Since the building was constructed in 1882, Malad’s Presbyterian church has seen a lot of history from its perch on the hill.  Over that span of time, the church has seen the town grow from about two hundred people to its current size, seen generations of pastors, congregants, and students fill its halls, tolled its bell to mark history and warn of danger, and stood through it all with grace.

As the story goes, Reverend Sheldon Jackson looking west from the banks of the Missouri river and realizing there were no Presbyterian churches for 1000 miles, dedicated his life to founding them across the land.  Ultimately, this quest led to the founding of the first Presbyterian church in Utah in 1869, at Corinne.  A Sunday school missionary from that Corinne church, Reverend Duncan James McMillan, eventually made his way to Malad, paving the way for the establishment of a Malad congregation in 1876.  Services were provided for a time by Reverend S.L. Gillespie, while the Corinne church became increasingly interested in establishing a permanent church in Malad, which was a direct freight line to the mines in Montana.

Last Sunday, a pair of commemorative services were held in conjunction of the Welsh festival, filling the building to capacity and bringing out warm memories from a town which holds a special place in its heart for the building, its past, and its present.

The service was opened by current Clerk of Session Toni Werk, who welcomed visitors and thanked community supporters.  The congregation then rose to sing “There is Sunshine in my Soul Today,” with the accompaniment of Jeff Treasure and Darla Thurber, chorister.  The Malad Men’s Welsh Chorus, who were a familiar set of voices during the Welsh Festival, performed “We’ll Keep a Welcome in the Valley” and “In the Garden,” accompanied by Helen Ward.

The history of the church in Malad was recounted by J. Marvin Hess, who explained that it was Reverend Edward M. Knox who began the construction of the present chapel in February of 1882.  The property was deeded to the church by Henry and Julia Peck for $100, and the building was constructed as a two room schoolhouse.  The church itself was organized in 1884 by the Wood River Presbytery with John M. Morgan ordained as a Ruling Elder.  The first official session of the ruling council on December 3, 1884.  At that time, a manse (referred to as the “Cottage”) was built to house teachers.  Eventually, the pastor and his family moved into the building in 1918 after a fire partially destroyed the living quarters that had been inside the chapel building.  A new manse was dedicated in 1959, in connection with the 75th anniversary of the church.

Over its time, Hess explained, the church has had 25 ministers, though at present lay leaders are charged with conducting the ceremonies.

After a performance of “Be Still My Soul” by the Treasure family, Edna Palmer presented the history of the Church School.  Reverend Edward Welch, the first minister of the Malad mission, established the mission school in 1878 with the aid of his sister Emma Welch, and his wife Lizzie.  The mission school was originally

housed in a log cabin on 137 S. Main.  Due to the high enrollment, classes were also held at the A.W. Vanderwood Store, as well as Mrs. Winnifred Lloyd Robert Evans’ home.  As there was no public school at the time, the school district funded the teachers of the mission school to ensure the education of all the town’s children.  The teachers were recruited from all across the country under the direction of the Presbyterian Women’s Board of Home Missions of New York City.

The school moved into the present church building in 1882, though increased enrollment forced classes to be held in a building on 71 Bannock street throughout the 80s and 90s.  The first public school in Oneida county was built in 1900 (near the location of the current Malad Elementary), which eventually led to the closing of the Mission school in 1908, after which the teachers became public school teachers.

Christine Snow and Amy Smith then performed a beautiful rendition of “What a Friend we have in Jesus” accompanied by Madelin Smith, after which Michael J. Hess presented the history of the church’s most iconic feature, the bell.

As Hess explained, there is no definitive way of knowing, but the bell is said to be at the very least one of the oldest in the state of Idaho.  The bell, which was created in 1884 in Troy, New York, has been ringing in Malad for causes both joyful and solemn for over well over a century.  It’s first tolling was to call members to church services, and soon, it rang twice a day to announce the beginning of school.  It was later used to announce the beginning of curfew.

Over its time, it has been used to call the fire department into service, to warn the town of the Deep Creek Dam breach, to provide a doleful note on the occasion of funerals, and to announce major national events.  The bell rang out on both V-E Day and V-J Day, and young Griff Jenkins joined Tall Bill, the Chief of Police at the time, to sound a requiem for the soldiers who had given their lives to the cause.  

More recently, it rang  to solemnize the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and to commemorate the liberation of Kuwait in 1991.  

A large part of the bell’s role in local life is its tradition of the “ring and run,” a tradition of Malad High School boys who would sneak at night to ring the bell and do their best to escape before being caught.  A number of confessions to that end were made during the presentation, though the culprits will not be revealed here.

The service continued with a stirring rendition of “It is Well with my Soul” and “Amazing Grace” by Emily Rossow, Carrie Jensen, and Pennie Wolf, after which a number of memories of the church were shared by those who had spent cherished time there.  

D.L. Evans began by explaining how the “church must have shrunk” since he was a kid, and recounted a number of happy memories with the people who had made it a special place, including Ralph Hanson.  JoAnn Harrison Ward and Lorie Harrison Peterson spoke about going to Easter services in the sometimes awkward fashions of the time, visiting summer camp, tracing the carvings on the benches during services, and (a story that was repeated by a number of speakers) checking the light fixtures for bats before services.  They also spoke on the many memories shared of Lucille Harrison, who everyone agreed was the backbone of the church for many many years.

Mylene and Fred Jones (who stated “I must be the only boy in the history of Malad who didn’t ring the bell” to much laughter) spoke on behalf of the memories of Ann, Julie, Stella, and Gina Byrd, as well as others.  Cheryl Jenkins Marshall and Diane Jenkins Deeg, shared memories of growing up in the church with their parents Griff and Jeanne Jenkins, as well as a number of misadventures and traditions that bound the family together, including running the basement Spook Alley (“it was already spooky enough!”), rearranging Christmas ornaments, and mistaking the “Pedestrian Crossing” sign for a “Presbyterian Crossing” one.  

Susan Naugler Fineman added memories of her family’s time in Malad, and ended on the devotional note of remembering a sermon in which Jeanne Jenkins reminded listeners that “you need to be careful about following what you promise in the hymns you sing.”

Toni Werk provided the benediction, after which the guests rose to sing “Let there be Peace on Earth.”  A reception with a collection of historical photos was held in the annex.

The church has weathered 140 years in its place on the hill, and will hopefully weather at least that many more in the future.