THE FIRST ONE HUNDRED YEARS

First Presbyterian Church of Fort Bragg

Fort Bragg, California

1887-1987

MINISTERS

The Rev . R. C. McKinney The Rev . A . C. Manson The Rev. Mr. R. C. Messenger The Rev . Mr. W. S. Whiteside The Rev . J. M . Smith The Rev . G. A. Hutchinson The Rev . W . S. Lowry The Rev . D . M. Marshman The Rev . R. C. Grace The Rev. W . M . Sutherland The Rev. W . M . Forsyth The Rev. W. S. Irvine The Rev. W. L. Staub The Rev. Lester F. Eisel The Rev. Mr. J. Lewis Kent The Rev. Terrence (Terry) E. Cole

CHARTER MEMBERS

James S. Fraser Mrs. Sarah A. Fraser J . M. Meech Mrs. J . M. Meech

1887-1889 1890-1891 1891-1894 1895-1896 1897-1898 1899-1900 1902-1905 1905-1907 1908-1914 1915-1921 1922-1924 1924-1925 1925-1928 192&-1930 1930-1963 1964-

May Meech Mrs. Patton Mrs . Sarah Scott Stewart Miss Dora Stewart Ansen Waldo

MEMBERS OF SESSION

Lori Cole June Escola Julee Estes Joe Krohn Annett Lehan Jan Mantel

BOARD OF DEACONS

Elaine Ball Wanda Cashwell Margaret Crawford AI ice Mae Core ita

Merlene Daly

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Harry McDannold Don McDonnell Betty McMillen Sandee Tell Earl Thompson Mary Wisdom

Viola King Fern Larsen Nancy Mantel Lo is Nolte

Looking Back And Looking Forward With Gratitude ...

For a century of memories

For those who will serue after us

For the opportunity to haue serued and to serue further

And most of all for the One by whose loue and example we are

guided and sustained from day to day and throughout the

years

TO GOD, OUR CREATOR, OUR LORD AND OUR SAVIOR,

We dedicate this account of the

FIRST ONE HUNDRED YEARS

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF FORT BRAGG

CENTENNIAL COMMITTEE

Barbara Bird Wanda Cashwell June Holmes Colleen Cleary Don McDonnell Lori Cole Leo Meskis Alice Mae Coreita Margaret Morley June Escola Esther Paulsen Julee Estes Earl Thompson Carl Force Glenna Thomas, Historian

The Rev. Terry Cole, Ex-Officio

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Intertwined yet mutually independent , a fledgling Presbyterian Church and the little village of Fort Bragg, California, began a century of service to each other one-hundred years ago this summer.

The village was incorporated in 1889 although it had begun to develop four years earlier. At that time the Fort Bragg Redwood Company had been formed, a mill and a wharf were constructed and the business of logging redwood trees in the vicinity began.

By 1887 the area had been surveyed and mapped but aside from a few buildings and some home sites , little but trees and brush stood on the land that would become the city of Fort Bragg.

No church had yet been established, however, a small group of interested residents met each week for interdenominational religi­ous services. The meetings were led either by laymen or, occasionally, by a visiting minister. They were held on the second floor of a building owned by Mr. H. A. Weller and tocated on the northeast corner of Main and Pine Streets . The first floor contained a dry goods and variety store while the empty upstairs, called Weller 's Hall , was used by the community as a meetinghouse.

In the spring of 1887, the Rev. Charles Crawford, Presbyterian minister from Point Arena, conducted a series of evening meetings in Weller 's Hall. The nine members of the Presbyterian faith who attended the services were so inspired that they set about organizing a church in the coastal community. The Rev. James S. McDonald , Home Missionary for the Synod , was summoned and on June 26, 1887, the First Presbyterian Church of Fort Bragg was established.

Stated Supply the Rev. R. C. McKinney was sent to oversee the organization of the new church. The first Session meeting was held on October 20, 1887, however, what transpired is unknown. The early ministers frequently acted in the double capacity of both moderator and clerk of Session and the minutes of the meetings were brusque. An authentic list of the nine charter members was never recorded .

The dedicated group continued to meet in Weller ' s Hall for the next several months and on February 27 , 1888, the First Presby­terian Church of Fort Bragg was incorporated into the Presbytery of Benicia. A Board of five Trustees signed the incorporating document , among them Mr. C. R. Johnson , an officer in the Fort Bragg Redwood Company. (Mr. Johnson founded the Union Lumber Company three years later.)

