Claquato Church | |
 Claquato Church | |
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| Location | 125 Water Street, Chehalis, Washington |
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| Coordinates | 46°38′33″N123°1′18″W / 46.64250°N 123.02167°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1858 |
| Restored | 1953 |
| Restored by | American Legion |
| NRHP reference No. | 73001882 [1] |
| Added to NRHP | April 24, 1973 |
Claquato Church is a historic Methodist church located off Washington State Route 6 in Claquato, Washington. It is the oldest standing church building in the state of Washington. [2] [3]
Construction commenced in 1857 as a Presbyterian house of worship however the chapel was allowed to be consecrated the following year as Methodist with a promise that the church would be open to all denominations. [4] The building was used as a schoolhouse, known locally as the "Claquato Academy", until a new school was built in 1874. [5] When the county seat moved from Claquato to Chehalis in 1874, the church began to lose its congregants though services continued into the 1930s. [6] A small renovation project, for repairs and the need for a new floor, was completed in 1929. [5] The Salvation Army began services that same year. [7] The building held occasional religious services into the late 1930s, and the site became vacant until a restoration was completed in 1953. [8]
The 1953 renovation, overseen by a local American Legion chapter, made no changes to the building but did include restoring the original woodwork, repairing the belfry, hanging new mid-19th century style wallpaper, and refinishing the exterior. [8] In 2006, the crown of thorns on the steeple was restored and the Lewis County Historical Society installed a commemorative plaque, a "Meeker marker", in honor of early non-Native pioneer, Ezra Meeker. [9]
The Claquato Church is owned by the Lewis County Parks commission since 1952 for use as a public facility however faith services are no longer held. [6] The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. [10] The church held a 100-year anniversary in 1958 and a 150th anniversary in 2008. [6] [11]
The church was built using the first lumber milled by the new sawmill in the town. It features a louvered belfry and crown steeple modeled after mid-nineteenth century New England meeting houses, topped by a crown of thorns. [12] The original bronze bell, as of 2021, still hangs in the steeple; it was manufactured in Boston, Massachusetts. [8] The pews, donated by residents of Boistfort, and the pulpit, built using wood from the original organ, were hand crafted. [13] The building is 600 square feet, measuring 20 x 30 feet. [12]
The grounds contain a cemetery which is home to the Pioneer Fir, a Douglas fir that was used as a waypoint in the early days of pioneer travel. A memorial plaque dedicated in 1937 marks the history of the tree and the first non-Native settlers in the area. [14]
Lewis County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 82,149. The county seat is Chehalis, and its largest city is Centralia. Lewis County comprises the Centralia, WA Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Seattle-Tacoma, WA Combined Statistical Area.
Centralia is a city in Lewis County, Washington, United States. It is located along Interstate 5 near the midpoint between Seattle and Portland, Oregon. The city had a population of 18,183 at the 2020 census. Centralia is twinned with Chehalis, located to the south near the confluence of the Chehalis and Newaukum rivers.
Chehalis is a city in and the county seat of Lewis County, Washington, United States. The population was 7,439 at the time of the 2020 census.
Chehalis–Centralia Airport is a city-owned public use airport located in Chehalis, a city in Lewis County, Washington. The airport lies one mile (1.6 km) west of the town.
Littell is an unincorporated community in Lewis County, Washington, United States, located off Washington State Route 6 between the towns of Adna and Claquato.
Ceres, also known as Ceres Hill, was a former farming and railroad depot community and is a locale in Lewis County, in the U.S. state of Washington. The area is located off Washington State Route 6 in a bend of the Chehalis River. The Willapa Hills Trail bisects the former community.
Cora was a former farming community and is a locale in Lewis County, Washington, United States. Cora is located off U.S. Route 12, next to the Cowlitz River between the towns of Randle and Packwood.
Forest is an unincorporated community in Lewis County, in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located on Jackson Highway, between the Port of Chehalis and Washington State Route 508.
McCormick is an unincorporated community off Washington State Route 6 in Lewis County, in the U.S. state of Washington.
Swofford, also known as Swofford Valley, is an unincorporated community in central Lewis County, in the U.S. state of Washington. The town sits on the south shore of Riffe Lake, approximately 4.0 miles (6.4 km) southeast of Mossyrock.
Parks and recreation in Chehalis, Washington is administered by the Chehalis Parks and Recreation Department. Trails that connect Chehalis with locations beyond the city limits are maintained in conjunction with other local jurisdictions, state government agencies, and/or local non-profit groups and volunteers.
Westside Park is located in Chehalis, Washington in the city's Pennsylvania Avenue-West Side Historic District which was catalogued on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1991.
Millett Field is the oldest, continuously used public park in Chehalis, Washington and is most noted as home to a Chehalis minor-league baseball team in the early 20th century. The ballfield was regularly used as the central hub of Chehalis sporting activity for decades, including hosting games for several Negro League teams in the 1920s. Located in the city's South Market district, one block north of the NRHP-listed O. B. McFadden House, the 3.3-acre (1.3 ha) park began in 1898.
Lintott-Alexander Park is a 6-acre (2.4 ha) park in Chehalis, Washington, located west of I-5 and south of Washington State Route 6. Due to its location in a bend of the Chehalis River and at the confluence of the Newaukum River, the park can flood in most years.
John Dobson and McFadden Parks were once the center of the Chehalis, Washington park system and they were referred to by residents as the "Top-of-the-Hill" parks due to their proximity to one another. They are the two oldest non-athletic parks in Chehalis. Begun as memorials to well respected Chehalis residents, they are located in the Hillside district on Park Hill, above and east of the historic downtown. The parks are connected by the Dobson-McFadden Trail.
Mary's Corner is an unincorporated community located in Lewis County, Washington. The area sits at the crossroads of U.S. Route 12 and Jackson Highway. The community is 11 miles (18 km) south of Chehalis and 4 miles (6.4 km) west of the town of Ethel.
The city of Chehalis is located in Washington state and rests upon the Chehalis River. Due to the city's location in the Chehalis Valley along with the nearby confluences of the Newaukum River south of Chehalis and the Skookumchuck River in neighboring Centralia, the community has suffered from numerous floods. Some floods have occurred resulting from overflows of creeks and minor tributaries in the Chehalis river basin, and severe cresting of the Cowlitz River has occasionally led to flooding in the Chehalis area.
The O. B. McFadden House is the historic home of Obadiah B. McFadden and is located in Chehalis, Washington. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1975 and is situated south of Millett Field. The house is the oldest structure in Lewis County and the oldest residence in Chehalis.
Harmony is an unincorporated town in Lewis County, Washington. The community is located near the junction of the Cowlitz River and Mayfield Lake, and is situated off Route 122, north of Mossyrock.
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