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 Old Stone Church - Osawatomie, Kansas Posted by:  iconions
N 38° 30.022 W 094° 57.065
15S E 329863 N 4263138
This marker, to the left of the entrance to the old Congregationalist Church built in 1861, is located at 315 Sixth Street in Osawatomie, Kansas.
Waymark Code: WM124HE
Location: Kansas, United States
Date Posted: 02/25/2020
Views: 0
The marker is wooden and it stands to the left of the entrance to the building.
The building is a simple one-room structure with some slight Greek Revival features that include cornice returns and wide bands of trim along the roofline. The building also features early Gothic Revival characteristics, particularly with the multi-light windows and the interior window trim. It is built of native Kansas limestone and has a gable-roof porch supported by columns leading to double doors and an interior foyer. It measures 32 x 60 feet and sits upon the north 50 feet of lots 19 and 20 in block A in Osawatomie, Kansas. It is one of only two churches built on the city's original church square, platted in 1855. Its double-door entrance faces west and is bordered by a triple-hung window on either side. Both the north and south sides of the building contain three pairs of triple-hung windows, each sash containing four lights. (These triple-hung, multi-light sash wood windows are especially unique.)The roof is made of cedar shingles as is the belfry which holds the original iron bell, cast in Troy, New York in 1868. The interior features plastered or mortared walls with walnut wainscoting and the original walnut pews and altar chairs.
Exterior
Stones laid on the ground served as footing for the church and all four walls lean a few degrees toward their opposite walls. Stabilization cables with star-shaped face plates are inserted through the walls near the top corner of each elevation and provide needed structural support. The corners of the building feature decorative quoins and the exterior stone includes small untooled field stones. Three pairs of narrow triple-hung windows, each measuring 7'x 4" high and 3'x 5" wide, appear on each of the north and south sides of the church. Similar windows frame the entrance. All are fitted into walnut casings with wood sills and large, smooth stone lintels. There are no windows or any other openings on the east (rear) side of the church. The wood roof was covered with split cedar shingles, replaced in 1961 and again in 2011. The bell tower, added in 1868 when the bell was obtained and installed, was replaced in 2009 and the original bell was then mounted onto a new wheel. The tower features an open round arch on each side and is topped by a small dome. It is made of wood and reinforced with polyurethane with tin inside the dome.
The front west entrance features an original double-door porch-style entrance with a gabled roof. The porch is made of wood and features horizontal wood siding in the front-facing gable and is supported by narrow, turned wood columns. Simple decorative spindlework adorns the underside of the gable. A small grassy area, with a concrete sidewalk, leads to that entrance. The area is bordered by a redwood fence. The walls of the church, windows and bell are original exterior features.
- National Register Application
Historic Name: Osawatomie Congregational Church
Alternate Name: Old Stone Church
Historic Function: Religion
Subcategory: Religious Facility
Historic Function Remarks: The congregation was organized 04/13/1856. The building was begun in 1859, completed in 1860 and dedicated in 1861. The congregation's first pastor was the Rev. Samuel Adair, brother-in-law of abolitionist John Brown (A Survey of Historic Sites and Structures in Kansas, Topeka: Kansas State Historical Society, March 1957:43.) Samuel Adair, his son Charles, and local volunteers built the structure.
Present Function: Religion
Subcategory: Religious Facility
Present Function Remarks: Stopped use as a church in the 1920s. Used for hay storage in 1957. Was a museum in 1975, according to the survey form from that year. Currently (2011) used as an All-Faiths Chapel for special events.
Residential/Commercial/Religious Style: Vernacular
Physical Description/Remarks: Belfry (still holds original cast iron bell made in Troy, NY) was added after the Civil War.
Limestone. Restoration plans created in the late 1940s. Restored also in 1961-63 (addition of HVAC and electricity). Original pews were repurchased in 1963; they are walnut with a wooden skirt drop that provided a draft-free enclosure for the feet of the worshipers. A concrete subfloor was added at this time; it was topped by pine joists and walnut flooring to match original. Entryway made ADA accessible. 2009 restoration work included repair to the belltower and windows, installation of carpet.
Plan Form: Rectangle
Roof Form: Gable
Stories: 2
Condition: Excellent
Principal Material: Stone
Architect/Designer/Builder: Adair, Sam
Year of Construction: 1861
Certainty: Documented
Date Notes: Foundation stones laid in 1858; Construction progressed slowly. Completed and dedicated 07/14/1861.
- Kansas Historic Resources Inventory for Mills House
The church was built, by Rev. Samuel L. Adair and his son Charles, of native stone hauled from the hills around the city. It was dedicated on July 14, 1861. Rev. Adair was many things to the community; a kind hearted abolitionist, a minister and a mental health pioneer. The brother-in-law of John Brown, Rev. Adair first served as a volunteer chaplain and then the first official chaplain at the Osawatomie State Hospital.
Renovation was started on the church on October 7, 1948 and rededicated July 14, 1963 as an All Faith Chapel. The building can now be rented for special meetings and weddings. If you are interested please contact Grady Atwater at 913-755-4384 for more information.
- City of Osawatomie Tourism Website
Marker Name: Old Stone Church
Marker Type: Other (Please identify in marker text)
Marker text:
Old Stone Church
One of the first churches in Kansas, this church was built by a Congregationalist group and is typical of the church structures built during pioneering days in Kansas. It was dedicated to public worship in 1861, and its first pastor was the Reverend Samuel L. Adair brother-in-law of John Brown, the famous abolitionist.
Ad Astra Per Aspera
Marker set by the City of Osawatomie
Marker Location: Miami
Name of agency setting marker: Other (Please identify in marker text)
Year Marker Placed: Not listed
Official Marker Number: Not listed
Marker Web Address: Not listed
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