HISTORY

Plans for building a new church began in 1873.  The congregation had outgrown the old church.  Subscriptions were taken for the new building.  No one was to pay his pledge until $4,000 had been pledged.  $4135 was pledged.  The first building committee was Rev. Bostwick, Simpson Jones, and Henry Jones (brothers; Henry was Grandmother Jones' father).  This committee proposed building a three room brick church with a bell tower.  However, some members of the congregation wanted to build a cheaper building.  In 1876, a new building committee was organized consisting of Rev. Pillsbury, Simpson Jones (Grandmother Jones' uncle), Rodman Jones (Grandfather Jones' father), and Presley Orr.

In 1876 the old church lot was deeded to the Concord Cemetery Association.  Jeremiah Jones (grandmother Jones' cousin) gave land for the present church location.  Henry Jones was given the task of overseeing the clearing of the overgrown lot.  A proposal was made to move the old church to the new lot and reconstruct it inside and out.  This proposal failed and plans continued to build a new church.  At the fifth meeting the building committee recommended they use pattern #6 in the church extension annual, comparing costs of wood to brick.  At the next meeting with Simpson Jones, Rodman Jones, Thomas Orr, and Presley Orr present, the recommendation for a wood structure lacked friends.

 

​​​​​​​It is recorded that at the eighth meeting it was resolved to build a frame church instead of brick.  It does not state how this was resolved, but it is supposed that the congregation as a whole ruled over the building committee.  The building was to be 32 feet by 50 feet.  Wesley Drummond was employed to build the church at $3.00 per day under the supervision of John Cooke, Architect.  Green lumber was purchased from P.G. Griffin of Londonderry for $1.10 per 100 foot and 3500 feet of sheeting for $1.25 per 100 foot.  It was decided to use a stone foundation as brick ran from $10.00 to $11.00 per 16 feet.

 

Records show that seventeen of the original subscribers did not pay their pledge because of failure to build the brick church.  This amounted to $1,523.00 in lost pledges.  The new frame church was built at a cost of $2,737.00.  Another source puts the cost at $2,662.40 with $2,355.50 collected and $306.90 owed which was paid off in installments of $22.50.

 

A trip was made to Columbus (which was quite a trip by horse and buggy) to obtain a pulpit and three chairs.  They were purchased for $50.00.  Two sawed stone steps were ordered from Chillicothe Carpenters.  

Next landscaping was considered and Simpson Jones was to procure 76 sugar maple trees at a cost of 10 cents each.  Every church member was invited to plant a tree.  The tree nearest the door on the west of the church front was known as the Simpson Jones maple and the one nearest the church front on the east honored his wife.  The next tree south of hers was for Charlie Jones while the one next to Simpson's was for Ernest Jones.

 

There were twelve Joneses among paying subscribers.  Other names common to the community were: Orr, Purdum, Veail, Drummond, Haines, Smith, Van Gundy, Rittenour, Harness, Dubois, Bennet, Grubb, and Dixon.

 

The date of the first meeting in the new church is recorded as June 27, 1878.

 

Dorothy Haubeil Share Flesher shared some of her memories of Concord Church in a letter to me.  This period of time she refers to would probably be from the 1920's through the 1950's.  She remembered Children's Day, Rally Day, Christmas, and Easter special programs.  Monthly Sunday School Class parties held in the homes which included the whole church.  I especially remember the Christmas parties at the Haubeil Home (Otto and Carrie).  We would all gather around the piano and sing at these parties.

 

Dorothy played second trumpet in the church orchestra.  My grandmother, Jessie Jones played the saxophone.  My Uncle Henry Jones played the violin.  My Uncle Robert Smith played trumpet and my Aunt Mamie Jones played piano.  My father, Nelson Jones she said kept them all together with the drums.  With all that background I think I should have inherited more musical talent!

 

​​​​​​​There was the annual Chicken Supper at Liberty Fractional School and the Strawberry Ice Cream Social in the churchyard.  The Ladies Aid, which became known as the WSCS (Women's Society in Christian Service), was a great help financially to the church.

 

In March 1994, 53 new maple trees were planted by friends and members of Concord Church to replace the 76 original trees planted in March 1878, since we were beginning to lose several of the old trees.

 

This information was summarized from an article by Jessie Jones in the Parishan published in 1933, an article in the Gazette, information contributed by Otto Haubeil in 1977, and a letter written to me by Dorothy Haubeil Share Flesher in 1993.
 

Written by Janet Mitten