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| On Sunday, October 15, the congregation of the Rockford Presbyterian Church celebrated its 50th birthday. Worship, communion, a noon lunch, the Rockford Quartet, the Parkway Swing Choir, Karizzma and a presentation by Miriam (Hawk) Fetters high-lighted the day. Pastor Karen Long led the services. Organized in 1856, the church had services every two weeks and welcomed their pastor, Thomas Elcock and Elder Isaac Tolan, both of whom traveled by horseback from Van Wert. Built in 1877, the church building went up on the site of an old Methodist church and a permanent church pastor was selected. | ||||||||||||||||
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St. Paul Lutheran Church To
Celebrate 165 Years of Service to the Community
The congregation of St. Paul Lutheran Church, 9380 Wabash Rd., Liberty Township, Rockford, along with Pastor Randy Swanson, announces its 165th anniversary celebration on Sunday, November 5, 2006.
The morning starts with a
fellowship at 9:45 a.m. The anniversary service will begin
at 10:30 with Bishop Marcus Lohrmann delivering the
message. Special music will be offered as well. After the
communion service, a dinner will be provided at 12:30 p.m.
Time for sharing will follow the meal.
Everyone is invited to worship
with us on this special occasion. The church is located at
9380 Wabash Road near Chattanooga. We have been "BLESSED TO
BE A BLESSING."
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One of Oldest Houses in Rockford Remodeled With
Trim Help From Grace United Methodist Church and Parkway High School
Handhewn Beams, Limestone Basement Foundation, Two Brick Chimneys Tell the Tale |
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 When
Steve and Marcia Thompson of Rockford found their dream home at 108
W. First Street, across from Ketcham-Ripley Funeral Home, it was
exactly the type of project for Steve ~ a fixer-upper. A carpenter
by trade, Steve took the circa 1875 building to task and his
brothers, Bob and Phil, and the couple's son Curt, stripped it down
to the framework. The process was where the fun was at, although it
was tiring work for all of them. They found rewards along the way in
the history of the structure that held many clues as to the
residents past and the dates of the building and remodeling of the
home.
As the process went along, they learned that the original owner was D.H. Robison, a prominent dry goods business man who would have traded his products for skins and furs back in 1869 (the founding of Shanesville). Hidden in the window wells and attic of the house were an envelope dated and written to Master Robison and an old crate lid (used as an attic opening cover-up), listing the receiver as VanTilburg and Robison in Shanesville c/o Van Wert. The crate would have traveled from there by horse and buggy. The town had electricity in 1908, and Shanesville became Rockford in 1890, according to Steve. Other clues that dated the house were windows insulated with the
1906 San Francisco earthquake news and a When tearing-out the old metal kitchen cabinets and green masonite/chrome walls there, they came across a 1948 Lima News, used as insulation. Clues from dated newspapers help remodelers date a house. The workers have found an old hammer and screw driver, and knob and tube wiring, that actually still worked in the basement. The shallow basement is constructed of limestone blocks that were cemented over through the years. Handhewn oak beams, cut with a broad axe, according to Steve, tell the real tale of the era of the home. Those and beams in the attic are set-up in a large diagonal; they would have been done in this fashion during the mid 1870's. Later owners, Mrs. Frances Swander, the Fugate family and the Danny and Kim (Shaffer) Schaffner family did some updating of their own including custom windows that Steve did not have to replace. But in the sealed-off attic, under blown insulation, he located an old medicine cabinet and a colorful lithograph entitled "The Music Lesson" copyrighted in 1898 by the Woolen Spice Co. and made by the Forbes Company of Boston, a delightful treasure in an antique frame. Two brick chimneys were probably built with locally created bricks, as a kiln was just down the road at the location of the present Fremont Canning Company. Steve demolished these. He then took bricks from Parkway High School the 1954 addition and created front porch light back-drops. Other items from the school were more trim. Trim also came from a house owned by Roger Hawk, which was burned-down several months ago. Steve refinished the house's own woodwork as well. Steve replaced most of the house's inner doors, casings and an entire stairway with items salvaged from the Grace United Methodist Church, torn down last year. One of the balcony staircases was used as a replacement to the narrow, ancient ladder that went to the two room second story of the home. In addition, he helped remove the stained glass windows, the larger ones now in storage for later use. The 20 some smaller ones were rescued by families who wanted a piece of the church history. Steve put one in their new home at the entrance and a perfect suncatcher it is facing the west. One glass expert believes it may have been made in Italy. The church was built in the 1920's. A two story barn stands out behind the property, a must for a prosperous business owner who would have stabled his horses and other animals there. Steve is remodeling it as well.
