-73: Indianapolis, 1873- 76: Connersville, 1876-1915. The present district superintendent is Rev. V. W. Tevis.
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MIDDLE BRANCH METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
The Methodist church at Middle Branch, in Salt Creek township, was organized in 1867, with fifty charter members. They worshiped in private homes until a building was erected for worship in 1872, at a cost of twenty- five hundred dollars. The same building, with various improvements from time to time, is still in use. Class meetings, Sunday school and Epworth League are maintained and the work of the church in the community which it serves is such as to commend it to all worthy people. It is attached to the Batesville circuit. The following pastors have served the church : Mapes, Hunt, J. W. Mendell, Starks, A. M. Louden, R. L. Kinnear. J. S. Win- chester, F. A. Guthrie, W. F. Smith, E. L. Moore, W. Maupin, F. M. West- hafer, J. W. Recter, McDuffey, V. Hargett, Wolf, J. L. Jerman, Stout. Sylvester, W. H. Thompson, W. H. McDowell, C. M. Vawter, J. H. French and H. A. Broadwell. the present pastor. The trustees in 1915 were: Isaac Doles, Thomas Doles, William Caldwell, William Duncan and Isaac Redd- ington.
DISCONTINUED METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCHES.
Just how many discontinued Methodist churches there are in 'Decatur county is not known, but among them may be mentioned the following : St. Omer, St. Maurice, Shiloh, Center Grove, Finley and Fredonia. Little has been learned about these half dozen churches, although an effort has been inade to trace the history of each. Shiloh was discontinued a few years ago, the members going to the Greensburg and Sandusky churches. Finley church was organized by the anti-war Democrats, who sent to Kentucky for their preacher. It disappeared long ago. Fredonia was in the Tucker neighbor- hood in Marion township and was made up in large part of Free-will Bap- tists, who came to the church in a body. It was on the Holton circuit and was an active church until about six years ago.
NEWPOINT METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
The Methodist Episcopal church in Newpoint is the newest church in Salt Creek township, having been founded a little more than twenty years ago. The erection of the building was superintended by John Anedeker, Jr. One of the first pastors of this church was Will Smith. Generally, the same pastors have served this church that have served the New Pennington Meth- odist Episcopal church, since the organization of the Newpoint church.
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The trustees in 1915 were Leonard P. Hart, Charles Williams, Walter Stanley, William Koenigkramer. The Sunday school superintendent in that year was Leander Carr.
NEW PENNINGTON METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
Ever since it was founded, the New Pennington Methodist Episcopal church has been one of the most active country churches in the eastern part of Decatur county. Its history is embodied in the lives of men like the late John Collicott, who, during his lifetime, was a spiritual adviser and leader in the church. He was a member always faithful in exhortation and in the practice of the "old-time religion." -
The following pastors have served the church: John Collicott (exhor- ter), F. M. Westhafer, Albert Stout, Will Smith, French, Wilbur MeDow- ell, W. H. Thompson, C. M. Vawter, V. Hargett, Clatide Sylvester, J. L. Jerman. W. Maupin and H. A. Broadwell. the pastor in 1915. The trustees of the church are: Charles Williams, Leonard P. Hart, Alfred Ahring, William Koenigkramer.
OTIIER METHODIST CHURCHES.
Unfortunately, there were several Methodist churches in the county which failed to give any data for their history, and all that is known of them has been gleaned from the 1914 conference report. Rev. T. J. Lewis has four churches on his circuit: Westport, one hundred and seventy-five mem- bers ; Mt. Pleasant, one hundred and thirty members ; Letts, sixty members, and Burk's Chapel, twenty members. Only one of these churches responded to a request for data, the Mt. Pleasant church. The pastor on this circuit lives at Westport. Newpoint, Middlebranch and New Pennington are served by Rev. H. A. Broadwell from the Batesville circuit. New Penning- ton is credited with ninety-four members and Newpoint with seven in 1914. William De Hart serves the charges at Alert and Wesley Chapel, but nothing has been learned concerning either church. The church at Burney is in charge of Joseph H. Larmore.
BAPTIST CHURCHES.
The following is a list of the Baptist churches in Decatur county, together with their present membership and name of pastor :
Flatrock Association : Greensburg, four hundred and forty-five mem-
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bers, J. W. Clevenger, pastor ; Salem, one hundred and eighty-two members, A. A. Kay, pastor ; Sand Creek, one hundred and thirty-one members; W. O. Beatty, pastor ; Mt. Moriah, ninety-eight members, J. A. Ellis, pastor ; Ross- burg, thirty-eight members, W. O. Beatty, pastor.
