White Cloud Cemetery Chapel - near Millersburg, MO
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member YoSam.
N 38° 52.524 W 092° 04.273
15S E 580566 N 4303359
Very old church, now used primarily as a cemetery chapel
Waymark Code: WMWVE5
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 10/17/2017
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member PISA-caching
Views: 2

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 cemetery, like the majority of rural church cemeteries in the county, is located behind the church. Though the church has a wide lawn to the front and sides, a rear door in the building leads almost directly to the first row of headstones. Graves and associated headstones lie in long north-south rows with graves facing east. The cemetery contains over 250 graves that pre and post-date the construction of the church. Though many of the internments and gravestones lay outside the 1888 period of significance of the church, the cemetery and its associated graves are an important characteristic of the White Cloud property and rural church property types in Callaway County as a whole." ~ NRHP Nomination Form


"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

Date of Chapel Construction: 1888

Denomination of Chapel or Cemetery (if applicable): Presbyterian

Active Chapel?: no

Main Construction Material of Chapel: Foundation: STONE/limestone - walls: WOOD/weatherboard - roof: ASPHALT

Description of Cemetery added in Long Description: yes

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