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THE DETROIT CONFERENCE COMMISSION ON ARCHIVES AND HISTORY THE HISTORICAL MESSENGER Published by The Friends of the Archives James G. Simmons, Editor 1356 W. Avenue Adrian, Michigan 49221

Volume XXIII, Number 3 May 1995

JUNE MEETINGS and sermons. The people stayed ln their tents but in the next year There is a new format this year for some stayed in the 20 new cottages the June meetings of the Commission that had been built. on Archives and History. On Monday June 5, 1995 in the morning there Corne to the June 5th meeting and will be a meeting for the elected learn from Dr. John Weeks the members of the Commission. This exciting developments from those will begin at 11:00 a.m. early beginnings. The General Session will be in the * * * afternoon beginning at 1:30 p.m. During this session Dr. John Weeks North Central Jurisdiction of Adrian College will present a Archives and History Convocation paper concerning Bay View. Dr. Weeks, in addition to being a This years Convocation is at professor of History is the Illinois Wesleyan University in Archivist for Bay View. Bloomington, Illinois beginning on Monday July 10 and closing on Also in the afternoon there will be Thursday July 13th. The cost is business meetings. The Commission $150 . 00 . There will be several will be led by Chairperson James A. interesting papers presented, a tour Dodd and The Friends of the Archives of David Davis Mansion and a bus led by Chairperson Frank Chrisman. tour which will include, among other places, the Peter Cartwright Museum. Everyone is invited to the afternoon Reservations sent to: session. Richard Crisman 2104 Tirnberview Drive * * * Bloomington, IL 61701. Checks payable to: Central Illinois BAY VIEW Conference. Deadline for reservations is June 20, 1995. The origin of Bay View took place 120 years ago in Jackson, Michigan * * * when a group of people decided to organize a Camp Meeting. They RON BRUNGER UPDATE selected Bay View as a location. It is on Little Traverse Bay. The In April Ron experienced a stroke first session took place in the and was hospitalized for about two summer of 1876. The camp meeting weeks. His historical expertise involved six days of religious talks THE HISTORICAL MESSENGER George Chanberlain accompanied him MAY 1995 home . They put him to bed .. It was PAGE 2 four o'clock Monday morning March 18, 1841 when Solomon Al times remains as sharp as ever. He is now drew his last breath in a humble in the nursing section of the back-woods home his body was Chelsea United Methodist Retirement placed on a sleigh drawn by oxen to Community . Letters and cards may be a little cemetery, near the spot sent to him at where he had preached his last 805 W. Middle Street sermon ... A simple monument later Chelsea, Michigan 48118. purchased by grateful Evangelicals of Michigan , marks the place where * * * his ashes lie. FIRST EVANGELICAL MISSIONARY Solomen Altimos! What a tireless, TO MICHIGAN sacrificing missionary hero he was. SOLOMON ALTIMOS Licensed by the East Pennsylvania Conference in 1833, he gave three [A pamphlet published by the years of active service in his home Michigan Conference of the Conference. Then, he turned his Evangelical Church in 1939 for its face westward coming into Monroe Centennial Campaign focused on County, Michigan in 1839. Though Solomon Al times as "The First not strong physically, yet he gave Evangelical Missionary to Michigan." himself carrying the Gospel The following is a portion of the message to the widely scattered story of this self-forgetting hero. ) settlements on the frontiers of Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. On It was Sunday evening March 17th, horseback, following all but 1841. The scene was a church impassable trails through the service near Flat Rock, Monroe forests and swamps, compelled often County, Michigan. The minister, the to dismount and extricate his badly first Evangelical Missionary to mired horse. In two years he had Michigan, was pouring out his soul burned out his body in impassioned in a fervent, passionate appeal to service ... his congregation to press on to Spiritual victory and the ultimate * * * triumph that awaits the faithful of FIRST SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS the Lord. His ernest words fell HOMES FOR THE AGED like trip-hammers upon the hearts of his attentive listeners. Their Within the Detroit Conference we now souls were stirred to their depths have the Boulevard Temple Retirement by that powerful appeal. Community and the Chelsea Retirement Community. The seeds from which But the face of the speaker was pale these great institutions have grown and haggard. He was a sick man, and developed were planted somewhere suffering great physical distress. around the year 1850. Though he did not realize it this was to be his last sermon. In a few During the first 67 years of its hours he would be at home with his ministry Methodists were primarily Lord. interested in e vangelism and schools and colleges. The first When the service was concluded his philanthropic institution of the people realized something of the Methodist Episcopal Church was a seriousness of his condition. Home for the Aged. THE HISTORICAL MESSENGER "Central Casting" of Central United MAY 1995 Methodist Church of Waterford. I PAGE 3 invited her to describe the celebration. She wrote the On June 19, 1851 a corporate body following letter. } was organized under the name "The Methodist Episcopal Church Horne in The production recapping the history The City of New York." A Horne was of the Church in the Pontiac area opened in a rented building. It was turned out to be more fun than I not until fifteen years later that a ever expected. Not growing up in second Horne was opened. This was the Methodist Church, I was only located in Philadelphia. The pace vaguely familiar with the notion of for establishing homes then picked circuit riders, and joining Central up. In Bal tirnore a Horne for the UMC several years after the current aged organized in 1868 and then in building was opened had left me with 1870 "The Methodist Episcopal Horne minimal knowledge of my own church's For Aged Men & Women" was also heritage (and quite frankly, very organized "for the care of aged little interest in the subject until negro people." now). Four Homes for the Aged were I have only owned one copy of the organi~ed in the first 25 years. In Discipline, the 1984 edition from the next quarter of a century, 1875 the time I was chairing the to 1900, there were nine new homes Adrninistrati ve Board at Central. organized. 