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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (March 29, 1959)
12 MAIL TRIBUNE, Medford, Oregon, Sunday, March 29, 195 hyireh Dim Eoriy Jdsksoirwii n e Year r- :xSJPJ - '- '': - - ....... .-r- v - ' , . r yf i''i "5"!"-' c JACKSONVILLE METHODIST CHURCH -The oldest Protestant church west of the Rocky Mountains still stands in Jackson ville after 105 years. Dedicated in 1854, services were held there by both the Metho dists and Presbyterians until 1881 when the the Presbyterians built a church there. Few changes have been made to the building. PULPIT AND RAILING - Still in use are the pulpit and railing at the Protestant church in Jacksonville built by the Metho dists -in 1854. The church building, reported to be the oldest Protestant church west of the Rocky Mountains, is used each Sunday for services at 10:45 a.m. under the auspices ',r- .... , it ii ORGAN - The Mason and Hamlin reed The circular stands on either side of the organ, made in 1881 and shipped to the organ above the stops originally held lamps , west coast around the Horn and overland to light the music in days prior to elec- by pack train, is played during the Sun- tricity. daymorning worship service at the church. Services were not held in the church for several years. During the past year Sun day services under the auspices of the Vil lage church have been held at 10:45 a.m. Plans are under way to have the church, which is across from the Jacksonville museum, open to the public on week days during the late spring and summer months. of The Village church. The Bible on the pulpit, loaned for the Centennial year, was printed in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1805, and is owned by Mrs. Shelby Wilcox, Ash land. The "whip-sawed" lumber in the floor was laid with square nails. The. pews also" are made with square nails. i i ii s"3r til -i fTsl 1 'S'ZZ.',! - ..,K-.....,-...f. t.-.x, Methodist Group Solicited Money To Save Building By PEG HUTCHINSON Mail Tribun Church Editor Jacksonville in the early 1850s usually brings to mind thoughts of gold -since that was what attracted persons to the small town in southern Oregon. , Gold was important, very important indeed in 1853, but only two years after the first gold nugget was found on Jackson creek, a large reli gious group arrived in Jack sonville. Under the guidance and en couragement of the Rev. Jo seph S. Smith, steps were taken to found a Methodist church. Active workers for the project were Mrs. Smith, and a Miss Overbeck and Miss Royal. Solicit Funds Times were flush during the gold rush days and Miss Overbeck and Miss Royal had little difficulty going from camp to camp to solicit funds. Gamblers, sporting men, and persons from all walks of life gave generously for the con struction of the church. Land for the church was deeded by James Cluggage, who with J. R. Poole are ac credited with the discovery of gold in the area. Timbers for the church and shakes for the roof were hand-hewn by Wil liam Kaler, who hauled them to the original site by ox team. Actual work began on the building in 1853 with David Linn, pioneer builder, erect ing the structure. The church was not finished that year, but was moved to the spot where it now stands across from the Jacksonville mu seum. Building Completed The building was complet ed by the Rev. T. F. Royal, successor to Mr. Smith. The first minister served "as Ore gon's representative in Con gress from 1869 to 1871. Dedicated June 1, 1854, the Methodist church building was also used as a place of worship by the Presbyterians who had donated and worked towards its construction. The two denominations alternated in conducting church services there until in 1881 the Pres byterians constructed their own church, which too, still stands in Jacksonville. The church was the first Protestant church in southern Oregon and is reported to be the oldest Protestant church west of the Rocky mountains. Except for a new ceiling in recent years, no known changes have been made, in side the church. The original pulpit and altar railing still stand and the original floor ing, made of "whip-saw" lumber which cost more than $200 per thousand and laid with square nails, is still in use. Around Horn The Mason and Hamlin reed organ, dated 1881, was shipped around the Horn to Crescent City from where it was packed by mule to Jack sonville. The organ is still used in the weekly worship services. , . During the Oregon Centen nial year an old Bible printed in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1805, ad loaned to the church by Mrs. Shelby Wilcox, Ash land, will be used for the Sunday services. Deed Land August 12, 1937, the trus tees of the Methodist church deeded the land and the church to the city of Jackson ville. A commemorative serv ice was held with the Rev. E. N. .Mallery, pastor of the Jacksonville First Presbyte rian church, and the Business Men's association of Jackson ville in charge of the event. A group estimated at more than 700 attended the service. The windows of the build ing were opened and loud speakers set so all could hear the se Speaker was Professor Vining, Ash land, who vvds born and reared in Jacksonville. Contributions received that day paid for materials for a new roof. Pays for Repairs In September, 1938, anoth er rally was held. The