391                             HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY

    Eel River Valley, a Winebrennarian church, or Church of God, in
Eel river bottom, on the Brunswick-Howesville road, near “Valley Farm,”
built and dedicated in the year 1902, as nearly as remembered.

    Epworth, an M. E. church in Brazil township, on the northwest cor-
ner of Morgan’s crossing.

    Fairview, a Christian church in Dick Johnson township, on the
Leachman gravel road, a half mile north of the Washington school-house,
near the residence of William L. Nicoson, built in 1882 and dedicated
January 7, 1883. Previous to the building of this house the church organ-
ization had met for worship at the Washington school-house. At the
time of dedication the membership numbered seventy-five.

    Fairview, a Winebrennarian church in Lewis township, between Cof-
fee and Eel river, built in 1869 and dedicated as a Presbyterian church,
which, at a later day, was transferred to the Winebrennarians. This
house was built, largely, by the Woodrows, soon after their locating on
Eel river.

    Patch Chapel, an M. E. church in Sugar Ridge township, on the
Snake road, half way between Bowling Green and Saline City, built in
1892 and dedicated on the 7th day of August, sermon by W. R. Hal-
stead, so named because located on the corner of the Fatch lands. A Sun-
day school was organized here soon after the dedication of the house and
maintained regularly, of which William Murbarger was chosen superin-
tendent, in which position he continued to serve faithfully and unremit-
tingly until the time of his sickness and death, in 1899.

    Friendly Grove, a Missionary Baptist church in Lewis township.
This religious society, organized on the 28th day of June, 1839, under the
spreading limbs of a large elm tree on the Samuel Chambers place, was
the pioneer church in the southwest part of Clay county. The first house
of worship built by this society, in the early forties, was a log one of
most peculiar design and construction, unlike any other in the county or
elsewhere. The main building was 50 X 20 feet, with a mid-way projec-
tion and recess on either side, ten or twelve feet square, through which
the entrance was made into the auditorium. In one end of the main
building were two of the old-time fire-places. The pulpit stood in the
transverse section, near the opposite side from the fire-places. One end
of the main structure (about two-fifths of its capacity, or floor space)
was so arranged constructively that the suspended ceiling could be let
down so as to form a partition, thereby reducing the capacity of the audi-
torium when so desired. The seating of this house was by the use of
slabs made by splitting timber, in which holes were bored and legs
inserted. This church was occupied until displaced by a frame one built
in 1858, as remembered by survivors of that time. The present house,
which is the third one, was built in 1892, dedicated on the 16th day of
October, by Elder Ogle, of Indianapolis, the contributions exceeding by
$293.43 the amount of money asked for. The carpenter work on the first
frame was done by Rice M. Stark and Samuel Welsh. The second and
present frame was built on contract by Levi Fair, which was, at the
time, the largest auditorium in the township. The primitive log church,