HISTORY: Center Grove Church, Fayette County, Iowa

Submitted by amcbride@midlands.net
July 2002

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       Please visit the Fayette County, IAGenWeb page  
       at http://iagenweb.org/fayette/
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There is a newspaper article about the closing and demolition of the Center Grove United 
Brethren Church in the county archives.  This article tells of the beginning of that church.

   "This church was located three miles north of Maynard, Iowa, where the cemetery by the 
same name is now located, just east of where the Twin Bridges park is now located.
   A pasture spot, which was one-fourth mile west of the site of the Center Grove Church 
was used for several camp meetings in an early date one which is recorded as having had 
300 teams and about 2,000 people and was held the week of Sept. 1, 1878 with the local 
people donating loads of hay for the horses.
   In about the year of 1862 a school house was built on the N.E. corner of the Donat farm 
in Section 4 of Harlan Township and this was used as a meeting place for both the 
Methodist and the United Brethern until about 1877 when Fairview Church (Methodist) 
was built a mile west of this school house. Later for a few years meeting were held three 
miles east of this school in another school house with good results that by 1880 it was 
desired to build a church and the site was picked as described above.
   The corner stone was laid on July 14, 1830, and the church was dedicated on November 
14 of that year by Rev. T.D. Adams of Toledo, Iowa. The night of June 22, 1908 this 
church was struck by lightening and burned but was rebuilt that same summer with the 
corner stone being laid Sept. 16, and the new church dedicated Jan. 31, 1909, by Supt. 
Patterson.
   Some of the trustess that served this church were: Martin DeJean, W. E. Hotchkiss, 
C.D.Conrad, 
   Following are a list of the ministers who have served this congregation. They may not 
be in the proper order of their serving. MS Drury and his son M.R. Drury, D. Wanerich, 
Israel Shaffer. A man by the name of Brown, R.D. McCormack, R. Laughlin, 
A.C.Zabriske, John Walters, Enock Fothergill, M.M. Taylor, Joe Jennings, purley 
Jennison, George Brooks, Geo. H. Varce and his son Harry, Mrs. John (Alice) Neudigate, 
Rev. Ackley, Rev. Barkheimer, C.J. Stark, Mint McGlashing and Rev. Haught.
   The first record of the cemetery that we have is that on Feb. 9, 1881, Volney Bennet 
died and was buried in the cemetery at Center Grove Church.
   In the 1890's this church was on a charge with U. B. church at Wadena  but in about 
1910 it was put on with the U.B.church at West Union and Albany and ended when the 
West Union church was sold to the Norweigan Lutheran in 1913. For several years it was 
served by the pastr from the Presbyterian Church at Maynard then no regular pastor from 
1921 to its sale in 1931.
   The seats from the church were sold to the U.B. Church at Collins, Ia, and the piano the 
U.B. church at Postville. 
   It performed a great service in its day and missionaries and ministers have gone out 
from it to serve the world, it served well its generation and it lives on for no good effort 
ever dies.
   Some of the trustees that served this church were: Martin DeJean; W.E. Hotchkiss; 
C.D. Conrad; William Miner; Riley Knight; John Watenpaugh; W.E. Donat; D. B. 
Cannell; and Henry Burlingame. The last three were trustees at the time that the church 
was closed.