Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, October 6, 2011

The Platte Center Presbyterian Church will be celebrating its 140th anniversary Sunday, Oct. 9. There will be a worship service at 10:30 a.m., followed by a noon meal and a time of remembrance at 1:30 p.m. Reservations for the noon meal needed to be made by Saturday, Sept. 10.

The Platte Center church was organized in 1871 by five couples and one man.

They used the country school house of Union City, Section 21 of Platte township and called the church the Presbyterian Church of Union City.

The first pastor was S. A. McELHANEY.

It wasn't long before the church outgrew its meeting place and four years later a new church building was built in Section 11 of Platte township called Platte Center.

Labor was mostly donated. About $1,300 was collected, $600 from Presbytery funds and a debt of about $300 plus payments of butter, lard and garden produce from families who wanted to help but had no money to give. Many of these people cooked meals for the carpenters.

The new church was dedicated April 3, 1875.

It has been pointed out over the years that the name for the church, Platte Center, does not really fit with its location since its not really the center of Platte township.

There was a story that someone volunteered to give the little congregation a bit of land at the center of Platte township for their new church, but then backed out of the deal. The people had already decided on the church name and didn't want to change it. There is no real record whether this story is true or not.

Getting to church for worship service could be a real problem during bad weather since most of the roads were still dirt. People used horses and buggies, bob sleds in the winter and those close enough walked there.

Family dogs often followed along. During the services, they barked and chased rabbits under and around the church.

Over the years, Platte Center has been yoked with several different churches.

The first was the Prairie Star church south of Kent. That church was closed in 1965 and the manse the two churches owned together sold.

Platte Center then yoked with the Afton Presbyterian and then the Clearfield Christian church.

A three-way yoking with Tingley Presbyterian and Mount Ayr Presbyterian with the Rev. Peter BRANTNER serving as pastor of all three churches was used for a few years until the Mount Ayr group joined with the Baptists in erecting a new church in Mount Ayr.

Platte Center remained yoked with Tingley and Diagonal United Church later joined the yoking arrangements. Then Rev. Bruce GIESE was the pastor. The Tingley church later closed but the Diagonal and Platte Center churches are still yoked with Rev. GIESE still serving both churches.

Many rural churches have closed over the years due to shifting population in the farming communities. Lack of members meant lack of money to keep the church doors open.

Platte Center is unique in the fact that it has never closed its doors in 140 years. The church has had its ups and downs, but still stayed open.

There are many three and four generation families in the church. Currently there are 57 members.

Platte Center has produced two Presbyterian ministers and currently has one of the young members studying for the ministry.

In 1968 a farm across the road from the church became available for rent. Since the church was mostly composed of farm families who had the machinery and the know-how to farm, the church became a long-time tenant of what was called the "old LUCAS farm." Each spring the trustees would arrange a day or two for the farm members to bring their tractors and planting equipment to put the crop in. Cultivating weeds was done as needed by anyone who had the time. In the fall, everyone who could helped with getting the crop harvested. Income generated by the farming operation provided a lot of dollars over the years to support the church.

When the family who owned the farm decided to enroll the ground in the government CRP program, active farming of it by church members was discontinued.

Over the years the inside of the church has been remodeled several times.

In 1917 the basement was dug and in 1919 a Delco light system was installed.

In 1975 the pastor Rev. Hiram KEGERRIS, a skilled plumber before he became an ordained minister, organized a group of volunteers and running water and a restroom were installed.

In more recent years, the dining room, kitchen and restroom have all been remodeled, new carpet laid throughout the church, the old furnace replaced and air conditioning installed.The church is fully handicapped accessible inside and out. A new roof was put on this summer.

A lot of older people in southwest Iowa remember Platte Center as being the home for an annual fall festival for 43 years. The festival was held beginning in 1920 until 1963. The festival was a fair and the church did not receive compensation for hosting the event.

Remembrances from that era will also be part of the celebration.

Anyone interested in helping the church celebrate its 140th anniversary is encouraged to take part in the events of the October 9.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, October of 2011