Memories long at the old Stone Church

Recently we were privileged to attend the annual meeting of the Stone Church, along Highway 17, south of Culbertson. The church, made of native limestone, is a landmark in that part of the country. We were in the company of the descendants of the pioneers who built the church. It was like going back a hundred years or so, to a simpler, quieter time.

Mr. and Mrs. James Lewellyn Hoyt were among the first settlers along the Driftwood Creek in Hitchcock County. Jim Hoyt had been a member of the 2nd New York Heavy Artillery Unit during the Civil War. He had practiced the trade of a stonecutter in his native New York, but in 1880, he and his bride, Priscilla, made their way to Nebraska to settle on a Soldier's Homestead on the Driftwood, later adding a Pre-emption claim to the original homestead.

By 1885 there were enough settlers along the Driftwood, south of Culbertson, that it was felt that they needed their own church. A sod church was constructed and the congregation became affiliated with the Methodist Protestant Church movement (the religious affiliation changed over the years.) with Rev. M.H. Moe as the first minister.

In 1900, a new Stone Church was constructed, across the road north from the original Sod Church, on one acre of land, donated by Rebecca Hart. It is significant and speaks to their strong faith that the early settlers along the Driftwood Creek in Hitchcock County chose to build a stone building for their worship services at a time when many, perhaps most of the parishioners were still living in dugouts or sod houses themselves.

Mr. Hoyt's skills as a stonecutter were put to good use during the construction of the church. Native limestone, from a rock formation on "The Stone Ranch," some five miles from the church, was determined to be suitable for a building that would last for years to come. But knowing where there was a good supply of limestone and getting it to the building site in the form of building blocks was another story.

A happy Irishman by the name of Jim Flynn was hired to oversee the cutting of the limestone blocks, but every able-bodied man in the Driftwood Creed Community assisted in rolling the stones down into the creek-bed, and then loading them onto horse-drawn wagons for the trip to the church site, over unimproved roads. Frank and Homer Hoyt, sons of Jim Hoyt were just 8 and 10 years old at the time, and were deemed too small to assist in the hoisting of the heavy stones onto the wagons.

But everyone had his job, so the two boys were assigned the job of placing the dynamite and setting off the blasts to break up the limestone in the quarry. Two of the direct descendants of these men expressed thanks at the service -- that their fathers had been careful with the dynamite, "else they would not be at the meeting today."

A highlight of the service was the introduction of the persons attending. Each gave his name, his place of residence, and his connection to the original members of the Stone Church. There were Hoyts and Wallens, Hallers, and Confers.

And the third and fourth generation descendants of those families had married into other pioneer families, the Elmers and the Carmichaels, the Trails and the Eisenharts, so that the congregation literally reflected a Who's Who of early Southwest Nebraska.

Regular church services were held at The Stone Church until 1951. Though keeping a regular minister was always difficult, and though the denomination of the church changed over the years, the Sunday School program was always strong at the Stone Church, with classes for all ages. Members recalled meeting in various corners of the one room, with curtains separating the classes (but not the noise). Some recalled the church orchestra -- yes, orchestra, with violins, guitars, trumpets and trombones. In honor of that first orchestra there was again a five-piece instrumental group to play for the group singing in 2007.

The Stone Church had served as the hub of the Driftwood Community in the early days. People voted in that building, and used the Church as a social gathering place as well as a place of regular worship.

A highlight of summer was the all-day church picnic, with a baseball game, and contests of all kinds, sack races, egg races, wheel borrow races, broom throwing contests, and co-ed horseshoe matches. These contests caused a good deal of laughter and merriment. And, of course, there was food -- always lots of food. The Stone Church women were good cooks.

Christmas at the Stone Church was a special time -- a magical time, as expressed by a few lines from Mrs. William Stock's poem, "An Old Fashioned Christmas

The first thing to meet our vision as we entered the church door

Was the tall and stately cedar from ceiling to the floor,

With strings of popcorn and cranberries, Branches decked with candlelight,

Packages and strings of tinsel, "twas a very pretty sight.

And a small boy spoke out loudly, As an angel dragged a wing,

But I think the angels listen When little children sing.

There were sacks of nuts and candy after all the Santa fun,

And the old time Christmas spirit seemed to shadow everyone.

Yes, if I could turn back time's pages, To one Christmas of them all,

It would be a Stone Church Christmas When our children all were small.

Today the Stone Church looks very much as it did in 1900. After regular church services were discontinued in 1951 the building began to deteriorate, but at the 75th Anniversary celebration, a new group was formed, determined to renovate the church and keep it in good shape. Over the last 25 years, the walls have been strengthened, the roof has been replaced, and the interior has been kept scrubbed and well painted. There is no electricity (the two electrical lights have been removed), and no plumbing, but the little church, with its thick limestone walls (and the determined efforts of the descendants of those early pioneers) appears to be good for another 100 years.

As was the case so many times in the last 100-plus years, in 2007 there was much singing, a fitting message (this time by Pastor Bruce Lester of the McCook Evangelical Free Church), a lot of laughter and some sober thoughts as the hardships and accomplishments of those early ancestors were recalled, and, of course, following that long tradition we got to sample the culinary delights of the descendants of those early pioneers, outside on the lawn -- under perfect clear blue, comfortably cool skies

Elsie Haining Boucher expressed what a good many from the Stone Church families feel about their church in her 1991 tribute, "To The Stone Church."

"It is a place of memories, service, special people, change and sorrow, joy, worship, remembrance and history and it is a 'Place in our hearts.'

"Once a year we come where volunteers and their dedication take care of the business, and the little Stone Church rings again with music and love for all faiths and all people. The love and prayers of many families are embedded in these walls, and God's love lives on in the hearts of all who come each year to worship and to remember.