The past couple weeks I have written about Friends Churches in Mercer and Van Wert Counties that were established under the Van Wert Quarterly Meeting of Friends (Quakers), as described in Gregory P. Hinshaw’s brief history of the churches.

Hinshaw’s history tells that there were 3 additional Friends churches in the Van Wert Quarterly Meeting, two of them in other counties and the third in another state.

Spencerville Friends Church, Spencerville, Ohio. (2014)

Spencerville Friends Church was formed from a non-Friends group in the area shortly after 1900. They built a meetinghouse on Mulberry Street in Spencerville (Spencer Township, Allen County, Ohio) in 1904. The Apostolic Holiness Union was organized in 1905 and was later known as the Spencerville Holiness Mission. The congregation joined the Indiana Yearly Meeting of Friends in 1915, under the Rockford Monthly Meeting, and Spencerville Monthly Meeting was established in 1919. The meetinghouse was remodeled in 1934, 1942, 1958, and 1975-83. A parsonage was built north of the church in 1966-68. The Friends Fellowship Hall was erected south of the meetinghouse in 1958-59.

St. Marys First Friends Church, St. Marys, Ohio. (2021 photo by Karen)

St. Marys First Friends Church was organized in 1908 by Albert J. Furstenberger, organized as a Friends Mission. A meeting for worship and preparative meeting was set up under Friends Chapel Monthly Meeting in 1909. The cornerstone of the meetinghouse, located at the corner of High and Pine Streets in St. Marys (Auglaize County), was laid on 2 October 1910 and the building was dedicated by Thomas C. Brown on 10 December 1911. St. Marys Monthly Meeting was established in 1913. Their pastor tried to withdraw from the Indiana Yearly Meeting in 1950 but was stopped by John Compton, the Superintendent of Indiana Yearly Meeting. The congregation officially renamed itself First Friends Church in 1950.

Monmouth Friends Church was established under the Van Wert Monthly Meeting in 1881 and the church was located in Monmouth (Adams County, Indiana). The congregation was laid down in 1886.

For those of you who have Quaker ancestry, the Quakers kept very good records in their Monthly Meeting Records. They recorded vital events (births, marriages, deaths) as well as memberships and disownments. Some of their records have been published and some are on microfilm. Some may be found on-line.

Main source of information: “A Brief History of the Churches of Van Wert Quarterly Meeting of Friends (Quakers)” by Gregory P. Hinshaw, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005.

Last week I wrote about the Friends (Quaker) churches in northern Mercer County, as described by Gregory P. Hinshaw in his Brief History of the Churches of Van Wert Quarterly Meeting of Friends (Quakers).

Today, again using Hinshaw’s history, the Friends churches in neighboring Van Wert County.

This past week we took a little road trip to photograph some of those Van Wert County Friends churches but we did not have much success finding many of them. I had much better luck in Mercer County, probably because I know more about Mercer County and have more Mercer County resources here at home. However, I do not think there are as many old Friends’ meetinghouses that remain in Van Wert County as there are in Mercer County.

We found three Friends Churches in Van Wert County and one of those was not even on my list. We found it when we saw a sign in Van Wert directing us to it, otherwise we would not have known about it.

Van Wert, Ohio. (2021 photo by Karen)

Van Wert County’s Old Friends Churches of the Van Wert Quarterly Meeting:

Antioch Chapel Friends Church, Pleasant Township, Van Wert County. (2021 photo by Karen)

Antioch Chapel Friends Church was organized in about 1881, a year after some Methodists tried to transfer their building and memberships to the Society of Friends but were blocked by their M.E. pastor. The next year [1881] they organized as Pott’s Corners Regular Meeting under the Van Wert Monthly Meeting. Services were first held in the Pott’s Corner Schoolhouse, one mile west of the present site at the corner of Van Wert-Willshire and Richey Roads, 5 miles southwest of Van Wert (Pleasant Township). Services were moved to a Methodist church 3 or 4 years later. The current meetinghouse was dedicated in December 1891 and they changed their name to Antioch Chapel. Antioch Chapel Monthly Meeting was set up in 1923. The meetinghouse was remodeled in 1912, 1952-53, 1968-69, 1970-72, 1876, 1981, and 1984. [The sign on this church currently says Hope Chapel Friends of Hope.]    

