Hyde County, SD History .....Churches 
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CHURCHES

METHODIST

    The first church organization in Highmore was the Methodist Church. It was
incorporated under the general law of the Territory by articles of incorporation
dated June 18, 1883, which articles provided among other things that-there
should be trustees to manage its affairs, of numbers not under three and not
over nine, and that the incorporated name of the organization should be "The
First Methodist Episcopal Church of Highmore." Article five of its incorporation
papers provides that F. Henderson, D. S. Warner, E. Wisson, A. N. Van Camp, O.
C. Cole and A. E. Van Camp act as trustees to serve until an election of such
officers. On Nov. 5, 1883, the board of trustees decided to select the south 15
feet of lot 6 and all of lots 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 in Block 13 of Van Camp and
Olds addition to the town of Highmore, as a site for church building and these
lots are still church property and are the site of the present church building.
Arrangements were immediately made for the erection of a church building, which
upon completion was dedicated May 3, 1885. The dedication exercises were of an
impressive character. An able sermon was delivered by Dr. Ira M. Pardee; Mrs.
Eli Johnson presided at the organ, and the choir consisted of Mrs. A. N. Van
Camp, Mrs. Grant, Mr. G. H. Wareham and Mr. O. P. Everhard, with Fred Gowdy,
cornetist. After the exercises there was raised by subscription the sum of
$1424.18, and it was then announced that the church indebtedness, by the above
amount with money from other sources, in all about $2500, was fully provided
for. On the 15th day of July, 1885, this church building was entirely destroyed
by the cyclone which struck Highmore from the north west on that day. That was a
great hardship to the Methodist people, there being no insurance and it came so
soon after the building had been erected and after a generous contribution to
pay for it, but it was not long before the effort began for another building,
and while the movement was necessarily slow, it was fully accomplished by the
building of the present church, which was dedicated July 18, 1886. At the
dedication about $1000 was raised to liquidate the debt, which placed the church
on a good financial basis.

    Our people were quite liberal in the building of this second church, aided
by benevolent societies and persons from abroad.

    The following are the names of the pastors in regular succession: J. C.
Shebland, J. T. Blakemore, J. W. Scott, T. H. Garvin, John G. Palmer, A. M.
Ward, E. S. Darling, J. W. Stokesbury, J. E. Norvell, A. W. Thurston, J. J.
Ramsey, C. G. Paulson, A. C. Maclean, A. F. Stiles; Charles O. Thibodeau, Mr.
Snell, J. D. Sparks, H. K. Wallis.

    The present church trustees are B. A. Foote, H. H. Bloomenshine, C. P.
Swanson, John McLaughlin, and G. W. McLaughlin.

   The present pastor of the church, H. K. Wallis, graduated from Boston College
at Boston, Massachusetts, also from Georgetown College in Kentucky. He is a
sincere, conscientious man, is not narrow in his views, is quite a reader and
thinker, and unusually entertaining in the pulpit. He has a good congregation,
who worship in a fine church building with very comfortable conveniences. They
have a very fine parsonage property, consisting of several lots and a commodious
residence building.


CATHOLIC

    Catholic Church services were the first of any religious services held in
Highmore, held at the railroad station, kept by Samuel Major. Services were
continued here at different residences until the completion of the McGlinchy
opera house, when they were held there until their new church building was ready
for occupancy.

    The church was erected in 1905, and dedicated Tuesday, November 20, 1906.
Owing to the inability of Bishop Thomas O'Gorman of Sioux Falls to have charge
of the dedication, the Vicar General, Mgr. O'Flynn took charge of the services,
assisted by the following priests: Rev. M. Dermody of Aberdeen, S. D., Rev. M.
J. Martin of Flandreau, S. D., Rev. D. F. Desmond of Huron, S. D., Rev. Father
Cafferky of Bryant, S. D. P. T. Cafferky of Bryant, S. D., Rev. Father Stensel
of Pierre, S. D., Rev. Ambrose Mattingly of Stephan, S. D. and Rev. Hugh Fox,
Pastor, of Highmore, S. D. The portrait of Father Fox will be seen on another page.


CHRISTIAN

    The Christian church society was organized in Highmore July 25, 1897, with
sixty four charter members. They erected a tabernacle in which to worship and
hold religious meetings, and which was used by them for several years, but not
intended as a permanent church building. In 1904 the present church building was
erected and was dedicated August 21, 1904. At that time the church had a
membership here of one hundred. The present church trustees are J. W. Keiser, H.
B. Young and C. A. Gray.

    Its first pastor was Rev. G. W. Elliott, who is now pastor of a church at
Bethany, Neb. The present pastor is Rev. L. W. Thompson, who is a well educated
man, attractive and forceful in the pulpit, and highly respected as a citizen.


CONGREGATIONAL

   The Congregational church was organized on the first Sunday in July, 1883.
Its charter members were Mr. and Mrs. E. O. Parker, Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Gowdy,
Mr. and Mrs. J. S. Harris, Miss Emma Hall, Mr. and Mrs. Y. T. Hatch, Miss Lida
Hatch, Miss Addie Hatch, Mrs. P. E. Johnson, Mrs. W. A. Sargent, Mrs. J. L.
Greene, Mrs. O. M. Van Swearingen, Miss Bertha Van Swearingen, Mr. Andrew Long,
Mrs. G. W. Churchill, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Gay, Miss Kate Ingalls, Miss Annie
Ingalls, Mr. Albert Grant, and Mrs. Ann Hazen.

    The first pastor was Rev. O. M. Van Swearingen. The Deacons were E. O.
Parker, J. S. Harris, and Robert Gay, and the Trustees were Y. T. Hatch, John L.
Greer, E. O. Parker, Clerk, and J. R. Gowdy, Treasurer.

    The church building was dedicated July 21, 1889, by Rev. Coit.

    The present pastor is Rev. J. Watson, who was born in England, and came from
London to this country in June, 1905. After his arrival he visited with friends
in Centerville, and Wakonda, South Dakota, and then accepted a call to the
pastorate of the Congregational church of Hetland, this state. His pastorate
continued there until the time of his resignation, previous to his present
pastorate at Highmore, which commenced June 1, 1907. Mr. Watson is an agreeable,
gentlemanly man, is a thinker and student, his views are not narrow or radical
upon any subject, and his discourses are quite entertaining. His wife is a
pleasant, English born lady, and together they reside in the church parsonage.


Additional Comments:
HISTORY OF
HYDE COUNTY
SOUTH DAKOTA
FROM ITS ORGANIZATION TO THE PRESENT TIME
BY JOHN B. PERKINS
1908

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