The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-08-06
CenterviIIe Quakers Have I'M
proved Their House of
Worship Great Deal.
DUE TO REV. A. NAPIER
HISTORY OF THE DENOMINATION
is GIVEN FROM ITS FIRST
MEETING HOUSE IN 1918 TO
PRESENT TIME.

Centerviie Ind, Aug ; (SpD-
The Friends church at Centervlle
was opened today for services after
being closed several weeks undergo
ing repairs. The church has been
thoroughly cleaned and garnished
New paper adOrns the ceiling and
walls. The woodwork has been grain
ed in oak with a hard wood finish
The altar platform has been enlarged
and raised and surrounded by a rail
ing. The former mode Of lighting
has been done away with and the hol
used in future. The entire cost will
not fall much short OF $500
Much of the success of this under
taking is due to the efforts OF the
has solicited funds and has not re-
Trained from laboring at whatever his
hands found to do.
The Services Today.
The Sunday school and the morning
and evening meetings for worship
We're unusually interesting and there
was a large attendance at each. The
preached an excellent sermon at the
morning service.
The Rev. Aaron Napier gave an in
spring discourse at the evening meet
ing.
History of the Church.
The earliest church organization in
the neighborhood of Centeryille was
| two miles north west of Centerville
and because of the intimate relations
| existing between this settlement and
| the town, it may properly be called
| the pioneer religious organization OF
Centerville.
| The first meetings of the society
were held in the cabins of Friends in
the neighbOrhOod. The first meeting
| house was built in 1918 1t was a very
small log cabin. with claD-board roof
and without chimney. 1t was warm
ed in winter by charcoal fire in the
| center of the room. around which the
! members sat during worship. The Gus
tomary partition between the mer
and women was absent. The men, ac
cording to the early custom o
Friends, sat with their hats on. The
hats were mostly of David Boards
manufacture in North Carolina. II
those days there was seldom any
| preaching, the congregation sitting
in silence during the time devoted tC
worship.
The Early Members.
Among the early members of the
Society were the following named
men and their wives and children:
Robert Commons. William Hast
ings, John Townsend, Benjamin Mod
lin, Jacob Griffin, James Townsend
William Harvey, Exum Elliott, Obec
Barnard, Edward Benbo. Abraham
| Cook Jehu Wickersham, JOSEPH
Cook, John Maxwell. John Brumfield
John Copeland, John Harvey, Charles
Canaday, Robert Harvey, George Rus
sell, Nathan Overman, Joseph Cox
Charles Gordon, Joshua Williams
| Uriah Baldwin, Jonathan Clouds.
The Early Ministers.
Among the early ministers were
Jesse Bond. Hannah Baldwin anC
Daniel Williams.
The place was named West Grove
by Robert Commons, that being thu
name of the place where he resided
in Pennsylvania.
The Society at West Grove grew
in numbers and prosperity and il
1920, the frame meeting house, soutl
Of the little log cabin. was built |
was for the time when it was frs
built. a large and fine house and i
yet a very comfortable place of wOT
ship.
AS Centerville increased in pOpula
ton a meeting of Friends was organ
lied in the town under the auspice
of the West Grove meeting. TIL
church edfice owned by the Cumbel
land Presbyterians was purchase
and occupied as a house OF worshi
by the Friends for number Of years
In December, 1883, Friends solc
this property to the Knights of Pytf
las for a hall and bought the Presby
terrain church. This church was bull
in 1868. It had not been occupie
since the PRESBYTERIAN congregatto
had disbanded This has been tn
hOme~of the Friends congregation a
Centerville ever since. and is toda
= one of the best Friends meeting nous
es in any town in Indiana
The West Grove monthly meetin
of Friends is held at Centerville regr