Bethel Friends Church was organized before 1885 and an attempt was made to revive the meeting in 1905. A meetinghouse was completed in 1885, located near Black’s Crossing at the northwest corner of Section 12 (Union Township), 1 mile south and ½ mile west of Scott. [We drove around Section 12 and on Grove Church Road but did not see a church.] 

Black Creek Friends Church was established in May 1889 under Friends Chapel Monthly Meeting. A meetinghouse was completed that same year and was located near Murfreesburgh, Ohio. [I have not heard of Murfreesburgh and have no information about it.]

Delphos Friends Church was organized in 1879-80 as a Sunday School at Delphos. Van Wert Monthly Meeting granted a preparative meeting in 1880 when a meeting place was located, but it is not clear if this ever happened.

Friendstown Friends Church was established by 1897 and met in a schoolhouse. It was probably located in Van Wert County, likely under the Van Wert Monthly Meeting.

Middle Point Friends Church was set up in 1878 under the Van Wert Monthly Meeting and a meetinghouse was completed in Middle Point in 1878. In 1880 their membership was 183. Middle Point Monthly Meeting was set up in 1881 and was laid down in 1891. Middle Point Preparative Meeting was again attached to the Van Wert Monthly Meeting but was laid down in 1909 and the meetinghouse was sold.

Mount Pleasant Friends Church was set up under the Van Wert Monthly Meeting in 1880, with a membership of 50. Services were first held in a schoolhouse eight miles west of Van Wert and two miles northeast of Convoy and later northwest of Convoy, probably in Section 9 (Tully Township). A meetinghouse was built in 1883, located northeast of Convoy in Section 25. By 1903 the congregation moved to what is now the intersection of U.S. 30 and Payne Road in Section 14. The congregation was laid down in 1937 and the meetinghouse was razed during the construction of U.S. 30.

Prairie Creek Friends Church was established in 1892 under the Van Wert Monthly Meeting and was located nine miles north of Van Wert and three miles west of Scott (Union Township). The congregation was laid down in 1897. [We drove all around Section 10 but did not see a church.]  

Prodigal Home Friends Church was set up before 1880 under the Van Wert Monthly Meeting, named Prodigal Home at the request of a 70-year-old member. In 1880 their membership was 57. A meetinghouse that would seat 300 people was completed about 1879-80 and was located 6 miles southeast of Van Wert, in the southwest quarter of Section 32 on McCleery Road (Ridge Township). Their meetinghouse was destroyed by a storm in 1920 and the congregation was laid down. A cemetery was associated with the meeting but it is not clear where it was located.

Prospect Friends Church was established before 1884 under the Van Wert Monthly Meeting and was probably located in Van Wert County. A preparative meeting was established in 1888 but nothing more is known about this church.  

Trinity Friends Church, Van Wert. (2021 photo by Karen)

Trinity Friends Church, Van Wert. (2021 photo by Karen)

Trinity Friends Church was established in 1916 when several members withdrew from the First Friends Church in Van Wert and formed the Central Friends Mission, now called Trinity Friends Church. [This church is not detailed in Hinshaw’s history and is the church we found by accident. It is associated with the Ohio Yearly Meeting.]