1900 to 1920 saw an But another member offered to lend additional 21 Homes, one of these me the 1797 edition used in our was our Chelsea Horne, know known as production as soon as she heard I the Chelsea Retirement Community. was developing something historical. Up till this time there was no This book (from one of several large uniformity of purpose for these collections within our congregation) homes. and the others I borrowed from Dale Miller, Central's senior pastor, In 1920 the General Conference gave me the heritage idea for the organized the Board of Hospitals and first part of the script. Homes to oversee the 141 philanthropic institutions within I had planned to offer dramatic the Church. Standards and vignettes for each of the eight procedures were established. At the churches included, but they turned conclusion of the first 75 years the out too lengthy for our time "39 Homes for the Aged serve 42 of constraints (12-15 minutes total ) the 105 Annual Conferences in the and were extremely hard to develop United States and provide comfort for the churches with a limited and care for almost 2000 people." written history. I still like this idea and would have pursued it had I * * * not been intermittently ill this past two montns. CELEBRATE WITH DRAMA I was amazed at the number of {As a part of the Lenten series for "experts,·\, · ~ostly elderly , whom I the United Methodist Churches in the encountered at the various churches Pontiac area Sue Shipley wrote a while doing my research, and the drama entitled "In Celebration of extent of tn~ir collective knowledge 175 Years of Methodism in Pontiac." about each ot~er's church histories, This was presented March 19, 1995 by good for both information and THE HISTORICAL MESSENGER for this service, signifying MAY 1995 something unique about each church's PAGE 4 history or mission, and displayed on identical frames constructed by men confirmation, in some cases. I was from Keego Harbor-Trinity. A wide glad I had called on these folks variety of music (organ, piano,both for assistance, first because they acoustic and electric guitars, appreciated the chance to be tambourines, bagpipes, a bell choir, uniquely helpful to me, and second a pick- up choir, a quintet, a solo, because they took evident pride in and congregational singing) and a their contributions to the finished challenge from DS Phylemon Titus to product. keep stretching our sense of vision as a cooperative parish, rounded out I was also astounded at the the program. Even the reception was politicking that has plagued our well attended -- nobody wanted to Church history everyone had break the spell and go home. stories to tell, sometimes with the hint of lingering resentment, about * * * who did what to whom and to what purpose. These stories are, of FREELAND METHODISM course, notably absent from my script but served to remind me of {Most of the historical data was the continuing need for Christian obtained from a "History of Freeland healing within our own Methodist Episcopal Church," written congregations. We have folks by Rev. Lloyd Frank Merrell in 1934 lugging burdens as old as thirty and appeared in the "Anniversary years and more. Perhaps these Program for SUNDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY feelings will die out with the old­ 171 1946.} timers who still remember the slights, but what wasteful, painful Freeland's first church was really a obstacles we've all had to struggle Sunday School that was started by with in the meantime, even Joseph King two years after he had unknowingly. settled along the Tittabawassee river in a land largely a wooded The turn- out for our service wilderness where Indians were as exceeded most of our expectations -­ plentiful as white men. It was in we even had people in the balcony; 1846 that Joseph King invited his our guests included available past neighbors to worship in his log clergy from the various churches. cabin. The cabin in winter and Mr. our ultimate dramatic production was King's log barn in summer continued very well received. Even the youth to house the Sunday worshippers seemed to find the history until 1854 when the King school interesting, and you could tell by house was built. The school house the faces who was from each church was built on land donated by as you got to its part in the story. Joseph's son, Noble, and was located (I'm so glad I tracked down some where Doctor Ostrander now lives. information on every church.) I've Who the preacher was is no longer had numerous requests for script known, but we do know that he copies, some for local archives and converted the first school teacher, others for UMW or other groups to Jacob Lewis by name, and he became a share. licensed preacher and Circuit Rider. The Sunday School was organized into We also celebrated with a banner three classes. Walter Rouse was from each church, made especially the Superintendent and teacher of THE HISTORICAL MESSENGER Noble King the frame structure