Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1913-09-11
NToN. MO. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER H. 1913. NUMBER IA.

grounds, and the largest in attend
ance and most successful yet held.
Rev. W. B. Hayes, now presiding
elder of Charleston District, is said to
have originated the idea of having
this happy combination of chautauqus,
and camp meeting, in the beautiful
Arcadia Valley, and engineered the
project till 247 acres had been secured
at cost of $4,000. DIR. S. H. VAIN
wright, then presiding elder of st.
Louis District, became interested and
enlisted and gave valuable aid and
direction to the organization of the
assembly and improving the site.
The place has been wisely selected.
1t is in the heart of the Ozark Noun
tains, and in the historic and beauti-
full Arcadia Valley, situated ss miles
from st. Louis, on the Iron Mountain
Railroad. A steel framed and tile
covered graceful tabernacle, costing
81 900, crowns the hill in the thickly
wooded grove, and sitting in graceful
circles around the tabernacle on the
hillsides were nearly hundred white
tents this year, and all filled to the ut
most capacity with families, and their
friends, who had come to enjoy the
great feast which such an occasion
affords.
From the hill top, adorned by grace
full tabernacle and tents, one may look
on nearby mountain scenes that are
said by travellers to be as beautiful as
any in Switzerland.
"Pilot Knob" the scene of one of
the fiercest battles fought during the
"Civil War; is in full view, and it is
visited by hundreds who come from
distance to the Assembly. The territory
around Pilot Knob is rich in deposits
of iron ore.which was extensively min
ed at different periods for the past
forty years, but is not being worked
now. In 1872 Bishop George F. Pierce
held an Annual Conference session
in large Methodist Academy build
ing near the town of Arcadia. Bish-
op E. M. Marvin was visitor at that
conference session and took COM
pany of preachers with him to the top
of "Pilot Knob mountain and held
religious services with the miners then
working there in great numbers. Men
there yet remember hearing Bishop
Marvin say in great sermon that he
would rather win one soul to Christ,
than to own the immense natural
wealth deposited under the mountains
of that favored section.
From statistics we find that historic
Pilot Knob has given up one and
three quarters million tons of iron.
The Arcadia College was founded in
1s47 by Rev. j. O. Bergman, pio-
neer of Southern Methodism in South
east Missouri. The property was final
ly lost to the church and is now own
ed by the Roman Catholics.
The Methodist encampment at Ar
cadia, Mo-, is on historic ground-for
tits said that, some four score years
ago, Father Bergman preached to
the Indians under the oaks in that
immediate locality
Two important forts were built in
the valley by the United States Army,
in 1862 and 1868. One on the hill be-
tween Ironton and Arcadia, upon
which is now located the Methodist
Episcopal Church, South, and named
Fort Hoyey (after Col. Hovey, of the
33d Illinois Infantry, then stationed
here.) The other about one-fourth mile
north of the northern base of Shepherd
Mountain, and about the same dis
tance west of the western base of
Pilot Knob, and named Fort David
son $50 called after General David
son.
On the 9th day of September, 1854,
the battle of Pilot Knob was fought.
General Price in command of the
Confederate Army of $4,000 to 10000
men and several field batteries, at
tackled the United States forces under
command of General Thomas L. Ew-
ing, consisting of about 800 troops and
about 150 or 200 citizens, white and
colored, who assembled at Fort
Davidson and joined in it's defense.
Concluded next week.