USA > Kansas > Labette County > History of Labette County, Kansas, from the first settlement to the close of 1892 > Part 36
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Excelsior .- At an early day a class was formed at the Mt. Triumph school-house, in District No. 63. Some few years ago this class was
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moved to the Excelsior school-house, in District No. 88. Here services were conducted till about the fall of 1891, when, under the pastorate of Rev. S. W. Gamble, a nice frame church 26 x 48 feet was erected on the southwest quarter of section 21, in north Mound Valley township. It was dedicated January 17, 1892, by Rev. B. Kelley. During the year the organization of a Y. P. S. C. E. has been effected.
Pleasant Hill .- A class was formed a number of years ago at the Pleas- ant Hill school-house, in District No. 77, where services were regularly held till 1889, when a new church was built, under the pastorate of Rev. W. T. York, on the southwest corner of section 30, in Walton township, at a cost of about $1,200. It was dedicated, free of debt, on Dec. 15, 1889, by Rev. J. E. Brant.
Moorehead .- A new church was built at this place, just in the edge of Neosho county, in 1891. Quite a large portion of the membership lives in Labette county.
Fletcher Chapel .- This class succeeds one of the oldest classes in the county. There were a number of Methodist families among the early settlers in the northeast part of Richland township, among them the Rice families, the Greens, and Rev. David Stanfield. A class was or- ganized, probably as early as April or May, 1868. Arrangements were soon made for erecting a building ; a site was selected on the east side of the east road leading from Oswego to Chetopa, near the northwest cor- ner of the southeast quarter of the northeast quarter of section 10, and a foundation laid that spring. L. D. Bovee had the contract for putting up the building, and had it inclosed that season. A store building at old Labette, on section 14, was torn down, and out of the material the church was partially constructed ; but it was never finished, and the class weak- ened rather than gained in strength. However, services were kept up and meetings were held in the school-house in District No. 3. The class was attached a part of the time to Oswego and a part of the time to Chetopa. It was decided to make another attempt to secure a building, and in the summer of 1883 a church was commenced, and by fall it was inclosed, and so far completed that services were held in it in winter. It is located on section 4, in Richland township. It was completed dur- ing the spring. and dedicated June 22, 1884, by Rev. F. M. Sisson.
Chetopa .- This church shares the misfortune of many early enter- prises, of having no record of its organization. It is said the first Meth- odist sermon in Chetopa, aside from the preaching before the war by ministers of the M. E. Church South, was preached in September, 1867, in W. H. Reid's home, by Thomas B. Palmer, who carried the mail from Osage Mission to Chetopa, and who was also a local preacher. No regu- lar preaching was had and no organization was effected till after the
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appointment of the preacher in 1868. Tradition says the church was organized in June, 1868, with thirteen members. Soon after the organ- ization a building committee, consisting of James C. Watson, G. W. Hoover and D. J. Doolen, was appointed, and had charge of the erection of the church building, which was commenced in November, 1868, and finished in 1870, the dedication sermon being preached by Rev. Thomas Bowman, D.D., on Sept. 4, 1870. In 1868 the church was under the charge of Rev. John S. Harryman, of Oswego, who had all of Labette county for his circuit. In the spring of 1869 Rev. Patterson McNutt was appointed to the joint work of Oswego and Chetopa. In 1870 Chetopa was made a station, with Rev. J. W. Lowry as pastor; he was returned in 1871, and was succeeded in the spring of 1872 by Rev. G. W. Pye, who also continued two years. The next two years Rev. John Paulson was pastor. In March, 1876, Rev. Hugh McBirney became pastor, and continued in charge till March, 1879, when Rev. R. M. Scott was ap- pointed to the work, and remained till March, 1881. Rev. J. W. Fox was then in charge of the work for a year. Rev. A. P. George came in March, 1882, and remained till August, 1883. In the following month Rev. W. W. Curnutt became pastor, and continued as such till March, 1886, when he was succeeded by Rev. C. T. Durboraw, who remained three years, and was succeeded May 1, 1890, by Rev. W. H. Mulvaney, in place of Rev. N. B. Johnson, who had been appointed to the church but failed to come. Mr. Mulvaney is still the pastor .- In the fall of 1870 a parsonage was built on a part of the church lots. In 1886 this parson- age was removed, and a new parsonage built in the north part of the city. The church was built of stone, and at the time of its dedication was considered the finest in the county, it having cost some $6,700 .- The church has had a number of revivals of marked power. In January, 1875, November and December, 1884, and the winter of 1885-86, the re- vival meetings resulted in large accessions to the church .- Nov. 4, 1889, an Epworth League was organized, with J. M. Cavaness as president.
