The small time capsule reads:
"TIME CAPSULE"
SEPTEMBER 2013
OPEN SEPTEMBER 2038
"The First Presbyterian Church of Eckert is an excellent example of the Craftsman style as applied to ecclesiastical architecture. Constructed in two stages between the years 1915-1921, the building exhibits many elements of the style, including a stone exterior, triangular braces, exposed rafters and truss work. Few Colorado churches utilized the Craftsman style. Both the church and the 1949 manse exhibit the skills of area craftsmen who used locally collected basaltic rubble stone in the randomly coursed walls, as well as the 1987 church addition. The church is the work of architect Lawrence Valk. Known to have designed numerous churches and other buildings throughout the country, much of his documented work is found east of the Mississippi. After moving to California in the 1890s, buildings designed by Valk and his son displayed Craftsman influences. This is Valk’s only known Colorado commission." (from (
visit link) )
The NRHP Form may be found at (
visit link) .
"ECKERT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
In 1913 – with help from what was then the Presbytery of Gunnison and the Synod of Colorado – thirty-seven charter members founded Eckert Presbyterian Church. Eckert was then a new, rapidly growing agricultural community of farmers and tradespeople who wanted a spiritual focal point to be part of the community identity.
First services were held upstairs in the Odd Fellows Hall, but by 1915 the congregation agreed that they needed a permanent church home. With a grant of $1,000 from Synod, a bank loan of $1,785, and $1,650 in local donations – they hired a California architectural firm to draw the plans for a community house of worship. The building was to be constructed of native stone collected and delivered to the site by volunteer labor. “Build it durable and churchly or don’t build it at all,” the architect counseled. Those words served as a construction standard.
Volunteer labor from the congregation and surrounding towns was key as construction began. During the years of World War I and the flu epidemic of 1918-1919, the work slowed or was suspended entirely, but the first worship service in the newly completed basement of the church was held in June, 1919, with 110 people attending. Financial records from that time indicate expenditures of $4,500 for materials and $4,000 for labor – expenses which were not entirely paid off until well into the 1930s.
From the beginning – the church has been a community building. In the early days – high school dramatic productions were staged on a raised platform in one end of the basement, and the Eckert High School basketball team used the basement for their games during basketball season. Even today – folks from the Surface Creek area use the church for weddings and funerals and reunions simply because it’s “our church.”
Today, the congregation of Eckert Presbyterian Church sees itself as having a three-fold mission: to serve the congregation, to serve the community, and to serve the world. Emphasis within the congregation is on providing spiritual nurture, worship, and education, along with support for world missions. Within the Surface Creek community (Cedaredge, Eckert, Austin and Cory) the church provides space for local fellowship and social interaction, as well as support for area food, housing, and financial needs.
Theologically – the congregation tends toward a conservative, scripture-based way of life and worship. Adult Sunday School meets at 9:30 a.m.; Sunday worship is at 10:30 a.m. with fellowship time following. Music is a blend of contemporary and traditional with organ, piano, choir and bell choir. The aim of the church is what it has always been: to be a rock – a haven of security – and a center of life for all who enter.
PRIMARY RESOURCE: “Eckert Presbyterian Church – A Brief Look at Our Past” – by Norman Kehmeier" (from (
visit link) )