The Good Ol ’ Days
By Tobie Finzel
Early Churches, Part Two
While last month’s article
focused on the growth and construction
of the Vernonia Christian Church, the
first church in Vernonia was established
in 1876, just two years after the Parkers
and Van Blaricoms arrived as the first
settlers. During those first two years
the families met in homes for prayer
meetings, but when C. N. Plowman,
a United Brethren Church minister,
arrived and homesteaded here, he began
to hold regular services in the Vernonia
area.
Due to problems in the United
Brethren Church’s parent organization,
Mr. Plowman attended the 1887
conference of the Evangelical Church
where he successfully persuaded that
church to establish a mission here. Their
first church was begun in 1890 with $10
initial pledges from members of the
congregation. The Evangelical Church,
parsonage and stable for the worshippers’
horses was built with donated labor on
what is now Jefferson Street. It served as
Vernonia’s only church until the 1920s.
The Keasey and Malmsten families were
among those active in that congregation.
With the surge in the town’s
population due to the opening of the
Oregon American Lumber Mill in the
early 1920s, the church outgrew its first
home and built a new sanctuary on State
Street. In May 1924, members marched
from the old church to the new in a big
procession. The original church was
converted to the Cherry Tree Apartments.
In the 1950s, the national organization
of the Evangelical Church merged with
the United Brethren Church, and the
church on State became the Evangelical
United Brethren. Although the name
has changed several times since then,
the 1924 building is now home to Grace
Family Fellowship.
Others who came during the big
in-migration of the 1920s brought other
denominations to town. Some groups
met in homes while others rented space
from the Grange, American Legion, the
high school, and commercial buildings
until their own churches were built.
Although there had been
members of the faith in Vernonia since
1904, the Latter Day Saints officially
organized in 1926 and met in members’
homes for several years. In 1944 the
church purchased a house on Rose
Avenue due to wartime restrictions on
new church construction and continued
to meet there for over twenty years
before their present center was built.
The Seventh-day Adventists
built their church in 1936, the same year
the church was officially organized.
Prior to that, homes of members were
used for their Saturday services.
The Assembly of God was
organized in 1936 and worshipped in
the Grange Hall and later a commercial
building until their sanctuary on
Jefferson and Maple was built in 1942.
The Vernonia Bible Church
was organized in 1951, meeting first in
the American Legion Hall and later in a
commercial building until their church
on Adams was completed in 1953. They
later sold that building which is now a
private home and moved to the former
Oddfellows Lodge on Grant and North
Street where the church remains as the
Nehalem Valley Bible Church.
Begun as a mission of the St.
Helens Catholic Church, St. Mary’s built
its first church in 1923 at 2 nd Avenue and
Bridge on Corey Hill; Mr. Corey donated
the land for that purpose. By 1929, the
parish had grown and a new, larger
church was planned. The decline in city
population during the Great Depression
and other factors kept St. Mary’s in the
Bridge Street location for fifty years.
In 1962, they made an offer to the City
of Vernonia for the former Oregon-
American (and later International Paper)
headquarters building but the offer was
declined. By 1963, that building was
leased to the Columbia County Historical
Society for a museum, now known as the
Vernonia Pioneer Museum.
The St. Mary’s parish was able
to acquire five unplatted acres on O-A
Hill from the city in 1963. By 1970, the
parish began its annual Quilt Fair that
generated funds for the new building.
Vernonia’s Voice is
published twice each
month on the 1st
and 3rd Thursday.
Our next issue will
be out May 7th.
in other words
april16
2015
They also published a cookbook as
another fundraiser. Their persistence
was rewarded with the present day St.
Mary’s Church on Missouri Avenue.
The original St. Mary’s is now a private
home.
From Virgil Powell’s Diary
Virgil Powell (1887-1963) was
a long-time resident whose family had
a farm in the Upper Nehalem Valley
between Natal and Pittsburg. Each year
from 1906 until 1955, he kept a regular
diary of his activities. Spring planting
and his duties as local game warden
feature prominently in these century-
old entries. Automobiles were still a
novelty, and we don’t know how his
wife traveled to Portland from Vernonia
or how the wool was shipped. There
was no train service until 1922 so we
presume the majority of travel was still
horse-powered. The weather was typical
of April’s changeability.
Tuesday, April 6, 1915: Sheared
5 sheep hides and sacked the
wool in forenoon.
Shipped
the wool out to Portland in
afternoon. Cloudy most all day
but did not rain very much.
Saturday, April 10, 1915: Clod
mashed the piece in lower end
of field in forenoon. Went over
to Elliott place and put in some
garden in afternoon. Very good
most all day, rained a very
little late in evening. Dance at
Natal Grange Hall..
Sunday, April 11, 1915: Was
up the river about 2 miles all
forenoon looking after some
fishers.
Cloudy all day and
rained a little at different
times all day.
Friday, April 16, 1915: Over
looking after the cattle and
sheep in forenoon. Took Inez
up to Vernonia in afternoon so
she could go to Portland. Got
9
back 3.45 P.M. Awful warm all
day.
Tuesday, April 20, 1915: Disc
harrowed the piece back of
orchard also potato ground in
forenoon. Cut seed potatoes in
afternoon. Wind blew and it
was awful cold all day. County
Court of Washington County
here in an automobile.
Thursday,
April
22,
1915:
Planted a few early potatoes
and some garden in forenoon.
Went up to Pittsburg for a little
while in afternoon. Not very
warm any of the day. Man here
in auto from Lents in forenoon.
Sunday, April 25, 1915: Went
up the river about 2 miles and
some fellows just about ran a
deer over me. Did not make
any arrests. Bought a fishing
rod from a fellow and fished
a little while in afternoon.
Started out 8:30 and got home
3:30 P.M. Very hot all day.
The Vernonia Pioneer Museum is
located at E. 511 Bridge Street and is
open from 1 to 4 pm on Saturdays and
Sundays (excluding holidays) all year.
From June through mid-September,
the museum is also open on Fridays
from 1 – 4 pm. There is no charge for
admission but donations are always
welcome.
Become a member of the
museum for an annual $5 fee to receive
the periodic newsletter. We now have
a page on the Vernonia Hands on Art
website, www.vernoniahandsonart.org
If you are a Facebook user, check out
the Vernonia Pioneer Museum page. The
museum volunteers are always pleased
to enlist additional volunteers to help
hold the museum open and assist in
other ways. Please stop by and let one
of the volunteers know of your interest in
helping out.
Make Vernonia Shine Day
Saturday, April 25th
9 to noon
Register at City Hall, 1001 Bridge St.
Transfer station will be open this day.
There will be HAZARDOUS WASTE COLLECTION this day as well.
For more info: Donna Webb 503-429-5201 or donnatwebb@gmail.com
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