Second M. E. Church : This organization was formed in 1881, and is composed of colored members. Some few years ago they built a church, and have maintained regular services most of the time. Robert Rector, W. B. Avery, Andrew Riley, Marion Bell, Thomas Allen, A. J. Lee, E. Q. Plummer, C. P. Thompson and A. R. Clarady have served as pastors. On Easter Sunday, 1892, a Y. P. S. C. E. was organized by Anna House- holder and Ella Higby. The members of the other two colored churches in town join in maintaining this society.
Timber Hill Circuit .- Methodism was organized in the west part of the county nearly as soon as there were any settlers there. Joseph Mc- Cormick, the first settler in Mound Valley township, was a Methodist,
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and his home became the place around which Methodism clustered. As early as 1867 a local preacher by the name of Spaugh preached at Mc- Cormick's house. Mr. Claspell writes me that "this was the first preach- ing I heard on Big Hill." In 1868 all of Labette county was embraced in the Oswego circuit, in charge of Rev. J. S. Harryman, with Rev. David Stanfield as an assistant, the former having been admitted into the conference on trial that spring, and the latter being a local preacher. Mr. Stanfield moved out into the western part of the county, and preached there. In March, 1869, the Westralia circuit was organized, embracing parts of Labette and Montgomery counties, and put in charge of Rev. J. S. Harryman and Rev. Sheldon Parker. In 1870 the Timber Hill circuit was formed, and put in charge of Rev. Sheldon Parker. It em- braced all of the western part of Labette county and the eastern part of Montgomery. In 1871 Rev. R. P. Bukey was put in charge of this work, and stayed two years. Rev. E. M. Bussert, a local preacher, about this time commenced to render efficient aid, which has been kept up much of the time since .- During these early years ( but I have found no one who is able to fix even the year) classes were formed at a number of school- houses in Osage and Mound Valley townships, several of which became permanent Methodist centers. Of these I may mention Mt. Zion, in Dis- trict No. 36; Mt. Triumph, in District No. 63; St. John, in District No. 76; Harmony Grove, in District No. 30; Pleasant Hill, in District No. 77; Maple Grove, in District No. 102. In April, 1873, Rev. J. P. Hight was placed on the Timber Hill circuit, and sent back the following year. In March, 1875, Rev. W. B. Poinsett was appointed, but on account of sickness failed to go, and the charge was united for that year with La- bette, under Rev. J. W. McIntosh. The next two years Rev. W. B. Poinsett was in charge, at the end of which time the Timber Hill circuit ceased to exist, the most of the appointments being merged in
The South Parsons Circuit .- This circuit was formed in March, 1878, and put in charge of Rev. W. B. Poinsett and Rev. A. S. Freed. In March, 1879, this work was reduced in size and put in charge of Rev. S. F. Harriman, who formed some new classes, among thein one at Mound Valley, and at the end of this year the charge ceased to exist under that name. From this time on the classes in the extreme western part of the county have generally been in charge of a minister at Cherry- vale. In the spring of 1886 a parsonage was built in the Mt. Zion dis- trict, and it became the head of the Cherryvale circuit. In 1892 this parsonage was sold, and the proceeds are to be applied toward the erec- tion of a new church in the near future.
Mound Valley .- The Methodist class at Mound Valley was organized in the summer of 1879, by Rev. S. F. Harriman, who was then in charge
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of the South Parsons circuit. About ten members composed the class at the time of its organization. In March, 1880, the Mound Valley circuit was organized, and put in charge of Rev. E. A. Graham, who continued on the work for three years. He in that time built three churches, doing a large part of the work with his own hands. The parsonage was built, and occupied in the fall of 1879 by Mr. Harryman. In the spring of 1880 a small church was completed on the southeast corner of block 15, and dedicated, free from debt, by Rev. A. T. Burris, at a cost of about $1,200. In March, 1883, Mr. Graham was succeeded by Rev. Isaac Hill, who was followed the next spring by Rev. C. E. Creager; he remained two years. The first year of his pastorate the old church property was sold, and other lots secured in block 10, lying just south of the railroad track, and on these a fine new church was erected, and on Oct. 12, 1854, was dedicated by Rev. J. B. Ford. During the following winter union meetings were held, under the direction of W. H. Hurlbut, an evangelist, and resulted in a great revival. W. T. Freeland was appointed to the work in March, 1886, and stayed two years, during which time the old parsonage was sold, and a new one built by the side of the new church, and accepted July 6, 1887. In March, 1888, Rev. W. W. Curnutt was sent to the work, and died just at the close of his first year's services there. The next year Rev. J. B. Gibson came; and the next, Rev. W. T. York. The latter did the church a good service in raising the money to pay off the indebtedness, which had been a great burden to it. In March, 1891, Rev. R. M. Cullison was put in charge of the work, and returned to it in March, 1892 .- An Epworth League was organized about Nov. 1, 1891, with Rev. R. M. Cullison president, Minnie Wallis first vice-president, William Cruzan second vice-president, Nellie O'Brien third vice-president, Eva Sanders secretary, Edgar Simpson treasurer.
