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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEarly Churches Panel Group 07Moderator: Mollie Guin Transcriptionist: Mary Lancaster July 16,1997 Interviews: Jo Ann Atkins Bill Lancaster Blanche Prescott MG: Advisory Board and this is how I kind of got involved in this, I am not a Texan, not a native Texan, I am a Texan by choice now, from Louisiana.(laughter) I have lived here since 1971 so I have seen a lot of changes and, uh BL Twenty -five years, most of the changes have been made in those MG Eric was one of my students from last year, turned out to be a nice operator. O.K. I will fill all mine out later on. Now did ya'll get kind of a little brief thing maybe of some of the questions they were going to ask you that was not sent in to that. JA: No BL: No BP: No MG: OK BL: All surprises! MG Well I have a list of questions here that, uh, That I am going to be, um, you know to ask you. And I had never I am not a good transcriber, I am like bill, I am a pretty good talker an , uh, I don't do well with putting down in a written form. So when we do these we'll kind of just go down, you know, Ms. Atkins we'll let you be number 1 and #2 1 and #3, we just kind of go down the line like that. As we go over these questions. So that, uh, as, uh, Ms. Lancaster over here is kind of , uh, doing the transcribing, in that it will give her a place of how they are doing, you know, so they can do the questions, so they can kind of fill this in, and you have a list of the questions. I am going to ask right. If you.... you don't they didn't give you a list of the questions. Boy that would help, see you could make little notes on that `because see there ML: Yeah, I'll just write down. MG: OK, all right, and I'll just say like, on question I, and we'll known how that goes I am sure they'll know ML: OK MG: And the reason I am saying this I have listened to some of these other tapes and I was just, you know, because we all get excited, and start talking at once, it is just really hard to kind of make out, you know, what everyone is saying, and they really do want to make this accurate and they want to have this as a good oral history, you know, so that you can really do it. so we'll just kind of No and I am one that.... punch my button in the morning and I start talking and they on unplug me at night.(laughter) I have no problem with talking And uh, so um we want to try and keep in some type of order there. we're going to start with I have told a little bit about myself and if you'll tell us a little bit about yourself and then we'll start with our questions Ms Atkins just something about your self... uh -huh. This is just kind This not on the interview just something to 2 make us all comfortable see I don't know anything about you O.K. JA: Old well, I am Jo Ann Atkins and Hived in college Station since 1945. I came here from Houston and, uh, I was born and raised in my young life at MacGreger, Texas, and that's about it. MG: O.K, All right BL: I am one of the few born in college Station. Lord help us, I am the fourth of five children. First two were born in the hospital and the last three born at home. So I have been around here since 1928, So I have seen a lot of changes too. And, uh, oh can't be, huh, and, uh, my family here. they went to Bryan Presbyterian church for several years, and came out here and I have a picture here we think was made in 1938 of the Presbyterian group that met in the YMCA chapel on campus. And I later married a Baptist and joined the joined the Baptist church, but my mother dated this church in fact she was the first lady elder, Deacon, in ATM Presbyterian church. Both my parents had their Funerals form ATM Presbyterian church. So I am familiar with it, but any how that is my history of that. MG: OK, Ms Prescott BP: I am Blanche Prescott, I used to be an Arnold, and I have lived in Millican all my life except for a short period of time and uh. Went to school one year at consolidated. BL: What year? BP: Don't ask me that OK(laughter) Anyhow I am at the first Baptist I am at the 3 Baptist Church of Millican. MG: OK here start with, uh the list of questions: what was the first church or synagogue facilities like? and I am assuming their asking in that the one you are representing today. JA:: What were they like? MG: Yeah, what was the first church or synagogue facilities like? JA: you want dates and that sort of thing or just....? MG: We'll maybe just describe the physical part of the church what did it actually look like. do you recall? JA: Yes, uh, it's still there(laugh) the land was deeded for the church, school or church and they had school there 1st for a few years and then they organized a church there. And it was a one room building, it was just a wooden building on piers, it had a tin roof, still does and it has the original pews in it and hard wood floors and it was heated by a wood stove it is approximately 40' x 26' There was no ceiling, just exposed rafters. Last years we had re- leveled and repairs done inside. It was a very expensive