History
of the Hale Baptist Church
Perhaps
the beginning of religious work in Plainfield Township goes back to lumberwood
days before the present township was settled and refer to the days when tote roads
crossed the plains east of Hale and when the different hotels to accommodate the
lumbermen were there, around which people settled, some to try farming, others
to do different kinds of work connected with that lumbering age.
At one of these hotels, the Shad House, quite a settlement was formed and here
in 1871 was organized the first Sunday School in Plainfield Township, section
7 east.
From this locality came Mr. & Mrs. David Love, charter members of the Hale Baptist
Church.
In 1871 E.V. Esmond, his wife and two children accompanied by his brother Clark,
his wife and children and Alonzo Knight, settled in the plains in range 23 north,
section six, two miles east of what now is Hale, then a dense wilderness with
no roads except trails.
Their first thought was for a school for their five children and a school house
was built two miles east and one mile south of the present village of Hale (We
think this should be one mile east and one mile south.) Mr. Esmond sent to Parma,
Michigan for a teacher, taxes from the owners of great tracts of pine paid for
this.
Here Mr. Esmond organized a Sunday School with the help of the teacher arid later
of settlers who began to come there. The beginning of the first permanent Sunday
School began later in what was known as the Teed School House, one mile east and
on half mile south of Hale in the year of 1887, with a membership of 37.
In the summer of 1888, Rev. C.E. Long. a Baptist, of Painsville, Ohio spent his
vacation here and preached in this school house, the first minister in this locality.
Later Rev. Phillips of the Tawas City Baptist Church held regular meetings once
every two weeks during the week and baptized a number into the Tawas City Baptist
Church. On Oct. 6,1889 Rev. H.S.Mellon organized the Plainfield Baptist Church
in the Teed School House. July 16, 1890, recognition services were held with the
following, as charter members: Mr. N. F. Dean, Mrs. Bella Dean, Mrs. Ida Teed,
Miss Maggie Linden, Miss Adeiaide Ferrister, Walter Lynn, Mrs. Lillie Lynn, David
Love, Emmaliza Love, Thomas Adams, Angeline Adams, Nettie Westervelt, Mrs. Louisa
Buck and Mrs. Ella Buck.
In the winter of 1889 and 90 the members and people decided to build a church.
The people were all alike, poor in earthly goods but strong in faith. Wages were
low, many starting on new farms. Forests and burnt over land comprised what is
now the village of Hale.
A log tram lumbered through with a caboose on behind for passengers, Rose City
was the end of the line. Hale had a small grocery store owned by C. H. Prescott
and Son, wealthy lumbermen. C. H. Prescott lived in Cleveland and his son Allen
lived at Tawas City, and was head of the Prescott interests there which consisted
of a mill, the shipping of lumber and a large store. The small store at Hale was
managed by N. F. Dean. They also owned a large frame house, which served as a
boarding house for his men engaged in lumbering and in the mill at Hale Lake.
N. F. Dean lived in this house and kept some boarders.
E.
V. Esmond owned a saw mill and sawed the logs into lumber for the new church free
of charge. The men of the township turned out and drew logs to the mill. The women
of the church organized an Aid Society and made aprons, quilts, fancy work and
raised $500.00 in ready cash. They sold to men in the lumber camps who often would
hand out a bill for something to send home and not take change.
C.H. Prescott and Sons donated hardware, paint, shingles, siding and most of the
plastering. S. B. Yawger, a younq man from York State, an expert carpenter was
asked to build the church. Plans were drawn up, a lot purchased from Thomas Adams,
lumber and material was drawn to the lot and the work began.
Mr. Yawger did all the work without the help of any other carpenter, or skilled
workman, but the men in the neighborhood helped him on the rough work. One very
good worker was Wm. Goodyear, others were Frank and Henry Buck, Charles Graves,
David Love and others. On Feb. 2, I891, the first tree was felled for the new
church, by the end of the year the church was raised and enclosed. The building
erected was 28 X 40 feet, main building. Prayer room, 16 X 20 feet, connected
with main room by large doors that raised by hidden pulleys.