The company donated the property on the southeast corner of Main and Pine Streets to the church and the charter members paid a $10 gold co in to have the deed registered by the Mendocino County

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Recorder in Ukiah. The company also donated construction materials and by the autumn of 1888, the first building of the First Presbyterian Church was ready for occupancy. Allegedly the first seats in the church were redwood slabs placed over empty nail kegs!

First Presbyterian Church, Main Street (looking Southeast), 1888-1909

At Christmas time the members of the church invited the resi­dents of the village to share a Christmas Eve program with them; all of tl:l-e children who attended were treated to a gift of fruit. That pleasure-giving custom was continued for the next two decades with overflowing crowds always in attendance.

There were frequent periods throughout its early history when the church suffered from both financial instability and lack of leadership. Sometimes the Stated Supply was able to hold services only one evening a week for several months, before the members could afford a resident pastor, and the doors of the building would remain closed except for Church School. It is possible that its isola­ted location contributed to the reluctance of some ministers to serve in Fort Bragg. For several years the only means of transportation in and out of the area was either by horseback, stagecoach or boat-all dependent upon the weather.

Despite the small size of the congregation, the members re­mained determined to succeed and under the direction of a Stated Supply codes of Christian conduct were strictly enforced. One member had to make a public apology at a prayer meeting for

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"certain utterances" he had made at a previous prayer meeting; another gentleman 's name was dropped from the rolls until he made proper amends for the disgrace he was bringing upon the church; still another was spoken to "for use of intoxicants " while two other members were expelled for unchristian conduct.

The first annual meeting , held in 1890, indicated that the church, Church School and choir were all doing well and that the women of the congregation had organized into a group called the Ladies Aid. They were earning money for the benefit of the church by marketing the results of their sewing and cooking skills . With only wood stoves on which to cook and with no refrigeration , the women showed a great deal of ingenuity in present ing their carefully prepared food for sale-not only at bake sales and luncheons but , also, at larger events such as a " social " or an " entertainment " evening.

Because for many years the standard work week was twelve hours a day, six days a week, most of those events were held in the evenings so that entire families could attend. Besides dinner, the evenings featured musical programs and tableaux presented by some of the best local talent and , occasionally , celebrities from out of town. The " entertainment " evenings were held in either Redman 's Hall (then located on Main Street) or in the IOOF Hall (located two doors from the church) since those buildings were the largest ones in town and capacity crowds could be counted upon to attend.

The Ladies Aid also adver­tised their willingness to sew, quilt or embroider for the benefit of the church. The first Christ­mas Bazaar was held on two successive evenings in Decem­ber 1903 and , earning a total of $250.00, it was pronounced a complete success!

Under the leadership of the Rev. Mr. R. C. Messenger, Stat­ed Supply who was assigned in 1891, the membership of the church grew from thirty-five to sixty with an average Church School attendance of seventy . He initiated a Friday evening meeting for young people, inter­denominational in nature, which The Rev. Mr. Richard C. Messenger

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combined Bible study with social activities . The meetings were largely attended and seemed to fulfill a need in the growing town, which by then contained nine hundred residents.

Church School, which was originally called Sabbath School and then, Sunday School, has consistently played an integral part in the life of the congregation. The Sunday morning classes have involved many dedicated teachers who spent innumerable hours introducing God's love and the teachings of the Bible to hundreds of young people. Despite fluctuation of teachers and enrollment during the past five generations, the Church School program has remained one of the main commitments of the congregation.

It was during the Rev. Messenger's pastorate that a near­legendary storm moved the church from its foundation. This inci­dent is not mentioned in the minutes of the Session; however, the following excerpt from the December 28 , 1892, issue of the Fort Bragg Advocate News gives a graphic description of it:

" The great gale of the past few days did considerable damage along the coast, wrecking several buildings ... The force of the gale reached its highest. .. when a sudden gust de­molished the awning front of a saloon. The same puff came frolicking (sic) up Main Street , blowing down signs and fences and overturning outhouses but doing less damage until it reached the Presbyterian Church which it assailed with fury , breaking in several windows and lifting the church off its foundation , swinging the rear around toward the north several feet. The church is pretty badly strained and it will cost something to repair it .. . The wind was the strongest that has visited this section for many years ... hundreds of trees were blown down. " As soon as the damage was

discovered , the members of the IOOF offered the use of their building until the church could be repaired. The congregation quickly accepted the offer and met there for the next nine weeks . The annual community Christmas tree was not cancelled but was held in the IOOF Hall that year.

