Virginia Agard Taber - Ryegate, MT
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T0SHEA
N 46° 18.738 W 109° 22.964
12T E 624521 N 5130018
Built 100 years ago this year, this little church is the last remaining occupied building of the little Hamlet of Barber. In front is a brick stele containing the church's sign.
Waymark Code: WMW9RG
Location: Montana, United States
Date Posted: 07/30/2017
Views: 0
Mounted on the side of that sign by family and friends, facing the front entrance of the church, is this small bronze plaque, dedicated in memory of Virginia Agard Taber, who passed away on February 13, 1994. We assume that Virginia was a member of the church.
Built in 1917 as a Methodist Church, the wood framed building was shared with the Lutherans up to the time that the Methodists left, the result of a declining population. In 1927 the Lutherans bought the building from the Methodists and, amazingly, still use the church today.
The Lutherans have taken good care of their church, protecting it from the weather with aluminum siding and steel roofing. Though some of the woodwork was in need of a dab of paint when we visited, it remains in quite good condition. Though there are very few people in the vicinity, just the odd farm and the villages of Ryegate and Shawmut within 10 miles, along with the odd farm, the church still holds services every Sunday at 8:30 AM.
In 1980 the church held the smallest active Lutheran congregation in the country. It may remain so today.