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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 20, 2022)
In Other Words October 20 2022 17 The Good Ol ’ Days One Century Ago, October 1922 The recent celebration of the 50 th Annual Quilt Fair at St. Mary’s Catho- lic Church, postponed from 2020 due to the Covid-19 lockdowns, was also the approximate 100 th anniversary of the parish itself. In our April 2015 column, we summarized its history as a parish, and in the March and April columns dis- cussed the history of Vernonia’s other churches. Excerpts from those two col- umns are repeated below. With this 100 year look back, we celebrate St. Mary’s and the other churches that were found- ed or expanded circa 1922. Begun as a mission of the St. Hel- ens Catholic Church in the early 1920s, 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 pur- pose. 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 lo- cation for 50 years. In 1962, they made an offer to the City of Vernonia for the former Oregon-American headquarters building, but the offer was declined due to the mill’s stipulation that the building be used for “the common good of the community.” In 1963, that building was leased to the Columbia County Histori- cal Society for a museum, now known as the Vernonia Pioneer Museum. St. Mary’s Parish was able to ac- quire five unplatted acres of the former Israel Spencer homestead on O-A Hill from the city in 1963. By 1970, the par- ish began its annual Quilt Fair to gen- erate funds for the new building. The church also published a cookbook as another fundraiser, copies of which are still found in many Vernonia homes. Their persistence was rewarded with the present-day St. Mary’s Church on Missouri Avenue. The original church is now a private home. 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. Plow- man, a United Brethren Church minis- ter, 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 confer- ence of the Evangelical Church where he successfully persuaded that church to establish a mission here. Their first church was begun in 1890 with $10 ini- tial pledges from members of the con- gregation. The Evangelical Church, par- sonage and stable for the worshippers’ horses was built with donated labor on what is now Jefferson Street. It served as Vernonia’s only church edifice until the 1920s. With the surge in the town’s popula- tion 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 pro- cession. The original church was con- verted to the Cherry Tree Apartments. In the 1950s, the national organiza- tion of the Evangelical Church merged with the United Brethren Church, and the church on State became the Evan- gelical United Brethren. Although the name has changed several times since then, the 1924 building is now home to Grace Family Fellowship although some long-time residents still call it the EUB Church. Others who came during the big in- migration of the early 1920s brought oth- er 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. Al- though 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. Vernonia Christian Church grew from 20 people in the early 1920s to 175 members by 1926. They met first at the first Washington School then at the old high school on A Street as well as other sites until they were able to build their own sanctuary. Begun in 1926, by early spring 1928 the new church was ready. Succeeding waves of new residents brought other faiths to town, and gradu- ally other churches were built. Some have come and gone, and their former sanctuaries now house families or busi- nesses. 1922 was a pivotal year in many respects with the growth of the city from 200-300 residents to 2,000. 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. October meant apple picking and cider making… and bear trapping. Wednesday, Oct. 2, 1912: Was fixing things so I could go to Tillamook most of the day. Mellingers were down making cider. Bright and dandy all day. Garfield and I left for Big Red Hill 5.20 P.M. and got up there about 7 P.M. Thursday, Oct. 3. Inez and I left Smiths 6 A.M. for Tillamook via. Buxton. Got to Buxton 9.15. Left Buxton 11.15 and got to Tillamook 4.35 P.M. Stayed at Hotel Ramsey. Rained quite hard most of day. Friday, Oct. 4. Was in Tillamook all day. Took in the town but not very much going on. Pretty fair day. Saturday, Oct. 5. Left Tillamook 7 A.M. Got to Buxton 12.15, had dinner and started for Nehalem about 2 P.M. Got over to Kist about 4 and stayed up there and took in the school entertainment. Doings over about 11 and we got to Smiths 12.45. Stayed up there overnight. Went to bed about 3.15 and got up 8. Bright and fine all day. Monday, Oct. 7. Went up to Andy Parkers in forenoon to get “Happy” who had run away. Got back about 1.30. horses over to Elliott place first thing in morning. Met the Grouler up at Pittsburg and him and I certainly had it hot and heavy. Went up to bear trap in afternoon and from there on up to Vernonia and back home 6.30. Rained pretty hard all day. Bright and fine most all day. Saturday, Oct. 12. Picked apples till about 2.30 P.M. Went over on the Detrick place and got 2 big loads. Went up to Vernonia 3 P.M. and got back 6.20. Garfield came down about 7.30 P.M. Bright and fine all day. Saturday, Oct. 26. Went up to Pittsburg and got a load of apples in forenoon. Went up to bear trap and from there on up to Vernonia horse-back in afternoon. Got up there about 2.30. Got Gart’s buggy and went up after Inez. Got up there 5.30. We started back for party at Mc.Daniels 7.30 and got down there about 9. Bright and dandy all day. Sunday, Oct. 13. Garfield and I went up to Vernonia in morning after the old horse and got back about 1.30. Went pheasant hunting for a little while in afternoon. Bright and fine most all day. Monday, Oct. 14. Garfield and I started out in morning for Clarke place to find a place to set a bear trap and ran on to two bear and killed them. Got back about 1.30. Pretty fair day. Sunday, Oct. 27. We left McDaniels doings about 3.15 A.M. and got up to Smiths about 5.30. Did not go to bed stayed up there till 4 P.M. We just fooled around all day. Left up there 4 and got home 5.50 P.M. Bright and dandy all day. Tuesday, Oct. 15. Took the old horse up to Wedrick place and killed it in forenoon. Also set bear trap. Got back about 1.30. Went up after the mail in evening and got back about 6.30. Very good day. Tuesday, Oct. 29. Split shakes part of the day and made 650. Rained pretty hard all day. Wednesday, Oct. 16. Cut some rafters for the woodshed in forenoon. Went down to Elliotts and got the froe to make some shakes in afternoon. Cloudy most all day and rained a little late in evening. Went up after the mail and got back 6 P.M. Thursday, Oct. 31. Picked apples till noon. Went up to bear trap after noon and found a big bear. Went on up to town and phoned to Gart and he came down. Inez came down to town in evening. Gart & I left Vernonia about 7.20 and got home 9.30. Pretty good day. Thursday, Oct. 17. Garfield and I went down below where some of the boys were hunting and did not get back till about 2.30. Walter stopped here in the evening. We all went up to the Pearson place and killed a big band of pheasants. Rained quite a bit all day. The Vernonia Pioneer Museum is lo- cated at 511 E. Bridge Street and is open from 1 to 4 pm on Saturdays and Sundays (excluding holidays) all year. There is no charge for admission but do- nations 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.vernonia- handsonart.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. Friday, Oct. 18. Walter and I took the dogs out East and put in a large buck which Garfield killed. We came down Oak Ranch and got home about 2.30 P.M. Cloudy all day and looks very much like rain. Sunday, Oct. 20. Got up above about 1.30 P.M. The girls had gone visiting so went after salmon for a little while. Very good all day. Left up there 1.15 and got home 3 A.M. Wednesday, Oct. 23. Took some Vernonia Dental , D M D By Tobie Finzel ri h C s . M ta h Sc e a r e m u n 622 Bridge Street Vernonia, OR 97064 phone (503) 429-0880 -- fax (503) 429-0881