Carpenters worked quickly to repair the building and as a means of strengthening it, a room was added on the south side. This addition was later called the Mary and Martha Room. The total

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reconstruction work cost $425. The following summer the Ladies Aid presented the church with

a " sweet toned " bell and the belfry was furnished for the first time. The bell, which ceased ringing in 1978, now stands as a silent sentinel in the front churchyard .

By 1904 a manse, located at 615 North Main Street, had been constructed for the church , the automobile had been introduced, the railroad connection to Willits had been completed, the town had been wired for electricity and contained twenty-four saloons, five churches and four ministers.

The First Baptist Church of Fort Bragg was organized a few months after the Presbyterian Church was established . The mem­bers of the two churches soon formed a close relationship which lasted over sixty years. Union Worship Services were held when either minister was out of town ; in the months which contained five Sundays, union services were held with both ministers participating in the hour of worship .

Annual picnics were shared on the banks of the local rivers with the Fort Bragg Railroad Company furnishing transportation for groups sometimes as large as two-hundred-twenty.:five individuals. The young people from both churches also enjoyed participating in year-round social and musical activities.

The Rev. Mr. R. C. Grace

Music, ranging tram solos to cantatas, has been synonymous with the church ever since it was established. During the first half of the century the congregation frequently invited the entire community to free musicales , concerts and sing-along pro­grams.

The first pipe organ for the church (and for the community) was installed in 1904. A special " Thank You " was rendered to Mr. and Mrs. C. R. Johnson who paid for the freight on the organ which had been shipped by boat from San Francisco to Fort Bragg.

The Rev. Mr. R. C. Grace, the first permanent pastor of the church , was installed in 1911. He had begun to serve three years prior to that time and under his guidance

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the membership , literally , outgrew the size of the church. In 1909 the old building was moved back from the street forty-five feet and a new Sanctuary was constructed . It was uniquely furnished with opera seats instead of conventional pews . The building was described by the local newspaper as "an ornament to the city ."

1909 Sanctuary (note opera seats)

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Mr. Grace introduced several innovative policies which are still in use today . It was largely through his earnest efforts that the first meeting of the Presbytery of Benicia was held in Fort Bragg in 1913. Since then Presbytery has met in this city several times-most recently in May of this year.

The Rev. Mr. W . M. Sutherland

Following Mr. Grace's de­parture in 1915, the Rev. W. M. Sutherland began serving the church . Although seeming far away , the unrest of the world during 1914-18 did not leave the community untouched and thir­teen young men from the congregation served their coun­try during World War I.

The influenza epidemic , which had begun before the war was over , swept through the Fort Bragg area with a venge­ance during the autumn of 1918. All public assemblies were dis­continued by the Department of

Public Health and a supply of gauze flu masks was issued to each resident with instructions that a mask should be worn at all times-even at home.

When the epidemic began to recede, three months later, public meetings were again permitted although the wearing of flu masks was required for several weeks before the danger was declared past. The slight discomfort of the masks was overlooked by the members of the church as they rejo iced at the resumpt ion of Worship Services.

The following excerpt from the January 15, 1919, issue of the Fort Bragg Advocate News gives an indication of the demands which were placed upon ministers at that t ime:

" ... Rev. Sutherland has been indefatigable in his attend­ance upon the relief of the sick of Fort Bragg during the epidemic. Few, if any, of our citizens have had such close contact with the disease in al l its phases ... "

During the Rev. Sutherland 's ministry one of the rooms of the church was outfitted with gymnasium equipment and was opened to the young people of the community four nights a week and to the employees from the mill one night a week.

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The Rev. Mr. Lester F. Eisel

By the early 1920's, interest in the church and its activities had begun to drop nationwide. It was estimated that there were six-hundred children of Church School age living in Fort Bragg at that time with only one­hundred attending services on Sunday mornings.

Within a few years, however, that trend had begun to reverse itself and under the leadership of the Rev. Lester F. Eisel, who was called in 1928, the member­ship of the church began to grow rapidly. A record thirty-five new members were received into the church during the Easter serv­

ices of 1929. That increased the total number of members on the roll to one-hundred-sixty-four.

Fourteen ministers had served the church by the time the Rev. Mr. J. Lewis Kent was called in 1930-just after the Great Depres­sion had begun.

