The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1925-12-03
Methodists Of Early Days
Overcane Many Obstacles
to Secure FoOthOId Here

new country was next to impossible |;
always there were more people than
homes; people came faster than
homes. Even before the church
building came it was necessary to
have a home for the pastor and he
soon made a home for the flock.
In 1866 during the pastorate> of
j. H. MaComber an elaborate and
beautiful parsonage was built, that
is for that day so considered; cum
fortunately it proved or seemed to
he just little too COSTLY" says the
early record" and very heavy debt
was lodged against it. This debt in
creased until it was too heavy for
the newly organized class to carry.
1t occasioned very much anxiety on
the part of all the loyal souls of those
early days. Many faithful and heroic
efforts were made also during the
pastorate of the Rev. Charles T.
Barkuloo to pay the parsonage debt
all efforts failed utterly. The mort
gage was foreclosed to satisfy the
debt and the parsonage passed to
other hands in 1869. The succeeding
pastors were put to great inconven-
fences and suffered many hardships
until 1878, because of the very great
difficulties in securing living quar-
tiers.
The Second Parsonage. A Great
Builder. The Rev. J. Milton Akers
From the historical record, Rev. j
Akers- says: "At the Minnesota Con.
ference which met in Owatonna Oct.
$40, 1870 Bishop Clark presiding,
/ was appointed to Sank Centre cir
cult; on Thursday Oct. 20, 1870 we
babe our friends in Paynesville
good bye and with ourselves and all
our effects, on two wagons We set out
for Sank Centre, 80 miles distant.
The day was windy and cold and the
trip was anything but pleasant, es-
pecially to my wife. The first day
we travelled 27 miles and tired, cold
and hungry reached the border of the
circuit just at night fall and put up
with kind and hospitable family. !
had written to one of the stewards,
before leaving Paynesville to secure
if possible house for us. On Fri
day noon Oct. FL, 1870 we reached
Sank Centre. The weather was Sc
verely cold for the time of the year.
We were both entire strangers to
everybody in town, and as no pro-
visions had been made for us, we of
course felt lonely and sad. Getting
permission of Alex Moore a merchant
whose wife is member of our church
we unloaded our goods in their yard.
Mrs. Moore was not at home until
late that afternoon, but we were re-
ceived and kindly entertained. l i'm
mediately exerted myself to find a
house to live in, but did not succeed
and all my efforts on the next day
were equally as fruitless.
On the evening of the day We ar
rived, Brother Tubbs, my predecessor
on the charge, sent in his horse and
buggy and took us out to his place,
3 Il miles west of Sank Centre where
we spent the night. Brother Tubbs
very kindly offered us the use of his
house as he was moving to Princeton
if We could do no better, at the same
time telling us it was not the place
for use to live. On Saturday we re-
turned to Sank Centre and stopped
with Mr.. Alex Moore over Sunday
Our goods lay out in the weather, ex-
posed to the snow that fell on Sat
urday afternoon, until Tuesday when
finding one could do no better ]
secured teams and had our goods
hauled out to Brother Tubbs' home
stead, depreciating the dire necessity
that drove us into such an isolated
home. For some weeks / walked to
my appointments as I had not yet
been able to get a horse. In the
summer Of 1872 Rev. Akers made
heroic efforts to build up a parson-