Bell Mound .- An M. E. class has been maintained at the school-house in District No. 99 for several years, and has usually been supplied with preaching by the ministers in charge of the Liberty work.
Hopewell .- In December, 1871, Rev. J. P. Hight, a local preacher, held a protracted meeting in the dwelling-house of James Beggs, which re- sulted in several conversions, and at its close, on January 5, 1872, a class was formed, which thereafter took the name of Hopewell. Meetings were held in private houses till the completion of the Henderson school- house, in District No. 83, in the fall of that year, where the meetings were thereafter held till the completion of their church. This class formed a part of the Timber Hill and South Parsons circuits, and was ministered to by the preachers in charge of those works, till the forma- tion of the Mound Valley circuit, in the spring of 1880, when it was put into that circuit. Since then it has formed a part of either that or the
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Altamont circuit, most of the time, however, with Mound Valley. In 1882, under charge of Rev. E. A. Graham, a neat church was built on the south- east corner of section 18, township 32, range 19. There were several other classes in the neighborhood, which now form a part of this church.
Altamont .- The town of Elston having been started in the summer of 1869, a Methodist class was formed there in the fall of that year, and ad- mitted into the Oswego work in charge of Rev. P. McNutt, pastor. H. N. Brooks, a local preacher, and E. M. Bussart, an exhorter, were mem- bers of this class. At the conference in March, 1870, the Elston circuit was formed and put in charge of Rev. R. P. Bukey, who formed classes at a number of places in the central part of the county. At the end of one year this circuit was broken up and the work combined with other circuits. Classes were maintained most of the time in several school- houses in Labette and Mount Pleasant townships. This work preceded the organization of the class at Altamont when that town started. Prior to 1885 Altamont formed a part of the Mound Valley circuit. The class at this place was organized with ten members, on June 19, 1881, in the Presbyterian church, by Rev. E. A. Graham, who on that occasion preached the first Methodist sermon in the place. In the fall of 1882 and spring of 1883, Mr. Graham built, largely with his own hands, the church, which, on July 15, 1883, was dedicated, by Rev. H. McBirney, free of debt with the exception of a small loan obtained from the Church Extension Society. Rev. Isaac Hill, in 1883, and Rev. C. E. Creager, in 1884, being in charge of the Mound Valley circuit, also preached here. At the conference in March, 1885, the Altamont circuit was formed and placed in charge of Rev. H. R. Volmer; he was reappointed the next year, but his health failed, and he resigned in December, 1886. In 1885 a parsonage was built, at a cost of about $400. In January and Febru- ary, 1886, a revival meeting resulted in the church receiving about 75 ac- cessions to its membership. Rev. A. C. Bennett was appointed in 1887, Rev. W. H. Mcveigh in 1888, and Rev. John P. Slaughter in 1889. The latter, desiring to go to school, resigned the work. In March, 1890, Rev. J. D. Skaggs was appointed to the circuit, and reappointed the following year. Rev. W. T. York has been serving the church since March, 1892. Connected with this work are appointments at several school-houses in the adjoining townships .- An Epworth League was organized April 26, 1892, of which the pastor has been president all of the time.
Angola .- A church at this point was incorporated in December, 1892, and work was commenced on the foundation for a new building. The class to be formed at this point will be composed of two or three classes heretofore located in neighboring school-houses.
