Snapshots of History

BY MIKE AVITT

I took this week’s picture with a black and white disposable camera in 2004.

The scene has changed a great deal since I took this photo and it is changing again soon.

Ground was broken on Wishard Chapel’s new church building the second week of July 2023.

The current church building was built in 1887. The building was raised and a basement with a kitchen was built in 1958.

So, how common is it for a new church building to be erected in Ringgold County?

You might be surprised.

We’ll start with the last church building constructed in Ringgold County and work backwards.

The last church building erected was the United Church of Diagonal in 2014-15. The first service there was held on Christmas Eve 2014. Their former church was the first brick church built in Ringgold County.

The United Baptist Presbyterian Church a mile west of Mount Ayr was built in 2004-05 with the first service held on February 5, 2005.

The United Presbyterians had previously met in a church built in 1902-03. The First Baptist congregation worshipped in a 1915 building.

Two churches were built in 1998. The Lighthouse Christian Center, two miles west of Mount Ayr, had its Grand Opening on October 25, 1998 with Doug Greene as pastor. They previously met at the Benton Town Hall.

Mount Ayr’s Assembly of God Church was completed in October 1998. In their previous building, the kitchen was in the basement and new construction provided more space and a kitchen on the ground level.

St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Mount Ayr was built in 1992. The previous St. Joseph’s was built in 1883 as a Christian Church. The Catholics bought it in 1913 when the Christians began building their new church.

Today, St. Joseph’s is the only Catholic Church in Ringgold County.

Kellerton’s Assembly of God church built a new sanctuary in 1979-80. The new building was directly connected to their previous building which was built in 1887 as Fry Chapel and moved to Kellerton in 1952. The 1887 section contains the kitchen and dining hall.

The First Lutheran Church in east Mount Ayr was built in 1973-74. Their first worship center was built in 1964 and today is used as a garage. It sits across the alley north of Dari Sweet.

The Regular Baptist Church on Highway 2 in Mount Ayr opened in the fall of 1973. Their previous church building was on Jefferson Street across the street east of the United Presbyterian Church. Whitey and Mabel Rice donated the land for the new church.

So that’s eight new church buildings in 50 years or about one every six years.

Congratulations to Wishard Chapel on their new House of Worship!