Sand Creek Association : Mt. Aerie (Letts), three hundred and twenty- five members, W. C. Marshall, pastor ; Liberty, two hundred and eighteen members, I. B. Morgan; Westport, one hundred and ninety-one members, A. A. Kay; Union, one hundred and seventy members, J. C. Nicholson, pas- tor: Mt. Pleasant, eighty-seven members, J. C. Nicholson, pastor ; Friendship, thirty members, Eber Tucker, pastor; Rock Creek, twenty-nine members, P. A. Bryant, pastor.
The Baptist church was one of the first to get started in Decatur county, and, at one time or another, has had nearly a score of different congrega- tions in the county. It should be noted that this church was strong in the county of Franklin, which joins Decatur on the east, and that many of the ministers from Franklin served the early Baptist churches of Decatur county. This church, like many others, has seen many of its congregations divide on questions of polity, music, secret societies, whisky, slavery and on other questions, same of minor importance which today seem very frivolous. More than one Baptist church of Decatur county has been rent asunder over some petty differences, while, to their credit, they have later reconciled their dif- ferences and again united.
SAND CREEK BAPTIST CHURCH.
The first church of this denomination in Decatur county was estab- lished in 1822, the same year the county began its independent career, thus making the church coexistent with the life of the county. In fact, the actual organization of the Sand Creek church antedated the actual official opening of the county by about three months. It was on the third Saturday in January, 1822, that eight people-Rev. John B. Potter, Jennie Potter, Zachariah Gar- tin, Polly Gartin, Dudley Taylor, Nancy Taylor, Rebecca Loyd and Jen- nie Miller-met for the purpose of organizing a Baptist church. Their first meeting was held in Washington township and sometime later they erected a building, which they used for many years. Rev. Potter donated five acres of ground to be used as a cemetery. This church became the mother of the Baptist churches of Decatur, and, as other branches were established, many of the members joined other congregations.
Shortly after effecting a permanent organization, the Sand Creek church
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elected a council, consisting of Joel Butler, Basil Meek and Polly Baker. The church was first attached to the Silver Creek association, but later, upon the organization of the Flat Rock association, joined the latter. Many able men have served as pastors of this church and the following list represents some of the ablest ministers the church produced in the early history of the church : John B. Potter, Daniel Stoggsdill, Abraham Bohannan, James Mc- Ewen, John Pavy, Jacob Martin, I. Christie. James W. Lewis, James Pavey, M. B. Phares, Joab Stout, Preston Jones, J. W. B. Tisdale, J. W. Potter, G. W. Bower, C. N. Gartin, W. T. Jolly.
The Sand Creek Baptist church was organized under the following con- stitution : "Being sensible of the advantages and benefits of church privileges and gospel ordinances, we do agree to give ourselves, by the will of God. to God and to one another as a church, in order that we may keep up a church government and discipline according to the New Testament regulations ; also, to watch over one another in love for the benefit of the church of Christ and the glory of the religious cause of God, we do covenant together as a regularly constituted church on the articles of faith of the Silver Creek association." The following constituent members signed these articles of faith: Zachariah Gartin, Polly Gartin. Dudley Taylor, Nancy Taylor, Jennie Miller, Rebecca Loyd. Rev. John B. Potter and Jennie Potter. These mem- bers received the hand of fellowship from a council composed of Elder Joel Butler. from Union church, Basil Meek and Polly Baker. A year later the church joined the Flat Rock association, with which it has since been affiliated.
Originally, the Sand Creek church embraced a wide scope of territory. being the second church of the denomination in the county, and holding the most central location. . As suggested before it may very appropriately be called the mother of the many Baptist churches which were to follow. Large and flourishing churches have arisen in all parts of the county, until at the present time the field of Sand Creek is confined to a comparatively small ter- ritory. However, it is a strong congregation, and is constantly growing in strength and influence. Originally located about a mile and a half southeast of Greensburg, it changed to its present site in Marion township in the fore part of the eighties. The first meetings were held at the homes of the men- bers, and, even after a log church was erected, meetings were often held at the homes of the centrally located members in the winter. In April, 1823. Nathaniel Madison Potter donated three-fourths of an acre of ground and William Loyd a half acre, for church and cemetery purposes. \ building, twenty-four by thirty feet, was constructed of logs on the site so donated.
