Bethel Church

TALLEY

Posted By: Sharon R Becker (email)
Date: 4/19/2010 at 04:11:06

BETHEL CHURCH

The Bethel Church was organized in December of 1856, in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Adam G. TALLEY. The congregation met in the TALLEY home until 1864 when they began meeting in the Hannelly school house.

The Bethel Church was built in 1869 at the entrance to Bethel Cemetery. It was constructed of native walnut siding fastened to hand-hewn timbers and roofed with hand-split shingles. The siding boards were all hand-planed with the church members doing most of the labor. Seating was made from slabs of lumber.

For fifteen years, the Bethel Church was the only church in the community. It was "the scene of the wonderful manifestation of God's saving power as scores and scores of souls were converted within its walls."

With the establishment of the town of Goshen, a larger church was built in 1881. The Bethel Church was then sold. It was moved across the road south of where it was built and utilized as a school house.

The building was eventually purchased by Elmer TALLEY and used as a barn on his farm located west of the cemetery. Years later the building was torn down.

SOURCE: Diagonal, Iowa: Centennial History p. 168. 1998.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, April of 2010