thing to do but we still have a few older people that like to drive by and look at it or just come by and walk -in and walk around, may be they went to school there, or went to church there, its still important to a lot of people, and as long as it is the members plan to keep it repaired. MG: You're going to maintain it like that JA: We'll maintain it and we do use it occasionally we'll go out and have a song service 4 out there sometimes on Sunday night or we'll use it as extra space when we have bible school or a some thing like that. MG: Mr. Lancaster BL: Now I understand this is a session on the Presbyterian church is that correct? OK now they met the first pastor of Presbyterian church I think it was Norman Anderson, came here in 1928 or 1929 and the church did meet on campus at the YMCA chapel. That chapel is still there by the way. That chapel has been at in two, horizontally it now has two floors, but the windows are still there just like they were. the Presbyterian church met in there. My family joined it in about the mid 30's or sometime and they were there until about 40 or 41 and then moved into Guine Hall and had services in Guine Hall and then briefly after WWII their campus theater, then immediately after the war they obtained an army Chapel campus welfare and moved to the sight where the Presbyterian church is now. And then, uh, of course they have enhanced it considerably. you know put brick on it, made it a nice looking place, I believe that was moved there in about 1947,48 and, uh, there I leave. MG: Ms. Prescott BP: Well, ours was started in 1870. It was a long white building with a steeple and bell. There were two front doors, and several windows on each side. It only had one room. MG: What church is this9 5 BP: Oh, no. No. BP: Millican, Millican Baptist Church, and they're wanting to build a new one right now, but I don't think we need it (laugh) but anyhow, I have some pictures of our church, but we've improved it a lot, and changed it a lot, this has been changed a lot because uh, I used to be scared to death to walk by it, my grandmother used to live behind it and I'd walk by and you know we use to have tramps that would get off the trains and they would stay in there because there was a wood stove in there and build a fire in there and I was really scared to go by that church and I still don't want to go in a church with out someone being in there and I have been there all my life. So... MG: Did ya'll ever have any trouble with them, the church burning down or anything 9 MG: All right, was there any, I think Bill Answered this question, the temporary facilities were they held in a , it says like a home, a school house or a blacksmiths shop, or a funeral home, or a barracks, or a school house. When ya'll actually began, Ms. Atkins ya'lls was actually that building you talked about... JA: That building, yes, it started in 1900 and its been in the same building ever since. MG: O.K. now Bill I think you kind of answered that second question there all the places it was as it went from each development stage... BL: If it met somewhere other than the YMCA chapel, I am not aware of. It could have. I came to it in the mid `30's and it was already there. 6 MG: O.K And... BP I think the Baptist used to meet with the Methodist there at Millican. Now, they have a beautiful Methodist Church there in Millican and we've got a black Baptist Church in Millican, but they didn't know anything about it, I'm sure, because there'd a been somebody here. MG: So we don't have a representative ?... BP: I'm the only from Millican so...and we've got three churches in Millican. so, and no one knew anything about me until I told them about my...someone said something about Wellborn I said , "well, I got a letter" now why I got a letter, I don't know. Uh. MG: Well they, you know, I can't address that, but it is something possibly, people we can talk with later on, on a one on one basis, and interview them, you know, from the other churches there in that area... And I, we partly answered this question three here on how did your church or synagogue how did it begin what was the need for it begin in this area? Do you recall? JA: What was the need for it? MG: Uh -huh. JA: Well the community was growing and they didn't have any churches in the area and so it is my understanding according to the history that the first members that organized the church came from Harvey Community, some of them from the Wellborn Community... 