Elm Grove Circuit .- In 1872 the southwest part of the county had
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settled to such an extent, and there was such a call for preaching and the organization of Methodist classes, that the presiding elder appointed Thomas Summerfield, a local preacher living in Elm Grove township, to supply these points with preaching. During this time a number of classes were formed. In March, 1873, the southwest part of the county was organized into a work called the Elm Grove circuit, and Rev. Thomas Moffat was appointed preacher in charge ; the next year he was also sent as a supply on the same work. During his ministry there was an exten- sive revival. In 1875 Rev. George W. Rigby was sent to the work, and stayed two years. In March, 1877, Rev. J. M. Boon took charge of the work, and was returned again the next year, but got into trouble during the year and was suspended. He held protracted meetings at several points, which resulted in many conversions. In September, 1878, Rev. Z. B. Hitchcock had charge of the circuit, and was returned in the spring of 1879. At the next conference, in 1830, the name was changed to that of
The Edna Circuit, and Rev. C. W. Swartz was put in charge. In March, 1881, Rev. Azor McDole was sent here, and continued to August, 1883, when he started to Evanston to school, and was succeeded by Rev. Salem Hedges, who stayed till March, 1885, at which time Rev. A. S. Freed was appointed, and stayed two years. The two years following, Rev. E. A. Grabeal was in charge. In March, 1889, Rev. Henry Carlyon was appointed, and the next spring Rev. L. N. B. Anderson. He re- mained but part of the year, and was succeeded by Rev. H. V. Spears, who was in March, 1891, again sent to the work, and was followed by Rev. J. H. Hubbard, in March, 1892. In the fall of 1882 a building was begun, and inclosed so that services were held in it that winter. It was not com- pleted until 1883, and was dedicated about Nov. 1 by Rev. A. Cullison.
Taleda .- Methodist classes had been organized and maintained for sey- eral years in the "seventies" in a number of the school-houses in the southwestern part of the county, among them the Blackford school-house. District No. 6; in the Trenton school-house, District No. 67; and in the Snow Hill school-house, District No. 35 ; and perhaps in one or two more. A class was formed in the Dresser school-house, District No. 51, in 1878, and kept up there until the town of Valeda was started and the Congre- gational church moved there, in the fall of 1886. The class was then re- moved to Valeda, and the services held in the Congregational church. All the classes that had been held in that vicinity were now united in this one appointment. This class belongs to the Edna work, and a list of the pastors will be found given under that church.
Cecil .- In the summer of 1882 Rev. A. P. George, then in charge of the Methodist church at Chetopa, commenced preaching at the Liggett school-house, in District No. 87, and soon formed a Methodist class. Ar-
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HISTORY OF LABETTE COUNTY.
rangements were made with J. L. Jones to secure ground on the north- west corner of section 5, township 35, Hackberry township, for a church and cemetery. On October 11, 1882, the ground was formally accepted. On November 18, 1882, the corner-stone was laid, the address being made by Nelson Case. The work on the building, which was of stone, was pushed as rapidly as those interested could get the material upon the ground, so that by April 24, 1883, it was inclosed, and on that day Mr. George preached the first sermon within its walls. At the conference in March, 1883, the Cecil work was formed, and placed in charge of Rev. H. R. Volmer, who was reappointed to the charge in 1884. On May 13, 1883, just after the services had closed and the people had reached home, a cyclone came up from the southwest, and blew the church to atoms. The roof was carried about half a mile, the organ and table were crushed to splinters; the Bible lay upon a box which had been used for a pulpit, and after the storm was found just as it had been left, entirely unharmed. Steps were at once taken to rebuild ; this time, however, a frame instead of a stone building. On August 19, 1883, the first sermon was preached in this new structure, by the pastor. It was dedicated (about September 1, 1883) by Rev. A. Cullison. On July 2, 1884, another storm passed over that section ; the church was struck by lightning, and also torn to atoms by the wind. Some money was realized from insurance, and the brethren for a third time started to erect a church edifice. It was con- menced in October, 1884, and finished during the winter, and on Feb. 22, 1885, was dedicated by the presiding elder, Rev. A. Cullison. At the conference the following month Rev. J. B. Seiss was appointed to suc- ceed Mr. Volmer on this work. Since then this point has formed a part of the Edna circuit, and has been supplied with preaching from the min- ters in charge, a list of whom will be found in connection with that work.
Bartlett .- The class at this place, while one of the newest in the county, may still, not inappropriately, be said to be one of the oldest. In the report of Rev. P. McNutt, pastor at Oswego, to the quarterly con- ference held at Oswego, May 15, 1869, I find the following : "On May 9th I organized another [class] at Hackberry." "I have been on Hackberry but once; found a very intelligent, wide-awake people there. I organ- ized a class of 10, with Bro. William Payne as leader, and have great hopes of soon seeing a flourishing society there." I learn that this class was organized at the house of Mr. Horace Horton, on the southeast quar- ter of section 27, in Hackberry township. Among the 10 members who were taken into the class at its organization were Wm. H. Payne and wife Louisa, Samuel McMillen and wife Margaret, Thomas F. Weaver, George W. Jenkins. Mr. McNutt preached frequently during the year, and Thomas Summerfield, a local preacher, also preached for them more
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or less during the next year or two. Preaching, prayer meetings and class meetings were held in a number of houses in the neighborhood - at the home of H. D. Knight, on section 33, as much, perhaps, as at any place. This class became a part of the Elm Grove circuit when it was organized. The class met for a time at the Lockard school-house, in District No. 28, and then at the Bishop school-house, in District No. 7. Preaching and class services were maintained at both of these places, sometimes at one and sometimes at the other, with a good degree of reg- ularity, until the spring or summer of 1888, when regular services were abandoned at these points and the class was removed to Bartlett, where services were held in the school-house, and Edith Dorland was appointed class-leader. Sept. 1, 1892, work began on a new church building, which is now being erected. So far, no denominational Sunday school has been started at this place : all have taken part in the union school.