The congregation extended an ever-widening arm of assistance to less fortunate individuals during those depression years. Gifts of canned goods and other food supplies, wrapped in white paper, were requested as a special offering to be placed under the tree at the annual Christmas Eve service. The "White Christmas" gifts were turned over to the Red Cross for distribution to needy families. The collection of "White Christmas'' offerings continued until the end of the decade.

When the political trouble in Europe began to erupt in the early 1930's, the church started sponsoring a semimonthly The Rev. Mr. J . Lewis Kent

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Sunday Evening Forum led by Mr. Norman Cruickshanks, an instructor in the local high school. This program featured a lecture on a timely subject followed by a question and discussion period. The interest shown in the Forums indicated that they fulfilled the need of many residents to become better informed about current events. The Forums continued to be held until 1946.

World War II brought blackouts to the coast and sadness to the church when two of the young servicemen from the congregation were killed in action.

Members of the church joined other local organizations in providing hospitality to the members of the armed forces who were stationed in the area during the war. Following the war the church was designated one of the official United Nations Clothing Receiving Depots. Many members assisted with collecting and shipping the donations to needy war victims.

The postwar era brought changes to the church and to the coast. A change in the by-laws of the corporation permitted the formation of a nine-member female Board of Deacons which assumed an active and vital role in the functioning of the Church. The operation of radio station KDAC began in 1948 and broadcasting of Sunday morning Worship Service was tentatively undertaken on one Sunday a month. (Regular broadcasts did not commence until the 1960's.) The old manse was sold and a larger one, located at 315 East Fir Street, was purchased .

On the church 's sixty-eighth anniversary , a pipe organ, which had been especially designed for the Sanctuary, was dedicated to the memory of Mrs. Ina Ball and others who had served the church musically. Mrs. Ball, who had passed away the preceding year, had been the organist for fifteen years, playing most of that time on a small electric organ. It was through her inspiration that the memorial pipe organ was purchased .

The Mariner 's Club, an organization of young married couples was formed during the 1940's and remained an active part of the church for many years. The group began furnishing babysitting during Worship Services and introduced the first experimental Coffee Hours following the services. (Coffee Hour did not become a regular part of the church's activities until 1978.) An annual Waffle Feed, sponsored by the Mariners, became a popular community event that earned money for both the benefit of overseas relief and to furnish the new educational units of the church.

Extensive remodeling of the building, which had been started over a decade earlier , was finally completed in 1953. Along with an enlarged Sanctuary and several new classrooms, a large social hall

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and a small chapel had been added to the church .

The front wall of the chapel featured a larger-than-1 ife red­wood panel which had been handcarved by Mr. Perry Dale Wilson, an artist and teacher in the local school s:xstem. It took Mr. Wilson one year to complete the carving that depicted ''The Call of Christ " . The custom crafted pews in the chapel seated twenty-four and were a gift to the church from the children and grandchildren of Mrs. Myrtle Obarr, Bethena Cooney's mother. The door of

" Christ's call" the chapel remained open at all by Perry Dale Wilson times inviting individuals in for a

moment of prayer and medita­tion. It was considered a symbol of the spirit and devotion of Mr. Kent, under whose direction the church had been remodeled .

In December 1963 the entire community was invited to a farewell Open House in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Kent. Mr. Kent retired at the end of the year after serving ing ttre church and the communi­ty for thirty-three years.

The Rev. Terrence (Terry) E. Cole was called to serve in 1964. It was a difficult time to begin a new ministry for political and religious unrest, that was preva­lent throughout the nation dur­ing that decade, was apparent along the Mendocino coast. Despite disappointments and setbacks, Terry proved himself a diligent, dedicated minister dur­ing some troublesome times.

The building adjoining the church property on Main Street was purchased in 1966. After The Rev. Mr. Terrence (Terry) E. Cole

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complete remodeling, it provided a larger space for the church office and pastor ' s study, more adequate Church School classrooms and additional rooms for fellowship activities. The addition was named the Fireside Building.

The Fireside Bu ilding

Throughout the years the church has been involved with Worldwide Mission . During the past quarter-century , local mission work has increased through church involvement in community affairs and issues .

Sixty separate service organizations have held regularly scheduled meetings within the church walls since the first building was erected in 1888. The congregation has had close involvement with some of the long established groups such as the Cub Scouts , the Boy Scouts , the Girl Scouts and the 4-H Club.

