INSTALLMENT EIGHT - MEJ's Bio (Germantown Church)

Germantown Church

                Perhaps an account of the history of the Germantown church building would be if interest. As stated before, it was organized in 1886 and was built on land donated by my paternal grandfather. The first building was a wooden frame building, built mostly by the charter members of the church. It would seat about 100 people. The first heating system was a large coal and wood stove, standing in the very center of the auditorium, and the stove pipe hung from the ceiling all the way to the end of the church, directly over the pulpit.

               Some time after this a sort of basement was dug under the church and a coal furnace installed. This was a great improvement since the stove was taken out and pews put in its place. The lighting system, of course, was kerosene lamps until a very complicated system of gas was added. The gas was manufactured by adding water to carbide in a large pressure tank outside the church. This system was replaced by electricity. More room was needed in the so-called basement to accommodate the gasoline powered generator and twelve large glass storage batteries. This system of lighting served the church until 1948 when the power line finally came out this far.

                When the congregation was organized in 1886, the first building to be erected was the church. The foundation was rock laid on the ground, no concrete. The lumber had to be brought from Parker, ten miles away. When you consider that all this was accomplished with horse power, it looks like a big undertaking.

                After the church and the manse were built, some of the people thought that it was necessary for the horses that were used to come to church, to have shelter during the time services were being held. So another project was started. A barn that had room for fourteen teams of horses was built. Each stall was built for two horses and the name of the man whose horses were to be in that stall was nailed above that stall.

               This barn, although it was no longer used for horses, was still in existence until the late 1920’s or early 1930’s. During the time that it was in use by the people, it happened quite often that while the services were going on in church, one could hear horses squealing and the sound of kicking against the partitions. Then one of the men of the congregation would quietly get up and go straighten out the quarrel.

Germantown Church with the Sessionj
Early 1900's