Douglas Church to Celebrate 100th
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member T0SHEA
N 47° 37.341 W 120° 00.280
10T E 725055 N 5278674
Up a slight hill from Highway 2 as it passes through the tiny community of Douglas, St. Paul's Kirche looks over the settlement from the northern end of North Douglas Creek Road.
Waymark Code: WMYD70
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 05/31/2018
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member Alfouine
Views: 0

Gothic Revival with a hint of Vernacular and Italianate influences, this large wood framed church is actually quite an impressive house of worship for a community as tiny as is Douglas. The first church was built in Douglas in 1889 by Germans and Scandinavians who had migrated to the area. It was replaced by this fine building in 1915. Built at a cost of $10,000, St. Paul's is remarkably well preserved, considering that its days of housing church services ended in 1968.

As was inevitable, the year 2015 finally rolled around, meaning that St. Paul's would become a centenarian. It did, and the owner of the church, the Douglas Community Historical Association decided that it was absolutely necessary to hold a party. On September 19, 2015, exactly 100 years after the church's dedication, the Society held a 100-year anniversary party for the church. The Douglas County Empire Press reported on the festive occasion, the story is reprinted further below.

The Church was dedicated in 1915 as St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and served the Douglas Community for some 53 years. It was closed in 1968 when the Waterville and Douglas Lutheran Congregations united in a newly built Church in Waterville. The Douglas Church building remained unused and neglected until it was purchased by the Douglas Community Historical Association, in 2006. The non-profit initiated a complete restoration [of] the Church Building and it is currently used for weddings, family reunions and community events.
From Gathering Our Voice

Photo goes Here

A large crowd of people attend the dedication ceremony for St. Paul’s Lutheran Church on Sept. 19, 1915. The Douglas Community Historical Association will be holding a centennial celebration at the church this Sept. 19.
(Photo courtesy of The Wenatchee World)

Douglas Church
to Celebrate 100th

Karen Larsen | Jul 8, 2015
Most people who drive through the sleepy community of Douglas, located about four miles east of Waterville, notice the picturesque white church, which stands on the edge of town. The church building brings locals and passersby back to a time when early settlers were carving out livelihoods on the plateau. It demonstrates their values in taking time to build such a lovely place of worship at the center of their community. We can imagine horses and buggies bringing families from all the surrounding countryside to worship each Sunday, summer and winter.

The church was dedicated as St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in 1915 and was an active place of worship until 1968. During that year, the Douglas and Waterville congregations merged and began to worship in the United Lutheran Church in Waterville.

St. Paul’s was unused from that point until 2006, when members of the Douglas Community Historical Association undertook a restoration project that has preserved the church’s original beauty. Since the restoration, the church has been called the Historic Douglas Church and has been used for the annual Douglas Community Historical Association Christmas party and for weddings and other special events

Sept. 19, which is a Saturday, will mark the exact 100-year anniversary of the first dedication ceremony of the church. In order to celebrate the centennial of the building, the Douglas Community Historical Association is planning a party that day from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The event will include food and lots of fun activities. An ample lunch will be provided free of charge by members of the Historical Association. Local musicians, young and old, will be performing in the sanctuary throughout the celebration. The ladies who make quilts for Lutheran World Relief each winter will be having a free drawing to give away one of the extra quilts they made this year to a lucky guest. Several community members who own vintage cars and wagons will be displaying these around the church building. Miles Mittlestaedt, a Waterville High School student whose family has been attending St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and United Lutheran Church for generations, will be putting together a PowerPoint presentation of the history of the church.

The group has prepared souvenir remembrance magnets for guests. The magnets have a picture of the church on them and the years “1915-2015.” They also plan to sell books depicting the early history of the church in pictures. In compiling the books, the association would be interested in any old photos people have of events related to the church. Those who have photos should contact Linda Daling at 669-1661. This celebration is open to all and will be a fun day for people of all ages. It will also be an important time to remember and celebrate the history of the Historic Douglas Church.
From the Empire Press
Type of publication: Newspaper

When was the article reported?: 07/08/2015

Publication: Empire Press

Article Url: [Web Link]

Is Registration Required?: no

How widespread was the article reported?: local

News Category: Arts/Culture

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