County of chapel: Callaway County
Location of chapel: CR-232 & S. side of MO-F, 3 miles SE of Millersburg
"The White Cloud Presbyterian Church, south side of State Route F at the intersection of CR 232
in Callaway County, Missouri, is locally significant under National Register Criterion C in the
area of Architecture. White Cloud is the most pristine example of a gable-end church building in
Callaway County and easily reflects its historic appearance. Organized in 1831 as the
Millersburg Presbyterian Church, the growing congregation moved to its present location in
1847, building a frame church and opening the cemetery for members and friends. In 1861, the
congregation adopted the name White Cloud Presbyterian due to a popular tale of a passerby
likening the small church to a sun-lit cloud. When the old building burned, the congregation
erected the current church in 1888. Following the tradition of many rural protestant churches in
the county and in Missouri, the church is a simple gable-end type with centered entrance and
large windows on the sides to provide natural light and ventilation. Though constructed for
religious purposes, the property meets Criteria Consideration A as a significant rural property
type. Historically and currently, the gable-end church was the most common rural church type
in Callaway County. However, very few examples in the county remain unaltered from their
period of construction. White Cloud Presbyterian and its associated cemetery are archetypal of a
property type that historically housed rural congregations in the county. Its unaltered appearance
is an increasingly rare reminder of the mid-to-late 19th century rural landscape. The period of
significance is 1888, the date the church was constructed." ~ NRHP Nomination Form
"Organized in 1831, the newly formed Millersburg Presbyterian congregation initially met in the
homes of its members or local school buildings the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month. The
congregation raised funds to purchase Lot 2 of Block 1 in the small community of Millersburg in
183412 and constructed a log church in c. 1836. The church was the first ever built in that neighborhood and was constructed of hewed logs
and the opening between were filled with split wooden “chinks” and daubed with
clay, while, as a fitting climax to this picturesque bit of pioneer architecture a
square “stick chimney” climbed up above at one end and peered into the heavens,
as earnestly and as religiously as the most beautiful cupola in the world.
"It is not clear what precipitated the move of the church out of Millersburg to its present location
roughly 3 miles to the southeast. One account notes that Dr. W. W. Robertson initiated a plan to
build a new church at a revival meeting in 1842. Dr. Robertson was later instrumental in
founding Westminster College in Fulton, Callaway County. It was not until 1847 that the
present site was purchased and a new frame church constructed. Reportedly, the church was
constructed with lumber cut using the “first circular saw mill ever operated in the State of
Missouri.” John Baker, living just west of Fulton, operated the mill. Little is know about this
second church building except that it was frame with a gable roof. It was also painted white
and was the inspiration for the changing of the name from Millersburg Presbyterian to White
Cloud Presbyterian. Several newspaper accounts of the church’s history tell the story of the
name change, the most poetic of which recounts the following:
The name White Could was given to the church from the incident of an old lady
passing on the road and discerning
the white building through the woods asked
those who were with her if it was a white cloud. The incident was related
through
the neighborhood and became so widely known that it was finally decided to call
the church White Cloud—
may it never be changed.
"Other accounts credit Bud Overton and I.W. Boulware with suggesting the name. The
congregation officially adopted the White Cloud name in 1861 or 1863 (accounts vary).
"After a fire destroyed the 1847 building, the congregation constructed the current church in
1888. The new building likely looked much like its predecessor. As was typical of rural
congregations in Callaway County and Missouri, members of White Cloud constructed a gableend
church. The characteristic feature of a gable-end church is that its primary elevation is the
broad gable. Churches of this type commonly have a three bay façade arrangement with
centered doors flanked by windows. Ornamentation varies and was influenced by the
architectural styles popular at the time of construction and the preferences of the congregation.
"Many Callaway County examples, including White Cloud, were historically very simple in
design with clapboard siding and little to no decorative elements. White Cloud Presbyterian’s
only exterior decorative features are the small wagon-wheel design in the gable and the slightly
pedimented door and window surrounds. Other, though often extensively altered, examples in
the county include some Victorian elements such as decorative verge boards and/or decorative
wood shingles in the gable-ends.
"Historically, the church has had a close relationship with Westminster College, a Presbyterian
college located in nearby Fulton. Dr. W. W. Robertson, a founder of the college, helped to
revive the congregation during a revival in 1842, bringing many new members to the church.
The pulpit of the church has often been supplied by professors at the college and beginning in
the 1970s, the church welcomed Westminster students wanting to test their wings by preaching
to the small, friendly congregation. Due to declining membership, the church now holds an
annual meeting to celebrate the heritage of the church and congregation. In 2005, a committee
formed to insure that the church and adjacent cemetery be maintained and the history preserved." ~ NRHP Nomination Form