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on the Michigan road, a mile and a half southeast of the county seat. The cemetery is still there, but the building has long since disappeared.
The first services in the new log building were held in April, 1824, and on that day the following contributions were made to Pastor Stogsdale for his services : Three dollars in cash, twelve days' work, two days' work, fifty cents and one day's work, one dollar and one bedstead, two days' work, two days' work, one dollar, two and a half bushels of corn. It was agreed that the members donating work were to contribute it at certain specified times. and, presumably, when the pastor could use them to the best advantage.
John B. Potter served the church until a building was erected and had the honor of being the first pastor and moderator. He died in February, 1823. His grave marks the resting place of the first member of the Sand Creek church. He preached the first Baptist sermon, if not the first of any kind, in Decatur county, on Clifty creek at a spring just above where the old Moriah Baptist church stood, in Adams township. The pastors in the log church were Daniel Stogsdale, Abraham Bohanon, James McEwen, John Pavy, Daniel Stogsdale and Jacob Martin, serving in the order given.
In 1842 a contract was let for a new building to be located on the same site, a short distance east of the log building. It was a frame structure, fifty by forty feet, and cost six hundred dollars, the contractor and the congrega- tion both furnishing part of the material. The building was dedicated in the due course of time, with appropriate services, and continued to be the home of the church until 1883. During the early years services in the summer time were frequently held under the shade of a large poplar tree which stood near the south end of the church. Across the road a spring of excellent water gushed forth and the friendly gourd was ever hanging by it for the use of the members. In those days the evening services were conducted under the flitful gleam of the candle, and many people are still living who can recall the sputtering candles and tallow dips which were in use until the time of the Civil War.
The pastors in the frame building were Jacob Martin, Daniel Stogsdale, I. Cristy, James Lewis, John Pavy, M. B. Phares, Joab Stout, Preston Jones, J. W. B. Tisdale. James Lewis, J. W. B. Tisdale, J. W. Potter, G. W. Bowers, C. N. Gartin, W. T. Jolly and H. H. Smith.
In 1863, more ground was purchased from Mr. White for cemetery purposes, making about four acres altogether. About this time services were held in three different places-at the church, the Layton school house and the Middle Branch school house. As the years went by and new Bap- tist churches were organized. the question of moving the church farther south
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was seriously discussed. It was not until 1882, that a final decision was made on this momentuous matter. In that year it was decided to locate 011 the Michigan road, in Marion township, about four and a half miles southeast of Greensburg, just across the Washington township line. Three and a half acres of ground were bought from J. D. Price for fifty dollars, and a brick building was at once planned. This building, thirty-two by forty-eight feet, was completed in the fall of 1883. and furnished in January of the follow- ing year.
Rev. J. E. McCoy was the first pastor in the new building, being called in February. 1884. In June of the same year the formal dedicatory services were held by Rev. I. N. Clark, who preached from the text. "For we are laborers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building." (I. Corinthians, third chapter, ninth verse.) The well. wood shed, tenant house and bell were added later, the total cost of the lot and buildings being two thousand, seven hundred fifty-seven dollars and two cents.
The pastors at the present building have been as follows : J. E. McCoy. W. H. Craig, T. A. Aspy, J. A. Pettit, J. F. Huckleberry, E. C. J. Dickens, Charles M. Phillips, Dennis O'Dell. A. J. Foster, Chesley Holmes and W. O. Beatty, the present pastor.
The Sand Creek church has been wholly. or at least partly, responsible in constituting the churches at Greensburg, Liberty, New Pleasant, Pleasant Grove. Mt. Zion, Columbia and Muddy Fork. Some of these churches are now extinct. On three occasions Sand Creek has entertained the associa- tion. Sand Creek is proud of the fact that it has furnished so many faith- ful ministers to the church at large. The following men have gone out from this congregation as pastors : Licentiates-Ransom Riggs. Shelton P. Lowe, Nathaniel Madison, Potter. John D. Parker, Washington Pavy, A. J. Martin and J. W. Potter : ordained ministers-Ransom Riggs, Washington Pavy, John W. Potter and William H. Le Masters.
The ministers deserving special mention for their long connection with the church are Daniel Stogsdale (sixteen and a half years), J. E. McCoy (eight years) and John W. Potter (eighteen years). Rev. Potter probably did more for the church than any other man. Nathaniel M. Potter was a deacon in the church for nearly nineteen years, while R. E. Caffyn was a deacon for nine years and clerk for fifteen years. Jacob McKee served as deacon for twelve years, Dora Privett was clerk for sixteen years, Jamies Clemons was moderator for thirteen years and T. M. Clark was superin- tendent for ten years.
