The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-26
THE STORY OF THREE CHURCHES
One Built From n Single Stone, One
From a Single Tree, the Third by
One Man.
From Architecture and Building.

From Architecture and Building.
The following comes from Waterloo Ia.
The members of the Presbyterian church
| decided to erect new place of worship.
Stone were scarce; IN fact, there were no
quarries and no rock fer building purposes
| nigh at hand. At last their attention was
| called to what was apparently a large
| boulder which stood in the middle of a
plain about eight miles from the town.
This huge mass of rock was like an island
in the midst of a vast sea. About eight
feet of it projected above the ground. The
work of eXcavating this gigantic boulder
was at once begun. When exposed to
view it was found to be twenty-eight feet
high, thirty feet long and twenty feet
wide. On this mountain the workmen be-
gan their labors with drills, hammer and
dynamite, and the enormous rock was con-
Verted into building stone. The pieces
were conveyed to the town. and before
long wonderful metamorphosis was an
parent, and then this giant boulder. after
resting undisturbed for countless wears
and buried by the deposit of ages. was
transformed into a beautiful church. IN
its rough state this great rock is esti-
mated TO have weighed more than $500
tons.
To build a church from material taken
from one boulder is certainly surprising
out not so much so as to build and COM
plete a large wooden church from the tim
Der of single tree, no other lumber from
any source being used, the building being
the largest church edifice in the country
The building it situated in Santa Rosa
Cal, and was erected for the members of
the Baptist communion of that place The
timber was taken from a red wood tree
that grew in the neighborhood The in
terror OF the church was pauelled and fin
lshed with wood, not a particle of plaster
or other similar material being used. The
floors, seating, pulpit roof and roofing
We're all formed from material taken from
the same tree. and after the building was
finished in every particular stuff enough
was taken from it to manufacture 60. 900
shingles, besides a large quantity of
scantlings, joists and other dimension
stuff.
There is a Presbyterian church at Hen
turnville, Pa, that was built by one mar.
1t Is beautiful stone structure. built
from great boulders taken from Rrobst
mountain. The name of the man who
built this church was George Taylor. and
he labored at 1t for more than six wears
quarrying and cutting his own stone and
putting them in place when opportunitv
presented. The building is sixty by tbir-
ty-eight feet with square tower sixty.
feet high. Before the church was quite
finished Taylor grew i'll. His hammer
chisel and trowel were laid aside and thew
We're never again taken up by him. In his
VIII It was found that he left the church
and all its belongings to the congregation
There remained a small debt, which was
partially wiped out the first Sunday ser.
vice was held in the building. A subscrip-
ton was raised and a pretty memorial
window was erected by the congregation
IN honor of the aged and untiring builder
-Condnctor: How old are VOL, 1i1.,.