The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1909-06-03
DAYS GONE ~ AT EVANS.


Editor Heralu: We were pleased
to note an item from Evans telling OF
| thirty-five additions to the M. Il.
| church there recently. 1t takes our
| memory back twenty-six years to
| February of 1888, when there was no
building there in which to hold school
or religious worship. Several of the
men then living there got together
| and formulated plan and then began
! raising a subscription with which to
build a combined school house and
church, and in due time the building
was set upon the hill. Among those
workers We're Dennis and Owen Reilly,
George and Harve Dusenberry anu
! myself, and after we had the building
we set about organizing a Sunday
| school, of which was the superin-
| tendent. In a short time MIR. Tor
renee and Mr., Griffith whose given
names have Slipped my memory, took
up the work and both being very earn
est devoted men, the sunday school
soon grew until the whole population
| were regular attendants at all servi-
ceS and in due time the resident min
lister at Beacon was hired to preach
twice month at p. m. at a salary or
one hundred dollars year, which was
| largely raised ny the good women
| of the village. While many of them
have gone to their reward, a few are
still left, among them being Mrs. Har-
| ris, Mrs. Lawrence, Mrs. Woodcock,
of Evans, and Mrs. Harve and George
Dusenberry, of OskalooSa. Nnen
these women started out to collect
they never took no for an answer anu
the money was always on hand when
needed. Mr. Smith, the first minister
was succeeded by Rev. ]. b. Hill, now
of Agency. He was very devout
oldest Methodist minister in the
state, and not ilong ago it was my
pleasure to meet him. He is stIIl In
the work, hale and hearty, although
J about eighty years OF age. During
| the second year of the work in evans
| the ladies started out to raise the
necessary funds and in a short time
an order for one was sent to Battle
Creek, Mich, and man from Oska.
loosa was secured to put 1t In the
belffy. 1t waSllate in the fall when
il was put up and at the second or
third ringing for Sunday school, down
came our bell, striking the hard ground
and cracking; so after laying on the
ground for several years it was final
| ly sold for old iron. The church anu
| Sunday school continued to grow and
society was benented and improved
by the influence.
On one occasion we celebrated the
birthday of Gen. Grant, and our old
friend, o. c. G. Phillips was orator OF
the day, while the writer was master
| of ceremonies. The next year we had
one of the largest Fourth of July cele-
brations ever witnessed in the town
and on this occasion Mr.. Harbour, or
Beacon made the address and Mr..
Kendig, county superintendent OF
schools, read the declaration of indie
pendence. We had raised purse OF
one hundred dollars for walking con-
| test between Oscar Bringman, one oil
our miners, and Carl Noe, wellKnown
sporting character of Oskaloosa, but
Noe never showed up on the day OF
the raceygso our contest never came
off.
While many of our friends and CO.
workers have gone to the other shore,
some are left to recall the good old
times and keep green the memories
of those who have passed over. Those
still living within my knowledge are:
Mesdames Harris, Lawrence, Wood.
cock, Reilly, of Evans; and the Dusen.
berrys, of Oskaloosa Messrs. Dennis
and Owen Reilly, who never missed a
Sunday school service, George and
Harve Dusenberry, Robert Miner and
myself. 1t is pleasure to me to
know that the children and grandchil-
dren of these associates are still car
rying forward the work started by
their parents. There are number OF
the younger generation | would like
to mention in this article, but time
and space will not permit. In con-.
slusion want to say that the Evans
people never took a back seat in any
thing and | hope they will continue
to always make their efforts success.
full. =
XIV ~" II. WILLIAMS, olivet, la. q
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