7 BP: I don't think Peach Creek was involved it's never anything in the minutes about it... BP: Yes, but they never had a church at Peach Creek, did they? JA: I don't think so. BP: I never did, I never heard of a church in Peach Creek, but there might have been. BP: Really? The school that was built there was sometimes used for church services like revivals. Later that building was torn down and a Community Center was built on the property. JA: Yes. I think there was a need for a church in a central location and a building was available and they didn't have to build a building because it had been deeded for a school or church. MG: Do you recall who deeded this? JA: Yes, it was deeded by Adam Royder, August 28, 1891. Adam Royder conveyed to E. Gandy and J. H. MacGregor and William Simms trustees of the Wellborn school district one acre to build a school house and church on. MG: O.K., All right. Do you recall Bill, your church had already been established did they ever talk about any history of why it began in this area. BL I think just the growth of the school, university, of course A and M began in '76, of course it was mostly confined to the campus at that time, and back then they came in 8 September and didn't go home `til December. I am sure there were church service, you know on the campus somewhere, I am just guessing you know just a conglomerate then as the denominations came in they, the Methodist, the Baptist, the Presbyterians, The Catholic Church was pretty well established I think in the area at the time and the other churches came in behind that. As different families came in their alternative was to go to Bryan. I guess, Bryan is a much older community. Be a...most of the people who associated with the university either lived on campus or lived in Bryan. Those that lived on campus, finally felt the need to start their own congregation. MG: Had enough members to start their own congregation. BL: See, this university was 50 years old in 1926. So by then it is a long time really for a lot of this to get started, but looking back at the history of A and M just didn't grow a whole lot during that period your talking about, fewer than a thousand students I expect and served by a faculty of 30, 40, or 50 people so there really wasn't muck here about that time. JA: Even Consolidated school was on campus at that time. BL: Yes, I know, I was there JA: It moved from Rock Prairie to the Campus MG: O.K. Ms. Prescott. what about in Millican? 9 BP: I really don't know anything about...In 1841, Millican was in Washington County, but was granted a petition and were in what was called the new Navasota County soon to become Brazos County. There were about 11 Baptist families in this area, the area bordered by Sulphur Springs, Sobe Steele Springs, Peach Creek South Branch, Oak Grove, and Millican, at this time. The Baptist church was deeded land (deed on record and in lock box) by the Houston and Texas Central Rail Road. Around 1853 the people tried to start a Baptist Missionary Church but was disbanded in 1857. Around 1860, there were about 6,000 people here in Millican - enough to start up a church again. The Houston and Texas Central Railroad ran from Galveston to Millican where it used a "y" to turn around and go back to Galveston. The building of it was stopped by the costly Civil War, but at the war's end, it was continued to Bryan and other towns. MG: You don't know if there was a need for a BP: I know when I was going to school here we had to go to Guine Hall for everything. But I only went to Consolidated School for one year. BL: Yeah BP: Everything we had was in Guine Hall. BL: That's right. BP: We had to walk to Guine Hall no matter rain or what. BL: Yeah, That's right. 10 MG: O.K. Going on, I think you've already answered this question too, if not ever moved, it has always been at this location right, this Rock Prairie thing JA: Rock Prairie Baptist Church is in its original location. BL: You know there's an interesting... JA: A new church was built thirteen years ago. MG: Adjacent to it. JA: Adjacent to it. The old church is still standing in the same location. MG: O.K. BL: Interesting thing about that building you may not know before Highway 6 was built the road going south was just a country road but it went, the church was built on that road, it came up over that hill the church was on, well it was long before it was called Highway 6 but then the road going south, but then when they built the highway, now it curved out to the west a bit and left the church sitting back on that other road, but I can remember a road going over that hill north going up to College Station. Now does anyone ever say anything about that or you ever heard anything about that? JA: You mean the old original Highway 6? BL: Well I think it probably wasn't highway just a road going south. 11 JA: Well, I heard my Father -in -law spoke of it BL: Probably, Rock Prairie Road. JA: It was just an old gravel road and when the creek got out, the school bus, couldn't get to school for two or three days because they couldn't cross Bee Creek. The road in front of the church was called Shiloh. It is now Hwy. 6. BL: That's right. JA: I think it has always been Rock Prairie, but now the next road which is called Bird Pond now in our deeds it states that it was Cartwheel Rd. BL: Cartwheel Road. BL: Does he live out there? JA: Now, he owns the home place and the house restored. He won't let the old house go it's a hundred years old. he doesn't live in it, but he rents it out. But he just got through redoing it one more time and told him "I give up ". BL: (Laughs) I give up. JA: He said well I am not ready to let it go yet. MG: All right Bill just so