Rev. Sherman L. Devine, pastor of First Presbyterian church, Medford, was speaker. The money received that year paid for other necessary re pairs inside the building. Also completed was the installa tion of water pipes and lawn and shrubbery planted. For many years orly an nual services were held at the church. During the past year weekly services at 10:45 a.m. each Sunday have been held under the auspices of . t BRITT PHOTO - Peter Britt, Jacksonville early day photographer, photographed the Methodist church there built in 1854. Ex cept for the fence, which was removed many years ago, the church has changed little during its 105 years. A new ceiling Medford High School Edited by Barbra Nul ton. Reporters, Rosemary Eismann, De Russell, Peggy Fisch, and Margie Good. I The student council has nominated candidates for the associated student body of fices for the 1959-60 school Those for president are Paul Moore, Pat McLoughlin, Carolyn Mencke, and Doug Kliever. ' Vice presidential candidates are Dick Peterson, Clinton Steiger, Ray Knopasek, and Keith Berg. Those nominated for secre tary include Molly Barker, Marian Parsons, Patty Barnes, and Peggy Keith. Linda Lowry, Elaine Jen nings, Micke Noble, and John Lacy are nominees for busi ness manager. Those nominated for treas ure rare Beverly Todd, Toni Spense, Sherrie Funk, and Loretta Caldwell. Candidates for yell queen are Jaci Skelton, Ros Ran dies, Joy Olson, and Pat New bry. Those for yell king are Don McCurdy, Ken . Hall, John Cantrall. Thursday was the deadline for petitions of 50 signatures to be turned into room 217. The petition gives the peti tioner the right to run for the office for which he petitioned. Primary elections will be held April 1. Solos and ensembles in vo cal, piano, woodwind, strings, and brass divisions participat ed in the solo and -ensemble contest festival Saturday at Fruitdale school near Grants Pass. - Sophomores and seniors re ceived their scores from the Iowa tests taken last year. The cards told each per son's score; the norm being 50. Many students were sur prised to find they had scored in the eight for ninth per centile in the quantitative thinking part of the test. Oth ers found themselves to be lower than expected in the other four divisions of the test which included social studies background, natural science, correctness in writ ing, and vocabulary. As a whole, however, both classes averaged well above the na tional norm. Juniors are scheduled to take the exam sometime this spring. T.ast week it was time Once again for juniors to sign up for the National Merit Schol arship test to be given April 28. The test will enter the juniors in all of the National Merit Scholarship programs and certain other scholarship competition. the Village church. Richard Merriman, social studies in structor at Jackson school, Medford, has been conduct ing the services. Plans are under way to have the church open to the public on week days during the late spring and summer months this Centennial year. Good Friday services were held at the First Christian church Friday afternoon for senior high students. Captain Ricken of the Salvation Army was the speaker. Only students who had brought excuses from home were excused for the service. Phoenix High School Edited by Ginger Martin Some outstanding Phoenix High school musicians per formed in the annual solo ensemble contest on March 28 in Grants Pass. Joyce Hunter has received superior ratings on her French horn in the past, and she hopes to duplicate the per formance this year. Joyce Stockstill is playing the well-known flute solo, "Chinese Dance," from the Nutcracker Suite by Tchai kowsky. She hopes to repeat her usual "top notch" per formance. The girls nonet will also perform. They sing two se lections, "Robin In the Rain" and "Grant Us Thy Peace." Under the instruction of William Schulz, shop teacher, a number of projects in ad v a n c e d woodworking are nearing completion. For the school athletic department Ranee Eagleton has made a shot put ring and several starting blocks. The -wood shop is building flats for the Ag department to be used i the spring planting projects. Other projects nearing com pletion are a walnut desk by Larry Morin; a mahogany chest of drawers by Roger Gascon; a China corner cabi net by James Scott; and a gun cabinet by Sande Beddoe. To better acquaint the stu dents in the Spanish classes with the people whose langu age they are studying, Mrs. Reno Offutt showed them slides she took when she lived in Bolivia during 1951 and 1952. The slides showed the land scape on the Altiplano, which is a high plateau of 14,500 feet; Carnivales, a pre-lenten celebration observed by' the Indians; and the important animals of South America. Mrs. Offutt also showed slides of the city of La Paz, a fancy hotel with a patio and several gardens, and Patino's Palace. Exhibited in the hall now are two choices of class, rings i From the ring styles the soph- omore class will choose the style of class rings. The class officers - Othar Richey, Shearon Poole, Fran ces Kievet. and Beverly John son - selected the two styles over the other two for pre sentation to the class. Did you ever see a five inch Cecropia moth? After caring for the cocoon since last fall when Barrie Witte brought it into biology class, Rcscoe Larson finally saw the results of his