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1936 Toledo Blade newspaper. The name of Cecil Jackson, a builder
and remodeler of many a home in Rockford, had his name written
inside the window casing, too. The 1936 remodeling included a
basement which was added under the home along about that time with
updates to the electric lines, ductwork and a new furnace
(directions for it still hang on the basement wall). The Houser
family were the likely family in the home at that time. An addition
was added-on for a son with polio. That room included its own
toilet, the plumbing remains of which Steve completely removed. Max
Houser's x-rays (head to toe) were located under the linoleum in the
room, too, which came as a surprise to the workers. 
The Grace EUB church building on West Market Street in Rockford was demolished on Wednesday, October 26th. On October 24, Steve Thompson removed the corner stone which took him 4 hours to chisel out and run it down on 2 planks to a waiting handtruck to deliver it over to the Rockford Methodist Church. Susan Sheppard, church secretary, and Steve were the witnesses to history as they opened the sealed copper box and were the first to handle and read and record the contents. The letter from the, then, church committee and some interesting items were later viewed by the congregation and guests of the Rockford Methodist Church in November 2005. among the names on the letter were: Pastor C.H. Lilly, Trustees W.B. Frisinger, Homer Roebuck, Bert Book, Grover Ward and Cliff Ransbottom.
Several local family members have contacted the Parkway Independent to provide additional information concerning how they are related to those former trustees. Rockford resident Madge (Van Fleet) Fox Hoersten fondly remembers her Grandfather and Grandmother, W.B. and Grace Frisinger, the parents of her mother, Mary Lucretia "Crete" (Frisinger) Van Fleet. According to Madge, her grandparents were active church members and were nicknamed Uncle Billy and Aunt Grace. W.B. was a trustee and Sunday School Superintendent for 25 years. Grace taught the high school age Sunday School, was the Church Chorister, had a beautiful voice and sang in the Church Choir and the Ladies' Quartet. They lived across the street from the "new" Grace EUB Church in the brick home that W.B. built for his family. The home is now owned by Rusty and Tammi Cheek. W.B. owned and operated a chicken laying operation, selling his eggs as far away as Boston. He owned the "Big Elevator" at the beginning/ending of W. Market Street and was a partner in the Glenmore Elevator. He also dealt in the stock market and was a major contributor to the church that he and Grace loved. According to Madge, rumor has it that the Grace Methodist Church was named for her grandmother, but that is not confirmed. Do you know?
Two sisters related to a trustee listed in the cornerstone contents are Barbara (Huffman) Schumm and Helen (Huffman) Luginbill. Their grandfather Bert Book was the father of their mother, Ruby Lucille (Book) Huffman. He died in 1965 and neither woman remembers his role in the church.
Helen (Martz) Hasis of Celina, Ann (Gibbons) Kesler and Martha
(Robbins) Baltzell, both of Rockford, are cousins and the
great-granddaughters of Henry Morrison. Henry carried a gift of the Holy
Bible from his mother as he fought in the Civil War. It was that
Bible, filled with information about his battle engagements and
subsequent injury, that was also among the items located in the
cornerstone contents. According to Thomas Baltzell, who enjoys
collecting the family's genealogy, he learned about Henry C. Morrison
based on census records and Civil War documents.
"Henry C. Morrison was born in March of 1843 in Wood County, Virginia to
David and Malinda (Sinclair) Morrison. He appears to be their third
child of 6 or 7 (appears one died during infancy). In 1850 the family
is living in
Virginia, but has moved to Black Creek Twp by the 1860 census. I have
unofficial documentation that he married Laura A. Davis on 1 Apr 1866.
The 1900 census lists him living in Black Creek twp with his wife
Laura A (Davis) Morrison and no children listed as living with them
then. The 1910 census lists his residence as Dublin Twp in Mercer
County at the age of 67. I have a death date for him as 31 May 1926,
and that he is buried in Riverside Cemetery.
"He enlisted as a Private in Ohio on 14 Aug 1862, at the age of 19. He
joined Company F, 99th Infantry
Regiment on 26 Aug 1862. He evidently transferred into Company C of the
50th Infantry Regiment on 31 Dec
1864. He mustered out Company C on 4 Mar 1865.
"H. C. Morrison is the father of Frank Morrison, father of Hattie
(Morrison) Martz, Lottie (Morrison) Gibbons, Bessie (Morrison) Robbins
Kinder and Mabel (Morrison) Brandt. The first three women are the
mothers of Helen, Ann and Martha, respectively.
If you have family information to share with the Parkway Independent
readers, concerning the cornerstone, or other different items of
interest, please contact us at
editor@parkwayindependent.com
Former
Grace United Methodist Church Razed
Copper Time Capsule in Corner Stone Reveals Unique Christian Surprises
A Flag and a Civil War Bible Amongst the Finds
Click here for the full story