was MAY 1995 reared with timber logged from the PAGE 5 King estate and hauled by Moses Bell the Adult Bible Class. His wife with William Bell's ox team. Lyman taught the children and Bradley Macomber was the carpenter Osborn the young people. Mrs. Lee contractor and erected the building Fox attended this Sunday School and at a cost of $3,000. At the has a certificate for perfect dedication in 1874 the Ladies' Aid attendance dated 1867. This was served roast pig dinner at 10 cents before the bridge was built and some a plate. The first parsonage was members crossed the river in canoes built in 1880. to go to the services. Oscar Munger was one of these, although it was In 1876 a church was built at not necessary to cross the river as Auburn. The minister at Freeland preaching services were soon held in also preached at Law School House, the old Munger school house where Auburn, North and South Williams. Elder Jackson, who was part Indian, The latter three charges were taken interpreted for the Indians. off during Ephraim Sedwick's ministry. About this time too, a In 1857 the Midland Circuit was group of our people started a organized comprising Midland, Congregational Church. In the years Bluffs, King's School House, Sv1an that followed it was quite common in Creek and Sheilds. Later the Brick the summer for the two churches to School House, still standing on the hold their evening services Saginaw road, was added. Rufus together. Freeland now had three Crane was the first Circuit Rider churches. Where the Lee Fox home is and received $235 for his year's located there was a Seventh Day work. The folks at King's School Adventist Church. House furnished $40 of this. Elder Crane's preaching career was cut ... It was during John Black's short when he contracted strep pastorate that the present church throat ministering to the diphtheria was built. From an architect's patients and lost his voice. sketch Louis Munger and his crew of Misfortune followed him to Nebraska carpenters erected the $22,000 where he tangled with a cow's horn edifice. The white oak 12 by 12 losing the sight of one eye and soon timbers from the old church were that of the other. Returning to used and also the joists and Saginaw he was instrumental in studding's. In 1919 it was founding the Institute for the dedicated by Bishop Henderson. Up Blind. until this time music had been furnished by a pedal organ, but Circuit Riders continued to serve in members of Mrs. Black's Sunday King's School House until in 1870 School class earned the money to buy the parishioners felt they could a piano which was first used at the support a minister of their own. dedication. Mrs. Edith Munger was a They paid Edward Steer $466.98 and member of the class and responsible he also preached at North and South for choosing the instrument which we Williams, Swan Creek, and Brick still use. Pulpit furniture was School House. There were 88 members bought from money made by selling in 1871. 11 Sunday Eggs . 11 All the women of the church brought their Sunday eggs to J .G. Sparling followed and during the parsonage where they were packed his pastorate ( 1872- 74) the first and sold and the money saved for the church was built. On land given by furniture. THE HISTORICAL MESSENGER SOMETHING NEW FOR THE MAY 1995 HOUGHTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY PAGE 6 Bishop Donald Ott forwarded a letter Although the building cost much more from R.V Langseth of the Calumet, than was anticipated, it was debt­ Laurium, Keweenaw Council of f ree by 1924. Churches which describes a new research center in that area. The * * * following is quoted from that letter dated April 3, 1995. GOING'S ON IN THE ARCHIVES "On 1 June '94 we , as a Council of Marilyn McNitt and Dr. Jerry Churches with the participation of Charbeneau, researchers from West the Calumet Township, purchased a Side United Methodist Church in Ann deconsecrated Roman Catholic Church Arbor worked in the Archives for reuse as: 1) an ethnic Embassy, preparing for an upcoming 2) a Religious Heritage Center and anniversary celebration. on another as 3) a Peace Development Embassy Monday Frank Johnson from Michigan for children. It is to be our State University researched the partnership, as churches, with the Methodist Church and the slavery new Keweenaw National Historical issue. Park. Several boxes of books and files "Thirty different cong regations were were received from Ronald Brunger here at one time, basically, to and are being processed. Emily service the 30 different ethnic Boley is making steady progress on neighborhoods. I have lived in the project of putting our holdings numerous places but never before into the computer memory. experienced the impact of culture upon the congregations, and the The following represents some of the impact of churches upon the culture, responses to inquiries that your as I have here. Archivist has made since the last report. The vision is very magnificent! The Ethnic Embassy shall have a computer MINISTERS that contains the immigration Charles Miller Anderson records of the people within the O.J. Blackford diverse 30 congregations, along with Henry Pullman who they married, where they lived, Grant W. Sower children born, mines worked in plus Captain Thomas Webb date and cause of death. Also, it Thomas Milliner Young shall establish contact with sister CHURCHES congregations in the mother-lands Detroit, Delray and provide the opportunity for the Detroit, Whitefield exchange of students and programs. Flint, Grace Pontiac, First "The Religious Heritage portion Rasin shall occupy the former nave and be Republic modeled after the creative displays Ridgeway of the Amish at North Newton, Salem . Salem Walker Cemetery Contact R.V. Langseth at P.O.Box * * * 523, Calumet, MI 49913.