Foyer was 10 X 10 feet, height 60 feet from ground. Thee steeple was 8 X 8 feet
at the base. Mr. Yawger built and painted the steeple inside the church, boarded
it part way then with the help of a few men, they raised it to position inside
the church and so accurate was his work that it fit perfectly into position.
In the fall of 1882, Rev. Nunn of Tuscola, Michigan was called to preach in the
new church, with him to this new country were his wife, two sons, Edwin a teacher
and Albert age 9, and daughter Nellie. Later three other sons came to Hale, all
connected with its early history. Rev. Nunn and family drove the long distance
with horses and two buggies. Their househo1d goods came by freight to National
City, (then Emery Junction), then on a logging tram to Hale.
The church was not ready to preach in, it lacked windows, had not been lathed,
so his first sermon was preached Oct. 23 in the new Plainfield Township Hall.
No seats in the hall, so the people sat on planks laid on blocks of wood. (This
building was located on the NW corner of Hale.)
One of the first things Rev. Nunn did for the new church was to get the glass
from Detroit for the windows. Winter was coming and the church was open to weather.
C.H. Prescott furnished one half the cost of the windows, Rev. Nunn soon had the
rest and the glass arrived. It was beautiful cathedral glass in different colors.
Rev. Nunn was an expert painter and could put in window glass. Mrs. Nunn and their
young son, Albert, held a lamp while he glazed all those many windows at night,
as he worked at the church daytimes, when he was not on his regular trips to Curtisville
and Glennie. Rev. Nunn did all of the graining, it was finished in ash and birch
in oil. He was a tireless worker, for he preached at Reno, Curtisville and Lott.
(Glennie)
In June 1893, Children's Day was held in the township hall as the church was not
yet plastered, but in that same summer the church was plastered. As was customary
in those days a "Bee" was made to draw the sand and help with plastering. The
Ladies Aid made lemonade in tin cans and the hot, tired workers became ill from
ptomaine poisoning, but it did not prove serious. Joseph Boomer of Tawas City
was hired to plaster the church. An organ was purchased from Grinnell Bros., Detroit.
With the new organ a choir was formed, Nellie Nunn, organist. The choir consisted
of Maud and Jessie Esmond, Mollie Lobdell, Stacy Yawger, Edwin Nunn later Eugene
Nunn), and Ella Buck. Hymn books used were Gospel Hymns No. 5 and The Life Line.
In Oct., 1893 the church was open for use, property valued at $1500.00 and a small
indebtedness of $150.00, but Rev. Nunn would not consent to a dedication until
this amount was raised, his reason was that a church should be free from debt
before dedication. Instead a Church opening was held with Rev. Randell of Detroit,
Rev. Jack of E. Tawas, and Rev. Dean of Rathmel, Penn, present and helping in
the service.
In May 1894, Rev. A.P. McDonald of Mt. Pleasant held special meetings assisting
Rev. Nunn and nine were added to the church. At this time the first B.Y.P.U. was
organized with Ella Carroll and Nellie Nunn as leaders, and twenty-three active
members. Also a Junior Union and Mission Band with Cora McKeen as president and
Albert Nunn organist, age 10 years.
Prayer meeting on Wednesday evenings were well attended in those days, as well
as other services of the church, in fact the church was the social center of the
township.
The first wedding in the church was that of Effie Carroll to James Daly on March
29, 1893. The first funeral, that of little Addie Buck, daughter of Henry and
Ella Buck.
The record of the early church down through these early years show discouragements
and worry. The small indebtedness loomed large in those days of small wages and
hard times. The members were well grounded in their faith and worked together
in peace and harmony. What differences occurred came from without. As one looks
back through the years one can understand and see more clearly why there had to
be misunderstandings at all between those fine people.
I know now that when the people entered into the building of a church with such
enthusiasm, they expected it would be a Union Church. They all favored some certain
denomination and when the Baptist took over, they could not understand why it
should be under one denomination. On the other hand the church could not have
been completed as it stands today without the help of C. H. Prescott's money.
