Newcastle’s Christian Church

By Bri Brasher 
with Leonard Cash
NLJ Reporter 
 
This week, Leonard Cash shares his research on the Christian Church, the first of which was located in Block 8, Lot 6, of Newcastle’s downtown. Prior to the building of the church, hotel keeper James E. Grant and the Kilpatricks “engaged M.F. Redlein to evangelize the community,” according to Cash’s research at ncbible.org. Shortly after Redlein’s local influence, the Christian Church gathered about 40 members. A man by the name of A. Sanders then rented the City Hall to host church services for Newcastle and Cambria residents. 
“In fact, the Kilpatricks—they started the Presbyterian church and this one, and then when this one (the Christian Church) disbanded, they attended the Methodist church,” explained Cash.
Cash did extensive research on the Christian Church and Block 8, Lot 6, in the early 1990s. His research included sources from the T.W. Phillips Memorial Library (Bethany College), the Disciples of Christ Historical Society, the Christian Stanford, the Christian Evangelist, the News Letter Journal and the Anna Miller Museum. Cash shared his original writing while providing more information he has gathered since that time. To begin, he wrote the following:
“In October 1896, the organization of the Christian denomination in Newcastle was made when Rev. A.C. McKeever, Chancellor of Bethany College at Bethany, West Virginia, came to Newcastle. He was visiting the W.H. Kilpatrick family. They were one of the owners of the Cambria Coal Mine. While Rev. McKeever was here, he held services in the Presbyterian Church and aroused considerable interest. Several people were baptized at the popular resort of Hunyadi Bathing Place east of town. Among those baptized that day were Mrs. Bland and Messrs. W.H. Kilpatrick, and John Barlow, the painter. 
When Rev A.C. McKeever left and went back to Bethany College, he said he would like to send a minister out to Newcastle. When this became a reality in August of 1897, it was the Rev. Alexander Sanders from California. He took charge of the church when he arrived on Sept. 5, 1897. That evening, he preached his first sermon at the City Hall. Rev. Sanders was to divide his time between Cambria and Newcastle. His salary was $1200 a year.
“That was quite a bit of money back then!” Cash said. “But he also had a lot of work to do.”
On May 31, 1897, there was a meeting held in the Presbyterian Church. It was met with strong opposition as most people wanted to go to the new Christian Church.
Mrs. Sanders and daughter arrived from California in October 1897. They rented L.T. Griggs’ house.
The church met at the City Hall until October 1897. Then they rented a store building on Warren (Main) between Seneca and Sumner. This they fitted up neatly with paint and paper and began meeting there on Oct. 24, 1897 with a stately membership of more than twenty, including the most prominent citizens of the area, like the W.H. Kilpatrick and A. M. Nelsons.
In the newspaper it stated that Mrs. A. Sanders received news that her eldest son was dangerously sick at New Iberin, Louisiana. 
The Ladies Aid Society was quite active as they had ice cream socials, and it seems that mush, milk and oysters were their favorite supper. They used their funds to purchase the chairs and organ. 
On Christmas, someone surprised the pastor and the congregation by having the room nicely carpeted. 
The Union Sunday School and a strong Christian Society was organized.
In February 1898, a vote was taken by ballot and the following were elected deacons: J.E. Emnut, John Barlow, A.D. Andrews, and A.M. Belson.
By June 1, the church was in good financial condition and they had eight people added to their roles—5 by baptism and 3 by commendation by letter.
Mrs. A. Sanders and daughter, Grace, visited their old home in Kentucky from June 17, 1898 until July 29, 1898.
There were several marriages performed in the church. On Dec. 27, 1898, J.F. Hart and Miss Laura Ann Nelson were married. Rev. Sanders married his daughter, Grace, to Chas E. Perin on July 21, 1899 and many said that he overdid it and the ceremony was too long.
