Humboldt County, CA History Transcribed by Kathy Sedler This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives http://calarchives4u.com/ These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain the written consent of the contributor, OR the legal representative of the submitter. All persons donating to this site retain the rights to their own work. History of Humboldt County California - Historic Record Co., Los Angeles, 1915 CHAPTER XV. Early Churches in Humboldt County. Fully ten years before the Civil war, when Humboldt county presented a wild spectacle to a comparatively small number of pioneers, many of whom were very wild themselves, there were churches in the county. The doctrines of Christ were being propounded, and the sublime lessons of the Sermon on the Mount were being thundered from pulpits among the forests. Man's spiritual welfare was not neglected, for a band of faithful men and women worshipped at humble shrines which were rudely constructed, even as they had been taught to worship at the shrines of their fathers. Several old men and women, now residents of Humboldt county, remember the first services and like to dwell on the story of the chimes as they were heard breaking the silence of the wilderness in the far-away days of Humboldt's beginning. There seems to be little or no doubt that the history of churches in this county begins with a meeting appointed for worship at Bucksport, early in the summer of 1850. The Rev. A. J. Huestis then occupied the pulpit and preached a stirring sermon. The services thereafter were held every Sunday, with few exceptions, until 1853. Then as a field for missionary work the Methodist Episcopal Conference supplied Humboldt county by the appointment of regular ministers or pastors, of which, at Eureka, the Rev. James Corwin was the first. It is said that the first Sunday school class in Eureka was started by a Rev. Dr. Charles Hinckley, on November 27, 1857. "The school house now standing and still used as such on the corner of G and Third streets," says a writer of 1882, did duty on the occasion of religious exercises and lectures, for all denominations. It has long ago been demolished, however, and the present city hall occupies the site. It is said that the first Methodist Church building in Eureka was constructed and dedicated in 1859. For the purpose of calling the worshippers the bell was obtained through the efforts of the Rev. Charles W. Hinckley, the pastor. It was hung at first from the top of a large redwood stump which was not far from where the building stood. It was Mr. Hinckley's custom to ring the bell himself, and also preach the sermon. It is said that he was an eloquent man and that the sounding of the bell was almost always the signal for an influx of most of the citizens of Eureka. To this statement there must be some exceptions, for a number of men preferred gambling, drinking, horse racing, and like sports, to church. The pastor, however, was very popular in the olden day. The original building was sold and moved from the lot in 1866, thus destroying the interesting landmark—the first church at which services were ever held in Humboldt county. Another church was built and a heavy debt therefor was contracted, which hung over the congregation until 1874, when it was liquidated. The settlement of the debt was due very largely to the strenuous efforts of the Rev. Edward J. Jones, who was pastor and who bent every energy towards the accomplishment of his ambition. During the pastorate of the Rev. Dr. Haswell the building itself was very greatly improved. There were sittings for something like six hundred persons in the gallery and on the main floor. The parsonage, on the adjoining lot, was a modest and unpretentious cottage, well furnished, and it afforded the usual comforts and conveniences of a modern dwelling. The aggregate value of the church property was then $5,500. The first trustees of this church were G. D. Wilson, A. J. Huestis and B. L. Waite. The number of members of the church up to 1882 was something like eighty, but the highest number reached in the times prior to that was one hundred. A very good library was arranged for the church and the Sunday school and as early as 1879 there were some three hundred volumes for the use of two hundred and ten scholars. The Rohnerville Methodist Church was organized in 1852 by Wesley Harrow, who preached near Eel river on a place then owned by Robert Roberts, a prominent churchman of those times. In 1853 the services were conducted chiefly by two local ministers. They were J. Burnell and a Mr. Springfield, whose personal or Christian name has been lost to history. By the year 1854 this church was connected with the Eel River circuit, and James Corwin became the first regular pastor thereof. The charge was fairly prosperous and it was not long before it had fifty members. The pastor who followed, some years later, and had considerable success, was the Rev. H. H. Stevens, who preached frequently to the full capacity of the church, which was one hundred and fifty. The Methodists seem to have been in the ascendancy during those early years, for we read that the Methodist Episcopal church of Arcata was also organized in 1850. The Rev. Asa B. White, the pioneer minister, in fact, of California, pitched his tent of blue cloth in San Francisco, where his voice was heard in prayer, in song, and in sermons as early as 1849. This remarkable man began his labors in Arcata in the same old tent where afterwards stood Kirby's stables, and it was there that he organized the first church. Some years later the Rev. John B. Chisholm became a successful minister there. Contrary to the popular impression, Christ church, of Eureka, was not organized in the old pioneer days, for it does not date earlier than June 1, 1870. Its services were held for a long time on every Sunday, and other services at the times appointed by the rector. On the evening of June 8, 1870, the members of the parish met and elected a vestry which organized by the election of Thomas Walsh, senior warden, and Robert Searles, junior warden. The vestry then called the Rev. J. Gierlow to the rectorship of the parish. This church was consecrated on February 5, 1871, by Rt. Rev. W. I. Kip, D. D., who afterwards became famous in California. The Rev. J. S. Thomson became rector on January 1, 1872, and was followed by the Rev. J. H. Babcock and the Rev. W. L. Githens. The Rev. H. D. Lathrop, D. D., of the Church of the Advent, San Francisco, accepted a call and entered upon his duties at Christ Church on July 14, 1878, and remained there for some years. The church with the rectory occupies one-quarter of a block handsomely enclosed with attractive yard. An old resident once wrote: "A chime of five bells, the gift of Mayor T. Walsh, rings out from its pinnacled tower its weekly invitations to worship and in the surprise of the moment takes the stranger back beyond the tall redwoods and the mountains to his distant home where he has perhaps heard similar chimes before. The interior appointments of Christ church are still continued as in the old days and are in