One Christian brother, Danny Latter of Reno was loved by all and when he came
to preach at Hale every one turned out. Later he was ordained a Baptist minister
and died in the far West.
The Baptists
have no bishops or organization to place pastors in a field, they are chosen by
the church. We often had changes principally because the field was too hard to
cover and often because a young man sought a place where he could have a larger
salary. As the years passed this matter was helped by a more business like arrangement
by the Baptist State Board. This is hard to understand by people from other denominations.
One can be proud of the democracy of the Baptist Church, but in regard to the
uncertainty of a minister's pastorate, it is not so well.
In 1898 during the pastorate of Rev. John Pearson the debt was reduced but due
to his ill health he had to leave for a different climate. Under him Danny Latter
helped out again during the summer of 1899, and preached here until the fall of
1900, when he resigned to take up missionary work in Idaho. In 1901 the church
was fortunate in again having Rev. John Pearson as pastor and continued with the
church three years. He also preached at Curtisville and churches north following
Rev. Nunn's blazed trail, three slashes in a tree.
Many have gone forth into the world from the Hale Sunday School and Church. There
is not much to hold people there, so the young people leave us but no one can
tell of the good that has been accomplished. Membership may remain about the same
but many have gone forth and joined other churches. The good work goes on. No
one but our Heavenly Father can judge of that.
Nellie Jennings, Historian
Newspaper clipping from
1943 -
Mrs. Ella Buck Honored at Hale Church Jubilee
Charter Member of Group Organized Fifty Years Ago
Mrs.
Ella A. Buck, of 206 East Sixth St., Clare, was an honored guest at a fifty-year
Jubilee celebration held at the Hale Baptist Church July 4th. It was in commemoration
of the completion of the church edifice now used in worship by this group of Christian
workers.
The picture of this house of worship was first visualized by a noble band of six
women and two men who resolved in the winter of 1889 to press forward to the work
of building the same. Although the entire community consisted of new settlers
and all poor, and the county a forest, it being twenty miles to Tawas City, the
nearest village.
The ladies organized a ladies aid society, Mrs. Buck being one of the members,
and trusting in God they went to work and thru their tireless efforts, with needles
and culinary ability they raised over $500.00 in ready cash, which in those days
of low prices was a commendable accomplishment.
Mrs. Buck is the only surviving charter member of a group of thirteen who united
with the church organization a few years prior to 1893, and for that reason her
presence was appreciated by the assembly and a bouquet of roses placed in the
church in honor of the original charter members was presented to her at the close
of the day's services.
A quotation from a letter of greeting, written by Rev. Ralph Brown concerning
Mrs. Buck as a former Christian worker reads, "Altho she was small physically
she was a giant spiritually."
One feature of the days program which gave her added pleasure was the rendition
of two baritone solos by her oldest grandson, Pvt. Raymond Dafoe, who was home
on furlough from Camp Davis, N.C. Previous to his entering the service this grandson
toured several states as one of the Appolo male quartet, which represents the
Olivet Nazarene College.
Mrs. Buck has been failing in health of late and it seemed that supernatural strength
was given her to attend this crowning event in Christian fellowship associated
with the church which meant so much to her in the early days of her married life
when she as a bride left the well cleared fertile locality of her Ionia County
birthplace to pioneer with her husband in the mosquito infested forests of Iosco
County.
The privilege of being spared to take a part in this meaningful anniversary helps
to compensate for the disappointment and heartache suffered by the loss of her
companion in 1912.
Though approaching the sunset of life's journey, she accepts the sentiment as
her own of one of her favorite readings, "Not Growing Old," of which the following
verse is a part:
What should I care if time's old plow has left its furrows on my brow;
Another house not made with hand awaits me in the Glory Land.
What Tho' I falter in my walk
What Tho my tongue refuse to talk?
I still can tread the narrow way
I still can watch and praise and pray.