The church has enrolled approximately one thousand members in the
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ninety-three years of its existence and now has a membership of one hundred and thirty-three active members. The yearly expenses average between three hundred and fifty and three hundred and seventy-five dollars.
Under the leadership of the present pastor, W. O. Beatty, the church is enjoying a steady growth. A Sunday school is maintained ; a Young People's society meets every Sunday evening and an active Ladies' Aid society is doing efficient service in the Master's cause.
If the good pioneers who established this church nearly a century ago could know how much good had been done for the Redeemer and how many souls have been added to his kingdom through its instrumentality, they would rejoice indeed and feel that their early labors had not been in vain.
MOUNT MORIANI BAPTIST CHURCH.
The Mt. Moriah church was organized on May 23, 1823, with nineteen members : Rev. Daniel Stogsdill, Jonas Long, Joel Clark, William Harbord, Richard Guthrie and fourteen others whose names have not been preserved. This was the first branch of the Sand Creek church and included some who had belonged to the mother church. A building was erected on land donated by Solomon Turpin and stood in Adams township, on the old Michigan road, about a mile north of the present village of Adams. A brick church was built in 1834. This congregation flourished for twenty years before any dis- sension arose. In 1843 there was a great temperance wave sweeping over the country, and many churches became divided on the question of total abstinence. One of the members of the Mt. Moriah church, in an unguarded moment, either to drown some secret sorrow, or in libation to the sheer joy of living, had taken on a greater cargo of alcoholic liquor than his navigatory powers could handle. He became gloriously intoxicated and was brought before the church for trial. He was found guilty and expelled from the con- gregation. At the same sitting, the congregation heard the case of a member charged with the heterodoxy of having joined a temperance society. He pleaded guilty to the charge and was also expelled from the congregation. Whereupon a member, having more of a sense of humor than the others, arose and asked: "Brethren and sisters, just how much whisky must a man drink in order to be a good churchman?" Some time later, a minister at this place joined a temperance society and was promptly ousted by the congre- gation. This did not deter him from preaching, however, for he held serv- ices in homes of members of the congregation who stood with him on the temperance question, and he was later taken back into the pulpit.
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Then the conservative Baptists of the Mt. Moriah congregation, find- ing themselves outnumbered by the temperance members, withdrew from the Mt. Moriah congregation and organized a church one mile below Adams, which they called Mlt. Hebron.
MOUNT HEBRON AND ADAMS BAPTIST CHURCHES.
The Mt. Ilebron church. as has been stated above, was the result of the split in the Mt. Moriah congregation, the cause of which may seem so sur- prising to us today. This temperance branch of the old church built a house of worship in Clay township about a quarter of a mile south of the present village of Adams. These two rival churches, the "wets" and the "drys," stationed within about a mile of each other, maintained their separate organ- izations for more than twenty years. By 1863 their ranks were becoming thin and they were growing so weak that they were scarcely able to keep up their organizations. It was at this juncture that Rev. J. B. Lathrop, who had established a Methodist church at Adams, suggested to the two churches that they forget their differences, unite their congregations and build a church at Adams. The Civil War was in progress, many of the members of both churches had gone to the front, and most of the few remaining finally decided that nothing could be gained by attempting to keep up two separate organizations. In this year the two churches -- Mt. Moriah and Mt. Hebron -tore down the Mt. Moriah church and used the brick to erect a new house of worship in Adams. This building is still standing and is now occupied by the congregation. Whether it was in the nature of a compromise or not is not known, but it is interesting to note that it was agreed to use the Mt. Hebron cemetery. This final union of the two sister churches shows that most of the members could forgive, even though they might not forget. Some of them, however, were not able to reconcile themselves to the new order of things, and within five years they withdrew and formed the little Flat Rock church. The pastors of the AAdams Baptist church from 1865 have been: Preston Jones, Daniel Stogsdill. . \. Bohannan, James McEwen. J. Currier, J. M. Smith. E. J. Todd, I. Christie, J. W. B. Tisdale. Evan Snead, J. Chancey, James Pavey, John Pavey, Preston Jones. F. M. Huckle- berry, L. E. Duncan, L. A. Clevenger ( 1880-83).
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