| LOUISA COUNTY, IOWA |  |
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| LOUISA COUNTY, IOWA | |
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Oakville, Iowa
Transcribed by Jackie Terry, August 12, 2016
The beginning of the Oakville United Methodist Church was at the junction of Highway 99 and county road H22. The following is taken from the 1992 presentation at our Palo Alto picnic at Oakville by Jo Ann Murray.
The community of Palo Alto, named for Palo Alto…
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… Texas, a major battle site in the Mexican War of 1846, was located just south of the present site of Oakville. The first post office in the area was established at Palo Alto in 1848 and with the settlement of a number of pioneer families, the construction of a schoolhouse began that same year. With the school established, the settlers soon felt the need for religious services and on March 15, 1851 the first church service was held at the Palo Alto school. At this meeting Samuel Creighton was licensed to preach and received a salary of $348.00 which was raised the following year to $424.00. The idea of a Sunday School was conceived by David Russell, a patron of the Palo Alto school, and although the building was located out in the open prairie more than a half mile from the nearest house, a few got together and organized a Sunday School. It was a hit and miss affair for a time dying out in winter and reviving in the spring but in April of 1866 by-laws were adopted and the religious school began to prosper. This church was held in the school as part of the Yellow Springs Circuit which extended from Burlington to Wapello. After Samuel Creighton, Rev. Danley preached for four years. In 1890 land east of the school near a grove of trees was given by P.D. Bailey to build a church. The structure was 40 feet by 60 feet. A young boy, Lawrence Kurtz tells in his diary of the lumber being unloaded from rail cars. An annual picnic, a social even and fundraiser, became popular with the entire area and drew as many as a thousand people. By August of 1890, on a very hot Sunday, the Methodist Protestant Church was dedicated. Two ministers preached. Rev. Brown presided. Rev. W. Huddelston preached from Nehemiah 2:4. Nearly enough money had been raised to free the church from debt.
A list of members include: Wesley D. Storks, Jonas Miller, George Smith, Mrs. A. Hall, Mrs. James Bailey, Cornwalls, Joseph Keller, John Krammer, Ezra Kurtz, John Yotter, Mrs. James McCannon, and James and John Haight.
However, the railroad came across the Mississippi and through just north of Palo Alto about a half mile. First stockyards were built near it and businesses followed. The town of Oakville developed north of Palo Alto.
After much discussion it was decided to move the church building into Oakville to the southwest corner of the intersection of Second Street and Elm in 1896. In a letter of Lawrence Kurtz he tells of helping to lay the stone foundation for the church December 7&8, 1896. At this same time a group of Methodist Episcopal were meeting every other week with Rev. Hankins. Both groups decided to join into one congregation called Methodist Episcopal with Rev. (Brother) R.S. Tague as their minister. This affiliation caused some members to leave this group and join with a group forming a new Presbyterian Church.
The first Methodist Parsonage was located on Russell Street (Main Street, then). Later it became the home of Frank Campbell and now the property belongs to Keith and Tanya Lanz.
The second parsonage was across from the church. The present one is south of town a mile, a brick home near the county line. The church in 1896 faced east, clear glass windows, the pulpit was on the west end, the choir in the southwest corner. A large wood-burning stove sat in the middle of the building. The men of the congregation furnished the wood. Kerosene lamps lit the church at night. The seats were wooden chairs with wooden slats for the seats. The sermons were long and the slat became uncomfortable.
For some time plans were in the making to enlarge the building. By early 1911 the church was raised and turned. A basement was dug, cement poured allowing room for a furnace, kitchen and a large room for suppers and special events. Mark Strawhacker remembers playing with his friends in the hole and on the beams as the building was being changed. A large entry-way on the east was made, above which was a room for a Sunday school class. Above this was a belfry. A room was added to the north of the sanctuary. On the south a chancel including a choir space.
Beautiful windows were placed on the three sides, given by members. One window has CI.C., Class In The Corner. The pupils picked up corn at Irwin E. Brown’s, made it into hominy and sold it to raise enough money to pay for it. New Lighting was done by carbide lamps, considered quite dangerous now, from a plant south of the church.
The church kept the name of Methodist Episcopal and was rededicated in 1911 as it says on the cornerstone.
Since the early days of Palo Alto a picnic was held in August, sometimes at the church, or at the falls on the bluff near Melvin Gerdners, or Downey Timber of Huron Island. The Oakville Sentinel of August 1905 reports of bands hired from Wapello and Kossuth to play for the 1200 who came.
In 1940, after 50 years in the building a large group gathered to rededicate the building. A solo was sung, “Go Ye Into All the World”. This gym had been sung in 1890 at the first dedication.
In 1950 another addition was added to the west. This gave room for two restrooms, a kitchen and the Fellowship Hall. Again in 1962 a large addition to the wet and south was made. An entry on the north, the old entry ad bell tower removed. Three class rooms, an entry, rest room and office was built. Extra space in the Chancel and two more class rooms on the southwest.
In early 1981 a group of young people in the church decided to renovate the sanctuary and north room of the church Seats were removed, refinished and padded. Chancel furniture was also done. The walls were redone and the floor carpeted. In 1968 the church joined with the United Brethren and became the United Methodist Church. The apse of this church is the early 1890 church of Palo Alto church.
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At the death of a child from a contagious disease in Palo Alto, the children were made to sit in a far corner during the funeral.
Sophia Hunt, who was active in the church most of her life, remembers Joe Keller, the Sunday School Superintendent, had a goatee that bobbed when he said, “Teachers may take charge of their classes”.
