1st Presbyterian Church, Leon, demolished
DEPOND, STANLEY, SLADE, HAWKINS, SHULAR
Posted By: Sharon R Becker (email)
Date: 3/9/2015 at 07:23:16
The Leon Journal-Reporter
Leon, Decatur County, Iowa
Wednesday, January 28, 2015, Page 1It was with a state of mixed emotions as several Presbyterians and other community members stood by and watched as the Presbyterian Church, located on East 1st Street in Leon, was reduced to a pile of bricks Monday. Workers from DeCarlo Demolition Company out of Des Moines began tearing down the stately structure early Monday morning and by approximately 3:30 had the building completely down.
Services were held for the last time in this building on June 1, 2015.
[In photograph], standing, Jack DePond (center left) watches the church he served as Pastor since 1992 come down. He was joined by his wife Mary Ellen Stanley (center right), Richard Slade, left, and Rick Hawkins, Methodist Church Pastor.
The current structure was built in 1917 in Classical Greek Architecture with tall, white Ionic columns gracing the front entrance. At that time the church had 140 members. Through the years, as children of the congregation grew up and moved away and members grew older, the membership declined.
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The Leon Journal-Reporter
Leon, Decatur County, Iowa
Wednesday, February 11, 2015, Page 10The above photograph shows the contents that were recovered from the time capsule from the cornerstone of the Leon Presbyterian Church that was razed a few weeks ago. The contents were in a state of extreme brittleness due to the box they were in, taking on moisture over the years. Inside the box was a Bible presented by Robert A. Shular and family, the records of the church, and a plate of communion bread and wine.
Photographs courtesy of The Leon Journal-Reporter
[Additional photographs on webpage.]Transcriptions by Sharon R. Becker, March of 2015
1st Presbyterian Church, Leon, Iowa
Decatur Documents maintained by Constance McDaniel Hall.
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