Chelan Christian Church, (Disciples of Christ) - Chelan, WA
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member T0SHEA
N 47° 50.330 W 120° 00.972
10T E 723260 N 5302699
Recently celebrating their 100th anniversary, the Disciples of Christ of Chelan are one of the oldest congregations in the city.
Waymark Code: WMYQC7
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 07/11/2018
Published By:Groundspeak Regular Member MountainWoods
Views: 0

Construction on the church, their second, was begun in early 1914, with dedication taking place on May 31st, 1914. A wood framed building resting on a mortared stone foundation, its design seems to be the brainchild of member(s) of the congregation. The original section of the building appears to have been a "T" shaped building with the wide, squat steeple/bell tower filling the northwest corner of the "T". The tower serves as the main entrance, with double wood doors in its front and a large gabled canopy extending out over the concrete stairs leading up. In the 1970s a hall was added to the rear of the building, the original section of the church now appearing as a cross gabled cross with a perpendicular hall across the rear.

At the eaves of the sanctuary the tower steps in somewhat to form the belfry, which has large, rectangular vented openings on each side. Its low hipped roof supports a small spire which begins with a small taper, then steps in to a more pronounced taper, to end in a metal cross. All the roof sections on the church are clad in what is likely steel sheeting. The entire building is clad in horizontal wood shiplap siding, save for the bottom of the belfry, which has a section of vertical tongue and groove boards at its base. The gable ends are shingled, while the eaves have exposed, bracketed rafters showing.

Following are excerpts from the history of the church, outlining a timeline of the building itself.

HISTORY

The Rev. W.T. Adams organized the church in January of 1909 with thirty charter members. The following year lots were purchased but many members moved from the community so services were discontinued until January 1912. Services were held in the GAR hall. GAR stands for Grand Army of the Republic. It was a lodge similar to the Oddfellows.

In 1912, S.W. Jackson held a revival meeting with 400 adults present. It lasted from Dec. 15 to February 1, 1912. Victor Hovis became the minister of the church. Logs were cut and lumber sawed for a church home. It is believed the mill was in Union Valley. A Sunday school was organized with 85 members. Mr. George Briggs and Mr. C.E. Russell were Church elders. The Briggs families were long time pioneers. Mrs. Della Benson was the pianist.

In 1913 a rally was held under the leadership of J.A. Longston, minister of the Wenatchee Christian Church. Plans were outlined for the future. Rev. Longston's church funded a revival to lead in the building of the church.

January 1914, N.E. Beach held a meeting and got things going for the church on Wapato Street. Money was borrowed from Church Extension and the Wenatchee Church. Total cost: $2,500. When completed, it was dedicated May 31st 1914. The Chelan Leader for that date reads, " The new Christian Church has been painted a fine chocolate brown with white trim".

In 1927 the basement was remodeled and dishes were purchased for providing dinners. Tables and chairs were built for Sunday school. The church parsonage was built as a rental during the building of the dam. The Christian Church purchased it from the Card family for a small fee.

July 1949 the church celebrated its 40th anniversary. That year we had to put locks on the doors to keep neighbor children from playing in the building.

Sometime in 1951 the sanctuary was changed from facing the baptistery to facing the east wall.

In 1956, the Methodist Church gave us choir robes and new oil furnace. No more coal!

Work to finish the fellowship hall began in 1970 with lots of volunteer labor. A quilting room was made.
From the Chelan Christian Church
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Address of Tower:
210 East Wapato Avenue
Chelan, WA United States
98816


Number of bells in tower?: 1

Relevant website?: [Web Link]

Rate tower:

Still Operational: Not Listed

Tours or visits allowed in tower?: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Please post an original picture of the tower taken while you were there. Please also record how you came to be at this tower and any other interesting information you learned about it while there.
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