Parsons .- First Methodist Episcopal Church of Parsons : Methodism in Parsons does not know the date of its birth. The first religious ser- vices on the present site of Parsons were held in the summer of 1870, in Abraham Cary's log house on the northwest quarter of section 18, by A. W. King, a local preacher from Osage township. Mr. King continued to preach there every two or three weeks during the summer and fall. The town having been started in November, a number of buildings were on the ground by December. Among these was a two-story frame stand- ing on lot 32, block 25, next to the southeast corner of the block, the lower part of which was occupied by Charles Hazard with a saloon. In the room over this saloon, on the evening of Dec. 15, 1870, Mr. King preached the first Methodist sermon that was delivered in the town of Parsons; it was also the first sermon preached in Parsons by any minis- ter. In March, 1871, Rev. G. W. Pye was appointed to the New Chicago (now Chanute) work, with the understanding that he should also visit Parsons and preach occasionally. During the spring he visited Parsons, preached, organized a class, and commenced the first regular Methodist work done at this point. During the year he came about every two weeks. Services were first held in what was known as Hewes's Hall, on Forest avenue. During the spring Cary's Hall, on the northwest corner of block 42, where the opera house now stands, was built, and the upper story seated by the Methodists and Presbyterians, in which to hold ser- vices. In this room, in the month of May, 1871, the Methodist class was organized. Adam Gebert was the first to give his name and his hand to the pastor, Rev. G. W. Pye, and Abraham Cary was the second. At the conference in March, 1872, Rev. J. W. Fox was sent to the Parsons cir- cuit, which included, besides Parsons, Montana, Spring Valley and La-
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bette City appointments. His salary was estimated at $800, and he was paid about $600. At the first quarterly conference, on April 6, 1872, a building committee was appointed; which committee, on April 27th, adopted plans and specifications for a church building, and at once ad- vertised for bids. On May 8th the bids were opened, and the contract awarded at $4,753. But, owing to the pressing needs of the settlers and the financial distress generally prevailing, a meeting of the committee was held on June 10th, and it was decided to indefinitely postpone the project of building. In the fall of 1872 a small building denominated a "tabernacle" was erected on the site of the present church, at a cost of about $700. These lots were donated to the church by the town com- pany. The tabernacle was dedicated Nov. 3, 1872, by Rev. H. D. Fisher. In this building the church services were conducted until the fall of 1876, when it was sold to the United Brethren and removed from the lots on which it was built. In March, 1873, Rev. C. R. Rice was sent to the work, and early in the year built a small parsonage in block 47, at a cost of about $300. Services were held quite irregularly, on account of the inability of the church to support the pastor, and in December he re- moved his family to Emporia and supported them with his own labors, having received less than $200 from the church during the year. Not- withstanding all this, Mr. Rice did some very efficient work. Rev. Peter DeClark was the next pastor. He arrived from the East in April, 1874. Small-pox, grasshoppers and hard times were too much for him, and in July he resigned the work. He was followed in November by Rev. Boyd Lowe, who was returned to the work in 1875, and for his services re- ceived all that was promised, viz., $500-the first experience of the kind the church had had. In 1876 Rev. J. F. Boone was in charge of the work, and in March, 1877, Rev. C. A. King came, and remained three years. The tabernacle having been sold the previous fall, services had to be held in halls, vacant store-rooms, and such places as could be se- cured. This made the church see the importance of building a house, and the pastor proceeded at once to take steps for its accomplishment. On Nov. 5, 1877, the corner-stone of the present church edifice, on the southeast corner of block 42, was laid by the Masons. The foundation was completed, and covered during the winter, and work resumed in the spring. In the fall of 1878 the church was inclosed, and opened for ser- vices by Bishop Bowman. An extensive revival followed. In March, 1880, Rev. M. H. Wilson was appointed to the work. His ways were not congenial to the membership, and after six months' trial he was allowed to depart, and was followed for the balance of the year by Rev. C. E. McClintock. In 1881 Rev. G. W. Pye was returned to the work, and in March, 1882, Rev. H. W. Chaffee came. The church and pastor
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