Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1900-08-03
Corner Stone Laid.
Impressive Ceremonies at the
New Methodist Episcopal
Church.

alleluool at $3.50 o CLOCK. lie Gay
was perfect aud very large number
of people were present to witness the
interesting ceremonies. A PLATFORM,
on which the services were held, was
placed on the foundation ct the south
east corAer of the church, near where
the corner stone was placed ready for
laying. The stone is of Barre, Yer
mont, granite; the inscription, IN
raised letters, "a. D., 1900"
Assisted by the foreman, the Pastor.
Rev. S. w. Head, placed the stone i'll
position. The usual records, brief
history Of Methodism in Howard Co.,
newspapers, coins, ETC., ETC., were
placed in thereceptacle prepared for
them.
The invocation was by Rev. S. w.
Head. Music by the church CHOIR,
assisted by WIN. Mead, viollnist. Rev.
Ridllngton led III prayer. Rev. Head
read history of Methodism in How
ard county. Responsive reading was
led by Rev. o. Fl. Holmes. Rev.
Stowors read the Scripture lesson.
Rev. DR.. F. M. Robertson, Presiding
Elder of the DEBORAH District M. E.
Conference, gave the address. DR.,
Robertson has strong and clear
| voice, and his delivery was impressive
and emphatic. The utmost order pre-.
vailed and every word of the speaker
reached distinctly the extreme limits
of the large audience. DR.. Robertson
spoke of the need of more and better
churches. No community could long
exist without its churches and without
the moral influence they exert over the
people. Without churches, property
would depreciate and business would
be dead. People would so elsewhere.
The beuediction was by Rev. Dom.
mersnas.
The new church is seventy.hve feet
long and seventy.ive feet wide; seven
ty FIVE feet front on Elm street ant
seventy-fve feet front on Peck street
| having a tower on the south least cor
ner 2ox2o, about 60 feet in heighth.
The foundation above grade line is Of
Kasota, Mimi, red stone. The water
table and other stone trimmings
coplngs, etc., are also of kasota stone
II Cresco brick are used for the interior
of the walls and Twin City mottlee
brick for the face. The windows wi!
be most artistic. of gothic style ant
. opalescent glass. The interior will b
flushed in quarter sawed oak. TIL
: pews and pulpit have been contracte
. for from The Grand Rapids Furnitur
Company. The church will have
seating capacity of about seven hur
dred, and from present appearance
is none too large as the congregatio
i: keeps steadily increasing. 1t will b
steam heated and have electric light
. ing.
The architects are Messrs. Kline
$ & Detwller, Austin, Mimi; the col
tractor, E. M. Loop, of Hopkingtol
Iowa, and the foreman, Fred Lool
!: also of Hopkington; NJ. Kline supe
= intendent of stone cutting.
: The cost of the superstructure wi
j; probably be Ill the neighborhood
a $4,000
Following is a history of Methods
in Howard county. as read by Re
Head:
= According to best information o.
t; tainable Methodisn was Introduce
a into Howard County, Iowa, by Cha
Best, an Exhorter, who settled in Il
e. north part of the county in 1855, al
H. held meetings i'll a sparsely setll
e community, and organized a class
x Foreston.
ID In 1856, Rev. Geo. w. Fall, a Loo
or Preacher il the Nj. Z. Church, NOV
w INTO the county and settled at Vern
Springs, and preached the first Met
ol,st sermon in Howard county.
g. 1857 Bro. Fall was employed by t
o; Presiding Elder, Rev E. Skinner,
z. travel and organize a Circuit i'll t
"a county. In October, 1857, he orga
m lied classes at Vernon Springs a
o; the Booth appointment, both the
- after included in the New Oregon c
81 cult. In the spring of 1857, Brow
Patterson, a Supt'd member of
st Erie Conference, and also Bro. A.
Cowan, local preacher, moved W
rn their families into the southwest pt
st, of the county, and in the month
20, May, III the same year, class "
,r- formed there by Rev. P. w. Holbrot
m then on the Bradford (s,uce the MAJ
" ua) Circuit.
At the annual conference OF IS
Rev. J.. w. Waterbury was appoin
-, ~ to New Oregon Mission. which was
w. tached to the Cedar Falls Dlstri
ew Rev. P. E. Brown, Presiding Ed