In Sept. 1899, Mrs. Sanders’ son was in Sundance. Sometime between Sept. 1, 1899 and November 1899, the Rev. Sanders was transferred to Logan, Iowa. 
The Christian Standard (dated March 4, 1899) printed an article written by A. Sanders that Newcastle was flourishing with a congregation of over fifty members, the largest in the state. Others being in Beckton, Ten Sleep, Laramie and Cheyenne, but Newcastle was the only working congregation in the state. 
Cash found the excerpt about Newcastle in the Christian Standard, which reads as follows:
“In the northeastern part of the state, in the Black Hills (so called because of the pine trees that cover the sides of the hills give them a very black appearance), on the B. & M. R. R., is Newcastle, the county-seat of Weston County, a place of a thousand inhabitants, on the edge of a vast coal field. We have a flourishing congregation of over fifty members, and aid in a mission work at Cambria, a mining town, seven miles distant. We have some noble, heroic people here. Some of the self-sacrificing, working kind: we have one woman who is able and willing, and whose influence is felt in every department of the church work; we have others who give their time and talent to work. We have the largest membership of the five churches in the place. The Lord has surely blessed us as a congregation in willing workers and faithful young men and women. But I am sorry to state that this is the only working congregation in the state I have been able to find. 
Cash’s research continued into the fall of 1899.
The Sept. 8, 1899 News Journal stated that Rev. J. Gresham of Savannah, MO would preach both morning and evening services on Sunday, Sept. 10. Rev. Gresham and family were warmly welcomed to their new home.
Mrs. A. Sanders and daughter, Mrs. C.E. Perin, left Wednesday evening for Anselmo, Nebr. Where they will join Mr. Perin, who was recently appointed Station Agent of that place. 
Rev. J.C. Gresham of Savannah, Mo. was employed as pastor on Nov. 5, 1899 with the salary of $900 per year. His time was to be divided between Cambria and Newcastle.
After being here for awhile, he went into business with A.M. Nichols in his meat market and also his ranch near Inyan Kara. He owned ½ interest. 
Rev. J. Gresham preached his farewell sermon at the Christian Church on the first Sunday in April 1901. There was no regular ministers after him.
Several years after he left Newcastle, the Greshams moved to Bushnell, Ill, to help care for Mrs. Gresham’s father and on May 12, 1919, Rev. Gresham’s car was struck by a train near his home. He suffered serious injuries and died three months later.
The church bought Lot 6 in Block 8 original township and (it) was recorded on March 25, 1903. They bought it from Lincoln Land Company for $100.
According to additional records gathered by Cash from the Weston County Courthouse, the property was first purchased by Laura and Elsie Tibbets, who Cash suspects were sisters. The Tibbets then sold to the church’s trustees soon after. The Tibbets also purchased the north half of Block 8, Lot 5, to expand the church’s property, and they sold that land to the church as well. Cash said that, at this time, I.C. Newlin and W.H. Kilpatrick were also trustees.
“I’m surprised the Lincoln Land Company didn’t give a lot to the church. The land companies usually did that, and then the churches could purchase more lots. So they must have thought that was a pretty valuable piece of land,” Cash said, adding that he thinks the setup between the Tibbets and the church was likely an effort to save the church money and maintain funds to construct a building. 
Interestingly enough, while the property was officially purchased in 1903, the church building was built in 1902. Cash assumes that the land company had good faith that the church would pay for the land shortly. 
Cash wrote in his research:
In May 1902, the church started hauling the rock for the foundation of the Christian Church and by October, the stained glass window was installed at a cost of $2000. The lathers were busy getting everything ready for the plasterers. It was said to be the finest church in Newcastle. 
The new bell for the Christian Church was hung in December 1904 and was the best sounding bell in the city.
In 1904, Rev. Walter Mower came to Newcastle, but there is very little information on him other than that he was only here about six months and performed one marriage...
More details on the Block 8, Lot 6, will continue in next week’s issue of the News Letter Journal.