Excerpts from a book by Louis
T. Jones tells of an interesting
Pioneer Friend Journey.
In the winter of 1850, a couple
of English Friends ministers - Robert
Lindsey and Benjamin
Seebohm, after visiting Friends in the east ----
headed west
in a two-horse carriage. Their destination was
the Salem
Friends Meeting in Southeast Iowa.
On February 1, 1851, with the
temperature 10 degrees below zero the two
ministers with two
other Friends headed for the settlement of "Friends of
the
Three Rivers". Lindsey wrote that they had reached the "most
distant and most westerly meeting of Friends on the
Continent, being more
than 1,500 miles west of New York
---- we may indeed be said to be
almost arrived at the bounds
of civilized life."
The wind blew cold and the
temperature dropped to 20 degrees below
zero but with a group
from the Middle River Settlement they drove 8
miles
to Lower River where they held a meeting in a schoolhouse
where it was so cold it was hard to "sit the meeting".
That night, in a
new one-room log cabin 12 individuals
were lodged and were warm
and comfortable. The two
English Friends spoke kindly of the
genuine hospitality
they received under this humble roof.
MIDDLE
RIVER MEETING ORGANIZED
The first Middle River Meeting
of Friends was organized in 1851 by
the Pleasant Plain
Quarterly Meeting which was then under Indiana
Yearly
Meeting.
FRIENDS
BUILD MEETING HOUSE
The first Middle River Meeting House
was built in 1853 on a plot of
land given by Solomon
Wright. The number in the meeting at this
time was about
50.
The meeting house itself was probably a
very crude structure - small
with a lean-to porch; seats were
rough boards supported at each end
by blocks of
wood.
THE UNDERGROUND
RAILROAD
At least two Friends families assisted
in concealing runaway slaves by
giving them food and shelter
and perhaps transportation further south.
Built against a
side hill the big stone basement of the barn belonging
to
Jonathan White was a strategic hiding place in the heart of a
Friends
Community; also the Elias Newlin home a couple of
miles south of
the church was a station on the
underground. No actual admission of
these stations was
made but it was general knowledge that they were
used.
MIDDLE RIVER
PREPARATIVE MEETING
Minutes of this Preparative Meeting are
preserved from the 4th month
25th day, 1866.
Many references are made to the
housekeeper, a man from the
meeting who was appointed each
year and received from 6 to 12
dollars for caring for the
meeting house for one year.
The Queries were awarded by each family
in writing and were
reported to the South River Monthly Meeting
of which Middle River
Preparative Meeting was a
part.
Funds for the support of the local
meeting and the apportionment for
Quarterly and Yearly
Meetings were assigned for certain members to
pay. Other
members were probably able to contribute nothing.
MEETING SUFFERS
SETBACK
As early as 1866, the subject of a new
church was discussed but
sufficient funds were not
available. In 1876 and until 1880, the
meetings were
held in the Union Schoolhouse nearby. At that time,
preparative was directed to hold its meetings in its own
meeting
house.
One of our late members - Austin
Gardner - who has attended church
in the first meeting house,
as a boy, reported that the porch was near to
falling down
that members had difficulty entering the building.
Perhaps this accounted for the lack of attendance and falling
away of
membership. During the last months of 1884 and
the first of 1885,
only the clerk Samuel James attended the
business meetings and the
Preparative was practically laid
down.
The faithful clerk writes on 5th month
20th day 1885: "All alone
today, yet not alone for the
Lord is with me. Praise be to His name."
MIDDLE RIVER
BUILDS NEW CHURCH
Minutes of the meeting are not on
record from 1885 to 1903, but the
2nd meeting house was built
at the present site possibly around 1890.
This was a
larger building about 20 by 28. By 1890 the
Quarterly
Meeting was no longer called South River, but
Ackworth and there
were 9 meetings in all in the Quarterly
Meeting.
MONTHLY MEETING
ESTABLISHED
After having been a preparative meeting
for over 50 years on the 8th
month 11 day of 1903 the church
extension committee and the Home
Missions Committee of the
Ackworth Quarterly Meeting met with the
people of Middle River
for the purpose of establishing a monthly
meeting. The
membership was 45.
FRIENDS
PURCHASE ORGAN
In 1907, an organ was purchased for the
Middle River Friends
Church. The Monthly Meeting also
agreed to purchase a dozen hymn
books.
Mrs. Lily Hartman, a talented musician
and faithful member, was
appointed to play the organ; Miss Lola
Prall acted as her assistant.
MIDDLE RIVER
BUILDS PARSONAGE
Except for traveling evangelists, no
pastor had resided in the
community except Grace Elliott and
her husband and daughter who
had lived in a home across from
the Union Schoolhouse which the
church rented for $10.00 per
year.
In 1906, she and her family were
released from this meeting to work
elsewhere.
In September 1906, a building committee
was chosen to make plans
for building a three room
parsonage. The cost was not to exceed
$300.00.
The parsonage was built at an actual
cost of $404.00. Isaac and
Hannah Cook came a year later
as pastors and were the first family to
live in the new
parsonage.
E. LOFT NEW
PASTOR
Edwin and Mary Loft and their daughter
Miss Anna Loft moved to the
parsonage early in
1910.
Edwin Loft was an Englishman having
come to Iowa Yearly Meeting
from Canada - a very devout,
dignified and energetic minister of the
gospel. The
meeting prospered under his ministry.
Some improvement in the meeting house
were needed. Consideration
had been given to the idea of
buying another building or enlarging the
present church.
Soon after the arrival of Edwin Loft an increase of
membership
and enthusiasm made it possible to plan for a new
meeting
house. This was built and dedicated the following year -
October 15, 1911.
FRIENDS
DEDICATE NEW CHURCH BUILDING
"A neat and commodious church has been
built at Middle River at a
cost of about 25 hundred
dollars".
A morning was not an ideal one for such
an occasion as clouds were
hanging low and the sound of
thunder was often heard. In spite of the
day, there was
a good congregation. Rev Jasper Hadley from
Marshalltown
gave the morning message. The ladies were present
with
well-filled baskets to laden the tables which the men had
prepared.
The afternoon was given over to the
raising of the needed funds of
$600.00, most of which was
raised. Because of rain, many were
hindered from coming
to the evening service, but with a deep and
impressive prayer
by Jasper Hadley, the church was dedicated to God.
"We fail to find words to express our
thankfulness to our Heavenly
Father for the new building.
He has pleased to grant to this place."
FIRE DESTROYS
PARSONAGE
On the night of September 16, 1932, the
parsonage burned, leaving the
pastors family of 8 without a
home. A new one was built immediately
with the men of
the church gathering to do the building and the
women serving
meals in the church basement.
THRU THE
YEARS
In spite of many changes in our rural
community and much progress
and many adversities, 150 years
have passed our little meeting.
Just recently, our Sunday School has
reached the 100 mark, and there
have been a substantial
increase in church attendance.
God has richly blessed us through the
years - may we - in the greater
degree honor Him with the
first fruits of our time, talent and money.
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