harmony with the surroundings of the structure. The value of the parsonage was said to be $7,500 even in the old days, and its value has appreciated since." The United Brethren in Christ Church was situated at Rohnerville and the first minister sent there was Israel Sloan, who organized his first class on Eel river in 1862. The memory of this noble man's services is still dear to the old timers of Rohnerville, where he was buried in the old cemetery many years ago. In 1865 the first class was organized. The first minister was the Rev. J. B. Hamilton. The society had a comfortable church, a good parsonage, and two ample camp grounds. One was on Eel river and the other was about one mile north of Springville. The church was entirely free from debt soon after it was started. The membership remained at eighty-seven a long time and the Rev. D. F. Lane followed the founder of the congregation. The Methodist Episcopal Church at Ferndale was established away back during the Indian troubles and planted in the midst of very great and baffling difficulties. The country was a forest and the circuit was very large and in a dangerous country, embracing Petrolia and Rohnerville. The minister in charge was frequently exposed to the dangers of savages and the crossing of swollen streams in the course of his urgent duties. Dr. Morrow organized this church in the year 1860. The Rev. F. H. Woodward was long in charge with seventy-five members, about a third of that number usually being probationers. The church property in those days consisted of two lots, a church parsonage, and other equipments, also a camp-meeting ground. The value of the church was $400, and it was without any debt to harass those in charge of affairs. The first Congregational Church in Eureka was organized on October 30, 1860, but no record is extant showing the names of those who first served as trustees. It is known that Dr. Jonathan Clark, father of the present Mayor of Eureka, was president. The church was in charge of the Rev. W. L. Jones, who was its first pastor. He was a man of great industry and wide acquaintance, and many of the old-timers still remember him as a speaker of considerable ability. He was followed by the Rev. T. A. Huntington. The greatest number of members appearing on the official minutes of the church in the old days was sixty-three, but it grew to a much larger membership a little later. The building and parsonage were neat and attractive in general appearance and for their respective uses were well furnished, being situated at the corner of Fourth and D streets. The church property was valued at $6,000 and as said before the congregation was prosperous and out of debt. The Ferndale Congregational Church was organized on March 17, 1876. The first meeting of the society was held in a hall and afterwards in a large church building. On January 24, 1881, the church was free from debt and was dedicated with fitting ceremonies. Dr. Warren preached the dedicatory sermon, and Mr. Strong, whose Christian name has been forgotten, gave a resume of the work done by the society during the five or six years preceding the meeting. The Hon. Joseph Russ aided the society very much during the early years by his donations. The church received from him the lumber for the building, also a splendid bell, and about one-sixth of the entire debt. The first pastor of the church was the Rev. E. O. Tade, and he was followed some years later by a prominent and popular man, by name Phillip Combe. The late A. Berding, Mrs. J. M. Lewis, and Dr. F. A. Alford were original and very active members of this church. The greatest membership it had in those days was forty-one and the church property was said to be worth about $5000. The Presbyterian Church of Arcata was organized on January 1, 1861. The Rev. Alexander Scott officiated as its first pastor and preached in the Methodist Episcopal Church for about sixteen months previous to the completion of his own church building. The membership consisted at that time, strangely, of only three members, B. Wyman, George Danskin, and Sarah Nixon, the latter remaining a long time as an active member. The membership soon grew, however, to fifty-five, and the church was dedicated on March 31, 1861. It and the parsonage were pleasantly located, occupying a quarter of a block under a neat inclosure and with attractive surroundings. There were two organs and a library of more than two hundred volumes valued at $2500. The United Brethren in Christ Church met in its own house of worship regularly on every Sabbath for a number of years, being organized in 1877 with D. W. Burtner as pastor. Its membership long consisted of twenty-seven members and its property was a neat church and parsonage comfortably furnished, worth about $1500. The Roman Catholic Church at Eureka was organized in 1858 with the Rev. Father Thomas Crinion as first priest in charge. He was followed some years thereafter by the Rev. Father C. M. Lynch, who was very popular. The central policy of this denomination obtained for it a unity in its material as well as spiritual relations, which was unknown to the other churches of that time. The membership in Eureka attending administrations of the church in those days or soon after its founding approximated twelve hundred. The church building and parsonage were neat in appearance and were pleasantly located. The church afforded seats for about four hundred persons, and had a value of $5000. The building itself was constructed in 1861. Besides the foregoing the Catholic churches in the county in the early times were as follows : Ferndale Church, built in 1878, with a seating capacity of about two hundred; Table Bluff Church, built in 1869, had about a hundred and fifty members. The property was valued at about $500. The Rohnerville Church was built in 1871, with sittings for about a hundred and fifty. There were also churches at Arcata and Trinidad. St. Joseph Convent of Mercy was situated in Eureka and occupied a block commanding one of the most diversified and beautiful views of the city and the bay as well as the farther landscape of the surrounding country. Its inclosures were adorned with whatever of foliage and shrubbery and flowers could be obtained for the charming retreat. The institute; in charge of the Sisters of Mercy, enjoyed a high reputation in the olden days for its care and service. The number of sisters was nine, and the pupils sixty. The value of the property was even then about $10,000. Since those old times every church has made great progress in the way of increasing membership and making an improvement of the accessories of church life. New sects, such as the Christian Scientists, have grown up since those far-away times, and there have been many church organizations to add to the activities of those who follow in the steps of the Lowly Nazarene. We might go into a detailed account of the work of the churches in more recent years, but that would be beside the purpose of a history such as this, which seeks to give the reader an idea of the beginning of things religious rather than an idea of the conditions which now exist.