Reno County Churches
Hutchinson Presbyterian Church 50th Anniversary
Excerpted from the May 25, 1922 issue of the "Hutchinson News":
Fifty years ago this summer the first church in
Hutchinson was built, the Presbyterian church. This
week the Presbyterians are celebrating the Golden
Anniversay with a home-coming which former members
of the church from all over the United States are
attending in a real reunion. From fifteen charter members on July 28, 1872,
the congregation has grown to over 800 worshipers.
Martin Hoagland, who was one of the charter members
of the church when it was organized half a century
ago, told of the starting of the church.
"Most of us who had come out here in 1871 had left
our religion behind us," said Mr. Hoagland. "We were
living on a homestead where Brandy Lake is now. There
was a bunch of settlers from Mississippi, called the
"Mississippi Settlement" over near Burrton, and
they had prayer meetings Sundays. Sometimes we would
go over to worship with them."
"At that time the nearest neighbor to us lived 2 1/2 miles away.
Later, when Hutchinson was started, the movement to organize a church
in 1872 was begun. We went in as a union church, raised $1,500
and started building. The Methodists were numerically strongest, so
they took charge of it at first, but later the Presbyterians raised
$1,500 more and this first church building became a Presbyterian
church."
"It was the first church in Hutchinson. It stood on the corner where
the First Presbyterian church is now. That frame church building was later
moved to the corner of Avenue C and Elm where the Sweden Lutherans used
it and then later, it was moved again to Tenth and Jefferson, and was
used by the Evangelical church," said Hoagland.
Pastors, 1872-1922:
1872-1873 Joseph L. Potter (stated supply)
1874-1881 Rev. M. D. Moore, first regular minister(deceased)
1881-1884 H. M. Shockley (state supply)
1884-1888 David H. Stewart (died May 23, 1921)
1889-1902 A. F. Irwin (died while pastor, March 10, 1902)
1902-1908 Hugh T. Kerr
1908-1909 W. Frank Reber
1911-1917 John S. Blayney (died July 12, 1918)
1917-1921 James Edgar Wilson
1922-____ Duncan MacLennan
Charter Members:
H. W. Beatty, James Bell, John Bell, S. M. Bell, J. M. Brehm, T. B. DeWitt,
Mrs. Taylor Flick, Mrs. Mary W. Lewis, Martin Hoagland, Mrs. E. Hoagland,
Mrs. M. E. Lawson, Miss Mary Lawson, John Sultz, Mrs. E. Wilcox and W. A.
Wible. S. M. Bell and Dr. T. B. DeWitt were elders; deacons were John
M. Brehm and James Bell; trustees were S. M. Bell, Taylor Flick, E. Wilcox,
D. M. Lewis and H. W. Beatty.
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This website created Dec. 13, 2011 by Sheryl McClure.
� 2011 Kansas History and Heritage Project
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