labor on the morning of March 26 when a beautiful Cecropia moth was added inside the building about 20 years ago. In 1937 the trustees of the Metho dist church deeded the land and building to the city which is now responsible for its upkeep. emerged from the gray co coon. This moth, a native to the east coast of the United States, is tan colored with dots in the middle of both sets of wings. Its wing span is a good five inches. The Phoenix High Mask club directed by Bob Myrick have announced the cast for the school play, "Bull In The China Shop," by C. B. Gil ford. The cast consists of 11 students. They are Darilyn Popow, A m a n t h a ; Joyce Stockstill, Birdie; Nancy Stewart, Nettie; Darlene Pal mer, Jane Rogers; Gail Glid den, Hildegarde; Nedra Har ris, Elizabeth; Eldon Mitch ell, Mr. 0'Finn;Leon Small, Johnson; Jack Hoffbuhr, Kramer: Bill Oldham and (Don MacKintosh, stretcher bearers. A large production staff is headed by Tom Troxel, stu dent director. Student chair men of the various commit tees are Margaret Ann Bolz and Sharee Skipworth. makfr up managers; Joyce Hunter, properties manager; Sandy Skinner, publicity manager; Lola Good, house manager; Ernie Bolz, stage crew mana ger; and Roger Kelsoe, light ing director. ' The play will be presented April 24 in the Phoenix High gym. About 10,000 oil wells drilled in the U. S. annually do not reach oil. Some oil wells cost as. much as SI mil lion for drilling operations. I ' Endowed Qare ' 11 illl Adequate funds are placed in an irrevocable trust II fund to fully insure future upkeep of your Memo- for information. I ii ' ' ' Conger-Morrii Hillcrest Chapel j ijMCffiSTM!IK '-" Bill Driscoll, manager North Phoenix Road Phone SP 3-6162 or S? 2-7111 ' j Migrants Committee By Statute Opposed Salem-fUPD - Opposition to House Bill 140, creating an interim interagency commit tee on migrant labor, was reg istered before the Senate Com mitte on State and Federal Af fairs by the Oregon Farm bureau Friday. George Dewey, ' executive secretary of the Farm bureau, told committee members that his organization favored the committee but felt that in, place of its being authorized by statute, the governor should name such a commit tee and the same results could be obtained. Spoke in Favor Cecelia Galey, chairman of the state unemployment com pensation commission, spoke in favor of the bill. She said that through appointment of such a committee excellent results could be obtained and 44 Influenza Cases Reported in County Forty-four cases of influen za were reported in Jackson county last week, Dr. A. Erin Merkel, public health physi cian, has reported. Th& total included 17 cases in Medford, 10 in Shady Cove and Cen tral Point, 4 in Phoenix and 3 in Ashland. There were 37 cases of measles and 34 cases of Ger man measles last week, Dr. Merkel said. Twenty-three regular mea sles cases were reported in Medford, 6 in Central Point, 5 in Phoenix and 3 in Ash land. Eighteen cases of Ger man measles were reported in Medford, 12 in Central Point and 4 in Ashland. Other communicable dis eases reported last week in cluded pneumonia, 1 each in Ashland, Medford, Talent; mumps, 2 in Medford; scalp ringworm, 1 each in Medford and Shady Cove; scarlet fe ver, 2 in Central Point; pink eye, 1 in Medford; strep throat, 1 in Eagle Point, and chicken pox, 13 in Central Point and 2 in Medford. 5sM"r - t 54' jf JLtJ, & . -itfc RESOURCE HANDBOOK Governor Mark Hatfield is presented a forest resource handbook, containing informa tion on forestry and the forest industries of Pacific north west states, from Sam Robb of Willamette Valley Lumber company. Robb is chairman of the Oregon committee of American Forest Products Industries, which compiles information on America's forest resource. expenses would be paid by the agencies to which the com mittee members were attach ed. Approval of House Bill 128, allowing commodity commis sions to prepare their own budgets, was urged by Rep. Don McKinnis (D-Summer-ville), who said that he has served as a director of a com modity commission. 'Under the bill the com modity commission budgets would be submitted first to the contributing members and then to the department of agri culture for approval, after which they would be filed with the secretary of state. Recreation Director Sen. Jean Lewis (D-Port-land) urged committee approv al of a bill setting up a recrea tion director in the state high way commission. Among other things, she said, such a direct or would study the recreation al needs of the state and also give aid to cities, and counties desirous of developing recrea tion areas. No action was taken on three bills. Chairman Boyd Overhulse (D-Madras) said sev eral members were absent and he wanted the full committee to vote. ' Burglars Take TV Set from Home Clara Ellen Phipps, 78, of 955 Biddle rd., was the victim of burglars who stole a $100 television set and a large quantity of preserved fruit Tuesday or Wednesday, ac cording to Medford police. Police said the only clue was a piece of burned paper, apparently used as a torch. The television set was taken from Mrs. Phipps' residence and the fruit-dozens of jars of peaches, apricots, young berries, pears and assorted jellies and jams -from her pump house, according to the report. The burglary was reported to police by her daughter, Mrs. Mary Ethel Pay ton, 991 Biddle rd.