The Alcoholics Anonymous organization has held meetings in the church since the early 1960's. Later in that decade several n:tem­bers of the church were instrumental in establishing a Drug Abuse Program for the area and in operating the Awareness House, a unique pilot project for former drug addicts which attracted nation­wide attention.

A great deal of support was also given by the congregation to he I p establish the Senior Center and the Sherwood Oaks Convales­cent Hospital and , more recently , in assisting with money raising projects sponsored by the Sherwood Oaks Hospital Auxiliary .

The name of the Ladies Aid was changed to the Women's Association in 1933 but the women did not alter their tradition of working for the benefit of the church and the community . Their long establ ished reputation as high quality cooks was culminated in a book, printed in the autumn of 1978, which contained four-hundred­eighteen Recipes Treasured . The cookbook was a five month project and the camaraderie that was shared during its collation was some of the happiest in memory.

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On the morning of November 28, 1978, within one hour, an in­tensely hot fire completely destroyed the First Presbyterian Church of Fort Bragg! Despite their arrival upon the scene less than five minutes after receiving the alarm , the firemen were defenseless

Fire Destroys First Presbyterian Church , 1978

against the fury of the flames and were only able to prevent the fire frof11 spreading to the surrounding buildings. The cause of the fire was never determined .

The grief of the members and friends of the church was shared by a majority of Fort Bragg residents, for few lives had not at some time been involved with an event which had occurred in the beautiful old building . It had belonged not just to one group, but to the entire community.

The response of the citizens was immediate and incredible: while the fire was still burning, each of the local ministers had gone to Terry and offered the use of his congregation's building for future services; while reporting the fire from the scene, Mr. Charles Stone, owner of radio station KDAC, had launched the Building Fund Drive over the air and made the first donation to it ; two music teachers began to organize a musicale with the proceeds to go toward the purchase of a new organ after another church was built.

Many volunteers from the community assisted with the cleanup operation on the day following the fire . The Georgia-Pacific Lumber

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Company sent several employees with some of their heavy logging equipment to the site to break the charred ruins into easily trans­portable debris. The following day employees from Saxman's Gravel Company and Fort Bragg Disposal Company took equipment

to the site to clear the debris away-and the corner of Main and Pine Streets was vacant for the first time in ninety years!

The following eight-and-one-half years have been filled with

prayers and unsettledness, with thankfulness and humbleness at the support received from residents in the area and from all across

the country. Worship Services were conducted in the Fireside Building for almost three years. The Fireside Building was leased to

the College of the Redwoods and Worship Services were moved to the Senior Center. A Building Fund Drive among the members and friends of the church was successful and new property was purchas­ed on South Sanderson Way. Plans for a new building were drawn

by Mr. Ed Sue, an architect from Oakland who was also a classmate of Terry's at Seminary. A contractor was selected and the new building was partially completed in 1982; Worsh_ip Services were moved to the Social Hall at that time. An annual Labor Day

Weekend Pie Sale was successfully established by the Women's Association. A group of the women earned money specifically to pay for furnishing the new kitchen by preparing and serving food at several large social events. Donations from many members and friends, along with inheritances received from two long-time members, Mrs. Karoline Kaare and Mrs. Edith Guthrie, permitted completion of the new church without conducting a second Building

Fund Drive. The Centennial Celebration began in March with a Recognition

Dinner in honor of those who have been members of the church forty or more years. Photographs of members and friends were taken in April and will be published in a pictorial directory later this year. The first service in the new Sanctuary, held on May 3rd, was a day of true Thanksgiving. The Presbytery of the Redwoods met in the new Sanctuary on May 15th and 16th. The new organ was dedicated

during Worship Service on June 7th and that afternoon a spectacular organ recital was presented for the enjoyment of all music lovers in the area. The one-hundredth anniversary dinner for the congregation will be held on June 26th . The Sanctuary will be dedicated on the following day, Saturday, June 27, 1987, the first day of the church's second one-hundred years! After vacations are over in September, a large Open House is planned for all of the

citizens of the community as a "Thank You" gesture from the members and friends of the church.

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The First Presbyterian Church of Fort Bragg is not one with a past preserved in amber to be recalled only on special occasions. Rather, it is a church with a present and a future-a continuation of the vital heritage handed down through one-hundred years of love, hard work, devotion and service to God and to the community where it stands.

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- Compiled by Glenna Thomas

June 26, 1987

First Presbyterian Church of Fort Bragg

1943-1978

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Cover Photograph by Colleen Cleary

S&S Printing