Rev. R.S. Tague, who was pastor when the church moved to Oakville had to ride his horse from member to member’s house to collect his salary.
Rev. Appel was a converted Jew.
Rev. Madrigal came from Costa Rico.
Rev. R.B. Kipp had spent 20 years in South Africa.
Rev. Evans, new to the ministry and Oakville had the marriage of Helen Wiederrecht and Earl P. Smith.
Rev. Horace Ireland came from England.
Palo Alto records show the marriage of George and Daisy Campbell and Ingram Creighton and John Waterhouse – Ingram was for many years the rural mail carrier.
October 31, 1843 Pearl Morgan and Ben Johnson were married in the Palo Alto school.
The first marriage after the church was moved to Oakville was Mamie Wheeler and Moses Cook in 1897.
Sometimes the pastor was responsible for Toolesboro, Oakville, Huron/Hawkeye, and Sandridge, east of Kingston. Now there are two churches in the carge, Oakville and Kingston.
In 1914, Rev. H.M. McCannon had this schedule.
| Oakville | 11:00 A.M. |
| Huron | 3:00 P.M. |
| Toolesboro | 8:00 P.M. |
| Choir, Thursday | 8:00 P.M. |
| Ladies Aid, Wednesday | 2:00 P.M. |
| Prayer Meeting, Wednesday | 8:00 P.M. |
For more than 50 years Oakville/Kingston has had Easter Sunrise Service either at the Toolesboro Mounds or at the levee across from Oquawka, Illinois, followed by a breakfast.
The Palo Alto church and picnic were begun at the Centennial Celebration of 1991 and held again in the Oakville park in August 1992. We hope to continue this in our future.
The ministers change charges in September. They now do in June.
| 1851-1852 | Samuel Creighton |
| 1853-1854 | Sanbury |
| 1860 - | Wesley Dennett Circuit Minister |
| 1890-1891 | Hanshaw |
| 1891-1892 | C.S. Cooper |
| 1892-1894 | E.S. Dailey |
| 1894-1895 | C.H. Montgomery and sometimes at Toolesboro |
| 1895-1897 | R.S. Tague, The church moved to Oakville |
| OAKVILLE | |
| 1897-1898 | G.W. Barker |
| 1898-1899 | John W. Poole |
| 1900-1903 | B.G. Hankins |
| 1903-1905 | E.A. Bentzinger, part time, Elder M.B. Kraus, from New Mexico. The minster had four churches at this time. |
| 1905-1907 | A.D. Jordan |
| 1907-1909 | J.E. Evans |
| 1909-1910 | E. Madrigal |
| 1910-1913 | Harvey Butler |
| 1913-1915 | H.W. Cannon |
| 1915-1916 | H.L. Bohn and A.W. Starkebaum |
| 1916-1919 | C.E. Burdine and George Monier |
| 1919-1921 | P.S. Apppel |
| 1921-1922 | T.L. Stolker |
| 1922-1927 | F.L. Young |
| 1927-1928 | Gunnar B. Bruvold (had Huron, Kingston and Oakville) |
| 1928-1930 | George H. Smith |
| 1930-1931 | R.B. Kipp |
| 1931-1934 | George Hunt |
| 1934- | George McCracken |
| 1934-1936 | Wesley Griffith |
| 1936-1937 | James Watkins |
| 1937-1942 | Horace Ireland |
| 1942- | Warren Smith |
| 1942-1944 | R.W. Meeker |
| 1944-1947 | W.C. Sawtell |
| 1947-1952 | M.E. Weston |
| 1952-1953 | Carl Dadrill |
| 1953-1957 | Lester Hancock |
| 1957-1959 | Charles Hahn |
| 1959-1964 | Dale Bass |
| 1964-1967 | Fredrick Richards |
| 1967-1970 | Sam Bowser |
| 1970-1973 | Kenneth Carlson |
| 1973-1975 | Rodney Bennet |
| 1975-1981 | Clarence Burns |
| 1981-1985 | Allan Jones |
| 1985-1991 | Harold Werley |
| 1991- | Lexie Kirkpatrick |
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Picture: This church was moved from Palo Alto about three-fourths of a mile south into Oakville in 1896. It is now part of the present church
Picture: The church as it looked from 1911 – 1950.
Picture: After the 1962 rennovation, this is the church as of 1992.
Picture: Front row, 2nd & 3rd grade, L-R: Kay Spanhut, Laury Spanhut. Back row, 4th &5th grade, L-R: Tyson Carroll, Jessica Kerr, Lyndsay Shutt, Anna Spanhut.
Picture: Junior High Class. Around the table L-R: Brian Spanhut, Nick McCulley, Adam Shutt, Jeff Vierling (teacher), Michelle Powers.
Picture: High School Class. Around the table L-R: Cris McCannon, Jerri Singleton (teacher), Ben Creelman, Scott Powers.
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Picture: Young Adult Class. Around the table L-R: Judy Spanhut, Debbie Vierling, Sherry Shutt, Keith Spanhut, Todd Shutt, Jeff Vierling.
Picture: Senior Adult Class. Around the table L-R: Robert Campbell, Amy Shutt, Ruth Campbell, Dorothy Gerdner, Mel Gerdner.
Picture: Kitchen Class. Around the table L-R: Willa McCannon, Mary Campbell, Benita Grooms, Cody Grooms, Jon Creelman, Jolane Creelman.
Picture: Interior of church during services.
Picture: Kindergarten-first grade class. L-R: Matt Shutt, Kevin Boyer, Curtis Boyer, Teacher: Dawn Springsteen.