St. Vrain Church of the Brethren

Last updated
Church of the Brethren
Hygiene Church of the Brethren.jpg
USA Colorado location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Nearest city8220 Hygiene Road,
Hygiene, Colorado
Coordinates 40°11′19″N105°10′6″W / 40.18861°N 105.16833°W / 40.18861; -105.16833 Coordinates: 40°11′19″N105°10′6″W / 40.18861°N 105.16833°W / 40.18861; -105.16833
Area1.5 acres (0.61 ha)
Built1888
NRHP reference No. 84000794 [1]
CSRHP No.5BL.422
Added to NRHPJanuary 5, 1984

The Church of the Brethren, also known as the St. Vrain Church of the Brethren and the Old Dunkard Church, is an historic Church of the Brethren meeting house located on Hygiene Road (17th Avenue) in Hygiene in the St. Vrain Valley of Boulder County, Colorado. In 1874, formal organization of the Church of the Brethren was held at the ranch home of Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Ullery led by the itinerant preacher, James R. Gish.

The first influx of Brethren came to Colorado from Iowa, settling south of Hygiene in Pella, Colorado. [2] Rev. Jacob S. Flory left Greeley, Colorado with his wife and eight children to carry on the work of the church. [3]

In 1879, land was donated for the church. In 1880, the building was erected of rough cut stone, which came from Lyons and was laid in courses of unequal thickness. The total cost of construction, including donated labor, was $2,000. The Hygiene Cemetery surrounded the church, with the original Pella Cemetery lying to the south. Church services were suspended in 1907. [4]

In 1984, the church building and the land surrounding it were added to the National Register of Historic Places. [1] In 2004, the Hygiene Dunkard Church was awarded Landmark status in Boulder County. [5]

In 2009, the church was deeded to the Hygiene Cemetery Association, which began the work of restoring it. It is the oldest Brethren church still standing in Colorado. [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boulder County, Colorado</span> County in Colorado, United States

Boulder County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado of the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 330,758. The most populous municipality in the county and the county seat is Boulder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lyons, Colorado</span> Town in Colorado, United States

The Town of Lyons is a Statutory Town in Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 2033 at the 2010 United States Census, up from 1585 at the 2000 United States Census. Lyons is located at the confluence of North St. Vrain Creek and South St. Vrain Creek, 20 miles (32 km) east of Rocky Mountain National Park. Due to its location at the intersection of State Highway 7 and U.S. Highway 36 which lead to Rocky Mountain National Park, it is sometimes referred to as "The Double Gateway to the Rockies".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peace churches</span> Christian churches advocating pacifism

Peace churches are Christian churches, groups or communities advocating Christian pacifism or Biblical nonresistance. The term historic peace churches refers specifically only to three church groups among pacifist churches:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hygiene, Colorado</span> Unincorporated community in Boulder County, Colorado

Hygiene is an unincorporated community with a U.S. Post Office in Boulder County, Colorado, United States. Application for the first Hygiene Post Office was made by Jacob Stoner Flory of the United Church of the Brethren on May 28, 1883. Originally named Pella, the community's present name stems from a time when it had a sanatorium to work with tuberculosis patients. St. Vrain Church of the Brethren, a historic Church of the Brethren congregation, is located in the town.

Hannah Connell Barker (1844–1918) was an early resident of Boulder, Colorado. Barker was a teacher, civic leader, businesswoman and land developer in an era when industrious women were not commonly recognized for their contributions. Among other things, Barker served as a teacher; as director of the Boulder Bank; and was instrumental in platting and developing significant parts of the City of Boulder. She also owned the land that was used for the construction of Barker Meadow Reservoir, Boulder's primary source of water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vernon Township, Hancock County, Indiana</span> Township in Indiana, United States

Vernon Township is one of nine townships in Hancock County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 11,005 and it contained 4,322 housing units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Stephen's Episcopal Church (Longmont, Colorado)</span> Historic church in Colorado, United States

St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, 1881 is a historical church building in Longmont, Colorado. Also known to be middle of Longmont, Colorado back when it started to develop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Vrain State Park</span> State park in Weld County, Colorado

St. Vrain State Park, formerly known as Barbour Ponds, is a Colorado state park. The park hosts year-round camping. It is a popular birding destination, hosting the states largest rookery of Blue Heron, it is home to several other bird species as well including migrating waterfowl, songbirds and the occasional bald eagle. Other park activities include year round fishing and hiking. There are plans for a reservoir to be built at the park named Blue Heron Reservoir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryssby Church</span> United States historic place

Ryssby Church is a church located outside of Longmont, Boulder County, Colorado. The church was built in 1882 by Swedish immigrants, although it fell into disuse between 1914 and 1924. A dedicated committee from the First Evangelical Lutheran Church, the descendant congregation of the Ryssby and Elim churches, maintains the church, organizes events, and funds continuous improvement projects. The church hosts weddings, church picnics, an annual Midsummer service, and Christmas candlelight services in early December.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church Historic District</span> Historic district in Iowa, United States

Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church is a former parish church of the Diocese of Davenport. The church is located southeast of Harper, Iowa, United States, in Clear Creek Township, Keokuk County. The church building was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. The parish property was listed as a historic district in 2021. The parish was known in the Davenport Diocese as Saints Peter and Paul, Clear Creek.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liberty Universalist Church and Feasterville Academy Historic District</span> Historic church in South Carolina, United States

Liberty Universalist Church and Feasterville Academy Historic District is a national historic district located near Winnsboro, Fairfield County, South Carolina. The property encompasses four buildings constructed between 1831 and 1845. They are the Liberty Universalist Church and three buildings associated with the Academy: a boarding house, a kitchen, and a school building. The buildings were constructed by the Feaster family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharon Methodist Episcopal Church</span> United States historic place

Sharon Methodist Episcopal Church is located in Sharon Township, a rural area of northwest Clinton County, Iowa, United States. The building is the only remaining structure that remains of a community by the name of Burgess, which was nicknamed Smithtown. The building is commonly referred to as the Smithtown Church. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Klein Meetinghouse</span> Historic church in Pennsylvania, United States

The Klein Meetinghouse is a historic Dunkard meetinghouse in Harleysville, Pennsylvania built in 1843. The second oldest congregation of the Brethren in the United States, which was founded in the area in 1720, built the meetinghouse, and the adjoining cemetery contains the remains of Peter Becker, who led the Brethren to America in 1714.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Pine Church</span> 1838 church near Purgitsville, West Virginia, United States

Old Pine Church, also historically known as Mill Church, Nicholas Church, and Pine Church, is a mid-19th century church located near to Purgitsville, West Virginia, United States. It is among the earliest extant log churches in Hampshire County, along with Capon Chapel and Mount Bethel Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">People's Methodist Episcopal Church</span> United States historic place

People's Methodist Episcopal Church, also known at the Independent Missionary Baptist Church, is a historic church in Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado. Reverend Charles W. Homes was sent from Oskoloosa, Iowa by the Central Jurisdiction of the Methodist Church to build churches in black communities. They church was formed on February 18, 1903, by a group of ex-slaves or children of ex-slaves and began meeting at the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows Hall. The church was built in 1904 in a neighborhood that was predominantly African-American. Prominent early members include Jesse Bass, Lonnie Bassett, and Frank Loper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elkanah Lamb</span>

Elkanah J. Lamb was born in Indiana and moved westward through Iowa to Kansas and Nebraska during his early adulthood. He became a minister of the Church of the United Brethren and traveled through the Kansas and Nebraska frontier to preach to people in their homes or school houses. Lamb spent a year in Colorado as a missionary. During that time, he visited Estes Park and climbed Longs Peak. Lamb's slide on Longs Peak is named for his treacherous descent in 1871.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Miller (Colorado businesswoman)</span>

Mary E. Miller (1843–1921) settled in the Territory of Colorado in 1863 with her husband, Lafayette Miller. After her husband died, she founded the town of Lafayette, Colorado, named for her husband. Miller was called the "Mother of Lafayette. She was the first woman bank president in the United States, a philanthropist and an astute businesswoman.

The Gary J. and Matilda Vermeer Farmstead is a historic building located east of Pella, Iowa, United States, in Mahaska County. Gerrit "Gary" Vermeer was born on a farm outside of Pella on September 29, 1918, and was educated in the local schools. He married Matilda Van Gorp at her parents’ farm on February 14, 1941. They farmed a 120-acre (49 ha) farm that had been given to them by his parents. They built this modest house on that farm in 1953 and lived here the rest of their married life. Gary invented a wagon hoist that made it easier to unload corn. It became so popular that he and his cousin, Ralph Vermeer, started the Vermeer Company to manufacture the device as well as other agricultural implements. In 1971 Gary developed the Vermeer round hay baler, "an invention that revolutionized agriculture." In addition to his business and farming, Gary was involved in the Pella community and The Christian Reformed Church in North America. He died in Pella on February 2, 2009. Matilda, who was born near Pella on February 14, 1920, died on July 19, 2014. They are buried in Oakwood Cemetery, Pella. The farmstead was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. Historical Society of Pella, Iowa
  3. Ministerial Volume of Brethren Encyclopedia p. 1620
  4. Benedict, Diane Goode, Hygiene, Colorado: From Hoofbeats to Pickups 2010
  5. Boulder County Historic Preservation Advisory Board Docket HP-05-05
  6. http://www.redstonereview.com/2010/01/hygiene-church-of-the-brethren-is-being-renovated/
  7. "Hygiene Cemetery – Hygiene, Colorado". hygienecemetery.com.
  8. "Hygiene Cemetery – Hygiene, Colorado". hygienecemetery.com.
  9. "Colorado Historical Society combined National & Colorado listing for Boulder County". Archived from the original on 2010-07-14. Retrieved 2010-07-21.
  10. "Historic cemeteries by Amy Bounds, Colorado Daily, 26 October 2008: Hygiene Cemetery is # 11, accessed July 21, 2010". Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2010.