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Fires have destroyed
Rolling Prairie United Methodist buildings
more than once.
An item in the LaPorte Daily Herald newspaper,
dated September 17, 1895, gave this account
At the morning meeting Rev. C.D. Royce announced
the burning of the church at Rolling Prairie, and moved that a collection be taken to construct the new edifice. Dr. Colvin
objected because there was no insurance. Presiding Elder Ogden made a rousing speech in favor of the motion. Dr. Wood moved
a vote of sympathy to the church and commendation for aid to the Church Extension Society. The motion was carried."
A story ran in the same newspaper on September
16, 1895, with the following headline
HOLY SMOKE!
METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH
IN ROLLING PRAIRIE DESTROYED
The Methodist Episcopal Church in Rolling
Prairie was discovered to be on fire shortly after 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon, and regardless of every effort on the part
of the citizens to extinguish the flames, the building burned to the ground inside an hour. It made a fierce fire and it is
extremely fortunate that neighboring dwellings were not consumed. The origin of the fire is a mystery. It, however, is thought
that spontaneous combustion was the cause. Others say it is quite probable that some of the congregation, in leaving the church,
stepped on the head of a parlor match, it igniting and setting fire to the carpet. It burned so slow that the sexton did not
see the same when he left for home about an hour after the service. It is not known what the loss is or whether there was
any insurance."
On September 20, 1895, the LaPorte Daily Herald,
whose Rolling Prairie correspondent was Alvira Towner,
carried the following item:
"Sunday afternoon about half past four o'clock, the cry of fire was heard and on looking out smoke was seen
coming from the belfry of the Methodist Episcopal Church and the building is now in ashes. How the fire started is not yet
known. It must have started in the closet under the stairs where the oil can and such articles are kept. The wind was from
the south and the west. Mrs. Conant's house, just north of the church, was kept wet all the time, and most of the furniture
was removed. Then Mr. George's close at the east, was completely emptied, but with heroic work the house was saved. During
the burning there were six buildings that the roofs were kept wet, but as it was, Mrs. Anna Williams' did catch and so did
Mrs. Florence Halter's. But such heroes to work. We will turn them out against any village. Trained firemen could not do better.
The women and children helped. Pieces of burning shingle flew and fell everywhere in the draft of the fire. Then after it
had burned down the wind changed and blew sparks and heat so that Mr. Powell's house had to be kept wet, and others on that
side of the street. There was nearly a cord of nice dry maple wood piled in the church entry, where it is kept, that burned
so long that although they sprinkled it a little, the men watched all night for safety. As it was Sunday, all the men of the
village were at home and the Sunday School had been held at the usual time, half past two p.m. Had that burned on a weekday
and with all the men gone at that dry time, what might have been the result? There was no insurance on the church, so it is
a heavy loss to the society here. It was built about thirty years ago."'
After the loss of the church, Rev. George Cramer was preacher for a year and no serious attempts were made
towards rebuilding, but a small newspaper item stated:
LEAGUE TAKES THE LEAD
"The Epworth League will take the lead. At
least they expect to have a social this week, Friday evening, to begin raising money for the new church. They did nobly when
the church was repaired with the new stained glass windows and they will do well now."
In September of 1897, Rev.
Wm. Davis was appointed pastor of the Rolling Prairie Charge during annual conference. Davis was a go-getter, and immediately
set about the task of rebuilding the church. The foundation was laid that fall before winter set in and in the spring of 1896
the church was finished. The dedicatory sermon was preached by Rev. Clarence C. Royse, preacher of the old church when it
was destroyed by fire, who was on a leave of absence to attend DePauw University at Greencastle. The church was built over
a very small basement just small enough to permit installing a furnace, which was done immediately.
The new church cost three thousand
dollars ($3,000.00) paid to the contractor in cash raised by subscription. Its exterior was covered with white clapboard siding,
and it looked much as the building does today, except for enlargement of the back entry and installation of new front doors.
The steeple stood high above the
church and the town. The white clapboards were complimented with wooden shutters painted black and plain golden stained glass
was installed in the windows. Sliding doors that divided the back room from the main sanctuary also contained golden stained
glass. The altar was three steps up from the main floor with a railing around its sides. A huge carved oak pulpit stood at
the center of the altar and was approached by parishioners during communion services. (This building is today (2006) the
Rolling Prairie Branch of the LaPorte County Library. )
The contract for the new church building,
located on CR 300E, (which burned on May 5, 2006) was signed for $134,000.00 with Earl J. Snook and Company with Robert
J. Foltz as architect. Construction was begun on April 10, 1967 and the cornerstone laid on July 16, 1967. The first service
conducted in the new church was on Easter Sunday, April 14, 1968.
Dedication services were conducted later
that year by Rev. Albert Northrop, pastor, assisted by former pastors, James E. Byrd and Herbert G. Wingard and Rolling Prairie
Methodist’s own Rev. James Russell. During the pastorate of Joseph Andrews, in 1978, an Upper Room was completed in
the area directly behind the choir loft. This meant cutting into the choir space, but the Education Department needed more
room for Sunday School so the sacrifice was made. Materials and labor, plus necessary funds, were donated in order to complete
the room, used by third and fourth grade students.
On January, 1981, the administrative
board approved plans for an addition to be built above the Fellowship Class area to house expansion of the Christian Education
Department. The rooms were ready for occupancy by December, 1981. Another tie to their heritage and the little old clapboard
church in the heart of Rolling Prairie occurred when the brass bell purchased after the first disastrous fire was installed
in the church steeple, downtown Rolling Prairie, during the spring of 1982. The bell was moved to the new building on highway
20 but was too heavy for the steeple presented to the church in 1982 by Elma Banzhaf as a memorial for her husband, Gust.
The kitchen was the result of long hours of planning and hard work under the supervision of Russell Ritzler.
This beautiful building on US Highway 20 west of Rolling
Prairie, was destroyed by fire on May ??, 2006. Flames were shooting out the roof when Rev. David Tripp's wife, Diane,
saw smoke explode out the door of the Sunday School addition atop the Fellowship area of the church. Kankakee Township
Volunteer Firemen were on the scene within minutes of receiving the call. Toxic smoke, flames, and intense
heat met the firefighters who went in to the building to be sure no one was inside. Rev. Tripp was on his way home from
a meeting at Notre Dame University. Evelyn Hamilton, custodian, had been cleaning, but had left to take a friend to
lunch.
THIS IS INCOMPLETE - I'VE GOT TO DO MORE RESEARCH - Hope
to include photos
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