Snapshots of History by Mike Avitt
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This week’s picture comes courtesy of the Linda Swanson collection and shows the Ringgold Evangelical Church about 1910. The church faced south and was on the north side of what we call Ringgold County Road J-67. An 1894 plat map verifies this location. This photo also appears on page 31 of Raymond Banner’s book (2002) about Ringgold City.
The church was built in 1887 and was dedicated on September 18 of that year. Rev. Locke was involved with the construction of this Evangelical Church.
Many rural and small town churches were built in the 1885-1895 time frame. The population was booming at this time and all three railroads in Ringgold County were well established. The economy was good and happy days were here again. And then the 1930s happened.
It wasn’t just the Great Depression that changed the course of life in Ringgold County, it was also the evolution of organized religion and technology. By technology, I mean gravel roads. Gravel roads changed the way we went to church, school and grocery shopping. Also, passenger service on two of our three railroads ceased in 1939. Ringgolders were mobile and had options. The Ringgold Evangelical Church never had electricity nor running water — and never would.
The last services I can find for the Ringgold Church were in 1937. The parsonage from Ringgold was moved to Mount Ayr in 1938. In 1939, a Pentecostal Congregation from Redding began dismantling the Evangelical Church so the lumber could be used for the building of a church at Redding.
The July 6, 1939 Mount Ayr Record-News reports Reverend Herman Hockmuth and his crew are dismantling the church at Ringgold for the purpose of building an Assembly of God “tabernacle” at Redding. Rev. Hockmuth was already holding services at Redding in various locations, so the job did not have to be rushed. The new church would be 28 feet by 50 feet in size.
In March 1940, Rev. Hockmuth and his wife moved into the church building after having previously lived in the L. D. Norris home. The new church was enclosed in late November 1939 and had its formal opening on Easter Sunday 1940.
Beginning in 1942, the Redding Herald began to spell the reverend’s name as “Hocksmuth.” This is important if you’re using the digitized newspapers for research.
The March 4, 1943 Redding Herald contains the announcement of Rev. Hockmuth’s resignation and Rev. Neil Parmer would be filling the pulpit beginning March 7. But, by May, Rev. Parmer was out and Rev. Russell Schirman was in.
In January 1945, Reverend and Mrs. E. Winckler arrived to pastor the Redding Assembly of God Church. The Winckler family moved to Hamburg in November 1945. I lose track of the church after 1945. I did not use the Redding Centennial Book for my research.
In 1955, the Redding Community Bible Church was established, but, at least in 1955, the congregation met in the brick Hawk building on the northeast corner of the square.
Today, the old tabernacle is Redding’s Frontier Hall. The first time I see the name Frontier Hall is in January 1980 when a committee was forming to conduct Redding’s centennial celebration. They met in the Frontier Hall. So, underneath the vinyl siding on the Frontier Hall is some old and historic lumber.
