Show lega 4 V 7 el 1 Z f 4 NI VAT 0 7 by ELMO SCOTT WATSON ET others slug shig of the ancient cathedrals of the old world or the mighty structures dedicated to i rell religion glor which a are re rising ansome in some of the great population centers of tills this country mine be the theme of the little churches which ore are scattered throughout the united states little white painted fraine churches chur clies that you find stand standing hig on a small plot of ground along some country road little red brick churches tucked away on some village side street quaint little old churches which late date from the earliest days of the com communities muni ties in which they stand little dun dies wherever may be in which there la Is no man made architectural ar magrill icente to divert the mind of the worshiper when he comes into them thein from the busy world outside to commune with the great unseen tourists may gape in wonder at the splendor of metropolitan skyscraper churches but it Is doubtful if any of these great buildings will have hare the place in the hearts of so many people as does a little church out in iowa and that Is because for more than GO years a song familiar to thousands invites one to come to the church by the wildwood oh ob come t to the church in he vale the little brown church of song and story Is 3 located in northeastern iowa in the beautiful valley of the red cedar it stands today among the same giant pines that were there when it was built back in civil war days in the wildwood which made the setting and provided the inspiration for the carol As a matter 0 fact the song variously kno known wn as the church in the wildwood and the little brown church in the vale wits was not written about any church specifically its author dr W S pitts a native of wisconsin received the inspiration for the song while on a visit in town iowa ile he wrote the song fit at his home in rock county wisconsin hut but it was sung sting for the first ilme time publicly in the now famous little brown church in the vale in bradford lown iowa two miles northeast of nashua how he came to write the song rind and how it came to be applied to this particular church and to make it famous Is told in doctor pitts own words in n a hi historical booklet published by the little brown church as follows one bright afternoon of a day in n tune june 1857 18 7 1 I first llast set foot in bradford lown coming by stage from me gregor adiv ay iy home was then in n biscon wiscon on bin the spot where the little brown church now stands was a setting of rare beauty there was no church there then but the alie spot was there waiting for it whet when nick buck in my home I 1 wrote tile the song the little brown churell in the vale I 1 put the manuscript mand away in the spring ot 0 I 1 returned to iowa and settled at fredericksburg inasmuch as my cifes people were there in the winter of 1803 4 1 I taught a singing class in bradford we ho hold our school in the alv brick building known as tle tl e academy in the yn years a rs and 1600 the good people of bradford determined to build a church I 1 will not take time to tell of the trials the disappointments and the successes that followed suffice it to say by the early winter of 1864 the building was re ready ady for dedication while I 1 wis was holding the singing school near its close in the spring the class went one evening to the church it was not then seated but rude seats were improvised my manuscript of the song I 1 had brou brought glit with me from froio wisconsin it had find never been sung before by anyone but myself I 1 sang it there soon afterwards I 1 took the manuscript to chicago where it was ivas published by il IL M higgins it won a speedy recognition with the years ayon won its way into the hearts of the people of the world soon after its pub lent loti the church at bradford which had been painted brown for wont want of money to buy better paint some say became known as tho the little brown church in the vale under the circumstances what Is more natural than the little church at bradford painted brown and the song should be wedded and known as one and the some same some people may try to rob the th little church of its fame but as long as it stands it will be known as the rhe little brown church in the vale at the time the little brown church was built bradford was a thriving town and the largest settlement in that part of 0 the state except dubuque and mcgregor cGregor SI of the times 11 kev john K nutting the pastor under whose ministry the building was erected wrote we lived well my salary was paid in products at prices of which I 1 could not complain wheat was 30 cents per bushel mill close at hand band best cuts of beef 0 cents per pound potatoes never more than 25 cents per bushel at planting time in the spring often given away other farm products were valued on the same scale in winter carcass pork frozen could sometimes be secured for I 1 cent per pound A threatened thaw would generally overwhelm the parsonage with spare ribs many 1 I with the rest had sugar camps in the forest and made our own sugar others raised sorghum the church grew and as a kind of product byproduct by came bradford academy the school was housed better than the church to la a one flud brick structure beginning in a small way the school grew and did notable work elevating the standard of education in the region around so that at one time it was said that no territory of equal et in iowa could claim so many per pec with a college education in 1868 the long hoped for rall rou came and passed bradford by touching at nashua two miles away awl across the river bradford the largest town for many miles gradually became a town of the past while nashua grew to the dignity of a population of 1000 where bradford once stood the lie land was turned into forms farms the title little brown church survived however tills was on account of doctor pitts song mainly for after it was taken to chicago and published jubilee singers took it up coAp concert eit companies carried it all over Anfe america rica and europe and it was heard in australia new zealand and Sou south thAmer america for 20 years it was oni one of th the popular songs of the country for some years henrs atter after this the song was little in evidence like the church then about 25 years ago the song had ha a revival of popularity and again be gan gaa to be heard beard widely at reli meetings throughout the country meantime following bradfordt Brad fords change from a town into open country the little brown church was ahan boned but the need of a place ot 0 worship caused it to be reopened and it was restored as nearly as possible to the way nay in which it was built TI thus I 1 us for more than a quarter of a century centry it has hai been a real country chuich A little church which sprang into fugue within recent years yeara Is a quaint did quaker meeting house louse in sandy spring md ald 20 miles from washington and it came into prominence when herbert hoover attended services there there was a particular reason for tits his going to that church the presidents biographers tell how herbert hoover Is a descendant of andrew Il hoover a stalwart colonial pioneer naho ho held farms barins in the uplands of maryland mean meaning I 1 ng the vicinity of sandy sandi spring it aps in this meeting house built in 1817 tint that earlier generations of the hoovers worshiped off the coast of new hampshire Is q a little church which Is unique it stands alone on star island isles of als ten miles from the mainland which Is said tobe to be the only island in america dedicated entirely to religious services built in 1800 after the wooden meeting house was destroyed during the revolution for fuel this stone structure for years has been the scene ot of worship by mothers sisters and sweethearts praying tor for the safe return of their loved ones fishermen at sea at ten each night when all Is hushed bushed the pilgrims place themselves in column formation lighted candles encased in glass shades and and swung from liand handles fes like lanterns are passed out to them then the column silently winds its way up the rock strewn path to the top of the hill where the little gray stone church with its old fashioned pine pews its cracked bell and the metal codfish on the belfry stands there by the dim aught of the candles the pilgrims grims inside the lie church and outside for it Is not large enough for all bow thear heads tj e a ds in pra prayer y er T then 11 en voices are raised to in the words of some appropriate hymn and after this brief service sen ice the coliann moves mores slowly sova down the hill again i in naming the little churches there one which should not be passed by without It hout mention on the top of mount casino some two miles south of cov ington ky on the highland pike Is what Is said to be the smallest church in the world since it Is capable of accommodating a congregation of not mure more than three persons person sl this small brick structure was built in asoo by some brothers of the benedictine order who used it as a shrine during the years they were engaged there here in abe milling making of sacramental wine during the years of its use it contained an altar al tar the usual church candles it a ar cl hind pc w a for the accorn accommodation 1 oda 0 of ihrcke ber persons sons but it I 1 Is s no longer used as church achurch a though still owned by st josephs parish of covington it is t now merely an out house hous of tile estate on nn which it Is situated 10 1931 uati |