Van Wert First Friends Church. (2021 photo by Karen)

Cornerstone, Van Wert First Friends Church. (2021 photo by Karen)

Van Wert First Friends Church was organized by 32 people in 1873 under the Union Monthly Meeting of Friends, Miami County Ohio. A preparative meeting was established in 1874 and the Van Wert Monthly Meeting was set up in 1875, with a membership of 594 in 1880. This was the first Friends congregation in this area of Ohio. In 1873-74 a frame meetinghouse was constructed near the corner of Central Avenue and South Franklin Streets in Van Wert and was dedicated in 1874 by David Douglas. The meetinghouse was enlarged in 1878 and repaired in 1903. The present meetinghouse was built in 1908-09, was dedicated in 1910, and the original meetinghouse converted into a parsonage. A couple year later the yearly meeting laid down the Van Wert Monthly Meeting, attached the membership to the Rockford Monthly Meeting and took over the meetinghouse, but reestablished the Van Wert Monthly Meeting in 1918. First Friends church divided in 1916 when several members withdrew to form the Central Friends Mission, now Trinity Friends Church. [There is a white frame home south of the church, right of the church in the above photo, but I do not know if that is their parsonage or if it is the old meetinghouse.]

Van Wert, Ohio. (2021 photo by Karen)

Waltz Friends Church was set up in 1891 under the Van Wert Monthly Meeting. Members met in Waltz Schoolhouse, located in the northwest corner of Section 10 (Union Township). Nothing else is known about this congregation although it may have been the predecessor of the Prairie Creek Meeting, which was organized in the same neighborhood the next year.

West Van Wert Friends Church was organized about 1888 when a preparative meeting was set up under the Van Wert Monthly Meeting. A meetinghouse was built in 1888 in the northwest part of Van Wert, 1½ miles west of First Friends Church. The congregation was laid down in 1897.     

Zion Friends Church was established in 1879 under the Van Wert Monthly Meeting, with 57 members in 1880. The congregation took over a building that was originally constructed by the New Light Christian Church, located 4 miles northwest of Van Wert and 1 mile north of the railroad, on Liberty-Union Road, in the southeast corner of Section 33 (Union Township). The congregation was laid down in 1897. [We drove around Section 33 and on Liberty-Union Road but did not see an old church.] 

Main source of information: “A Brief History of the Churches of Van Wert Quarterly Meeting of Friends (Quakers)” by Gregory P. Hinshaw, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005.

One of my sources for last week’s blog post about the old Pleasant Hill Friends church in Dublin Township was a compilation of Friends churches in the Mercer-Van Wert County area by Gregory P. Hinshaw. His Brief History of the Churches of Van Wert Quarterly Meeting of Friends (Quakers) gives some very good information about these early local churches.

I was surprised to learn that there were five Friends Churches within a few miles of us. Two of the churches are still standing in their original locations, two have been moved to other locations, and one church has been taken down.

The following is a list of the Friends churches that were in our area of Mercer County, from Hinshaw’s compilation.

Former Charity Union Church, relocated to an Auglaize Co. church camp. (2004 photo by Karen)

Charity Union was organized in 1888 under the Friends Chapel Monthly Meeting and was first known as Mt. Charity Union Friends Church. The church was built in 1888 and was located at the corner of Denney and County Line Road, 5 miles southeast of Mendon (Union Township), on land donated by Hiram Wollam. The meetinghouse was remodeled in 1948. Worship services were discontinued in 1979 but Sunday School continued. The meeting was laid down in 1987 and the church was moved ½ mile east to a church camp in Auglaize County, where the church building still stands. This church is shown on the 1900 Union Township plat map.

Friends Chapel, Hopewell Twp. (2004 photo by Karen)

Friends Chapel was organized in 1884 from the Van Wert Monthly Meeting. Harvey and Allie Bergman held a revival service in March 1884 in the old United Brethern Church that was located across the road from the current Friends Chapel, at the corner of State Route 118 and Tama Road (Hopewell Township). Friends Chapel was organized soon after the revival and a meetinghouse was built. The current church building was built in 1912 and was remodeled in 1919, 1948, 1987, and 1993-94. It appears the church was called Hopewell Friends Church at one time. The church is still standing and Friends Chapel Cemetery is located next to the church. The church is shown on the 1888 and 1900 Hopewell Township plat maps. The U.B. Church mentioned above is shown on the 1876 Hopewell plat map.

Friends Home Church, Jefferson Twp.

Friends Home Church was organized under Middle Point Monthly Meeting in 1885, was under the Van Wert Monthly Meeting in 1887, and transferred to Friends Chapel Monthly Meeting in 1889. The present meetinghouse was constructed about 1898-1900 at the intersection of State Route 29 and Township Line Road, 5 miles west of Celina (Jefferson Township). The congregation withdrew from the Indiana Yearly Meeting in 1930, joined the Ohio Yearly Meeting in 1947, then joined the Central Yearly Meeting in 1956. They attempted to rename the church Happy Corner Church about 2003-04 but the Yearly Meeting would not allow it. However, the name Happy Corner appears above the doors on the front of the building. The building was remodeled in 2003-4 and is still standing. This church is not shown on any of the older Jefferson Township plat maps.

Liberty Chapel (background), Liberty Twp.

Liberty Chapel was established as Liberty Meeting in 1886 under the Middle Point Monthly Meeting. The congregation became part of Friends Chapel Monthly Meeting in 1891. The first meetinghouse was erected in 1889 and was located about 4½ miles east of Chattanooga on Tama Road (Liberty Township). A new meetinghouse was erected in about 1900 and remodeled in 1906. That structure was destroyed by fire in 1932 and new meetinghouse was erected in 1933. The congregation was laid down in 1970 but services may have continued after that. It may have been called Liberty Chapel Community Church at one time. The church was torn down several years ago, probably 20-30 years ago. Liberty Chapel Cemetery is located adjacent to where the church stood. Liberty Chapel was always a Friends church and was the oldest Friends church in the area, although they did not join a Monthly Meeting until 1886. It is shown on the 1876, 1888, and 1900 Liberty Township plat maps. [The above photo is the only photo I have of Liberty Chapel, although the church in the background was not the focal point of the photo. We drove past the old Liberty Chapel every Sunday on our way to church for years and I could kick myself for not taking a photo of it before it was taken down.]

Former Pleasant Hill & Friends Church, South Street, Rockford. (2021 photo by Karen)

Pleasant Hill Friends Church was established in about 1885 under the Friends Chapel Monthly Meeting. They first met in a log cabin and built a meetinghouse about 1888, located on Now Road between Purdy and Wilson Roads, about 2 miles southwest of Rockford (Dublin Township). The congregation was laid down in 1906 and the meetinghouse was moved to South Street in Rockford, where the building was used for the Friends Church there. An abandoned cemetery is reportedly located at the old Now Road site. Pleasant Hill Friends Church is shown on the 1900 Dublin Township plat map.

Rockford Friends Church was organized by Albert J. Furstenberger under the Friends Chapel Monthly Meeting in July 1906. They used the Pleasant Hill meetinghouse, which was moved into Rockford in 1906 and located on South Street. Rockford Monthly Meeting was established in 1912 and the meetinghouse was remodeled at that time. The monthly meeting was laid down in 1938 and the congregation closed about 1942. The meetinghouse was sold to Calvary U.B. Church in 1944 and was used by The Victory Life Tabernacle in the early 2000s. The building is still standing.

Four of the five church buildings mentioned above are still standing. Liberty Chapel was the oldest Friends church in the area and the only one whose meetinghouse is no longer standing. Below is a sketch of the church from a 1926 newspaper. The church was reportedly called Liberty Centre Chapel at the time of Mary Arabelle Secaur’s murder in 1872 and was the church she attended. She is buried in the cemetery there.

Liberty Centre Chapel, America’s Weekly, 1926.

It is not mentioned in Hinshaw’s compilation, but there was a Friends Church in Celina on West Fayette Street, between Mill and Brandon, east of the old railroad tracks. That church was associated with the Ohio Yearly Meeting and is no longer standing. 

Main source of information: “A Brief History of the Churches of Van Wert Quarterly Meeting of Friends (Quakers)” by Gregory P. Hinshaw, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005.