we can state for the record kind of name the location. It kind of states where you know it and then it... 12 BL: From what I know it began on campus in the YMCA chapel and then a, your talk about the Presbyterian. MG: Presbyterian BL Then a before W.W.II sometime `40 or `41 it moved into the Guine Hall which is a much bigger facility, course this chapel was pretty small, it was just an assembly place and moved into Guine Hall and then toward the end of WWII, I think I was still in high school I graduated from high school in `45, but before we got out of high school we were meeting in the campus theater and paid rent I guess or whatever, and were meeting in there on Sunday and then where the church is located now, on Church street beyond Northgate they bought the land, and I guess they bought it from the Boyett family, the Boyett's owned most of the land up there at that time and then moved this army chapel on to it and expanded. They built an educational building of course it doesn't look like an army chapel anymore, they bricked it as I said, and made a nice entrance out of it and everything. that's since `47, see so it's been 50 years. Now, `47,'48. MG: O.K, now Ms. Prescott has this always been at this one location. BP: Well, yes unless they held it t the Methodist Church, my aunt is still living so I need to talk to her. Ms. Sawyer who lives up at the Crest View she would know more about it because my grandmother was one of the ones that helped get the money together to help build the church. They used to have fund - raisers, and as you talk about the dirt road, I mean, we had a bad road. BL: But you had railroads, right? 13 BP: I was on the other side. (laughter) I had to get across the railroad tracks. I tell you what, if we hadn't had a Jeep going to school we couldn't have gotten out of our road. I know, um, Billie Cowen and them, um, let Brother Smith, he was a missionary and died as a missionary, but um let him use their car one time and it got stuck on the hill for over a week. BL: (laughter) Is that right? BP: it was so bad. I mean, you know, we had bad road to go to church, but we had a church on the other side of the tracks. BL: Oh, O.K. Oh, O.K. MG: All right, O.K, um, we are going to question 6. at the beginning, the very beginning of this, um, about how many people attended the church and kind of an idea of the age groups that are in there? At the very beginning of the church. Sorry. JA: When it was organized in 1900 with 44 members and the age group I'm going to say, I have a list of all the names of these people. I'm going to say that they were anywhere from teenage to 35 years old. 35 or 40 years old. that would be my guess I'm basing it 011 my Father -in -law's age and how old he was at that time. MG: O.K. 14 BP: Can you make a copy of that? MG: We can make a copy of that at the end. JA: I bought this for you all to have. BL: Oh good `cause that would be real interesting to see whose was in there. JA: Yes, and I have some other things too. MG: All right. BL: Great! MG: Bill... BL: Oh, I don't know. As I said I have a picture here of a group and uh from 1938 and uh, I have no idea if it was started in 1930 or `28 or '30 when Mr. Anderson came here I just assume it was a normal gathering of.. MG: Small children? BL: Yeah, small children and up. JA: Didn't you say about a third of those were students, Aggies? BL: Yes, now in this picture you can tell they are in uniform and a good third or more are students. Um, George Heedner incidentally may be in this picture. He said he attended this church in 1938 so, oh, you know I remember being a big crowd of people but by 15 today's standards you know when you get a thousand in church somewhere, well then this not, not very big. But, no I assume this is what you call a normal gathering of age. MG: Ms. Prescott, do you have ant histories of how and were uh, the age at what they began? BP: I don't know. (laughter) Now this is my age group. I mean we had a lot of children back when I was, you know, we don't have very many either really unless they came from Navasota. Ours were coming from Navasota or Bryan/College Station. I mean and out at the prison there was a bunch from the prison, that come that work at the prison I mean. That came (laughter) not the prisoners. MG: Not the prisoners. BL: How far are you from the prison? BP: About 8 or 9 miles. BL: is that all. BP: Well about 7 or 8 from... BL: Navasota. BP: I hate to tell you but we are going to have a 1000 acre dump ground in Millican Nova. BL: Your kidding! 16 BP: A 1000 acres BL: That's a bunch of acres. MG: And uh, we have already, again as we go through the history thing that's what so nice about the talking is that all the traveling done was at the beginning was by horse or horse and buggy. JA: By horse and buggy, wagon, I doubt if any of them had any vehicles other than that till, till later years. MG: Min, O.K., and the Bill's by that time yours were using cars. BL: Yeah, sure. I can remember a strange thing people who lived on campus, you know you couldn't be any more the 2 or 3 blocks away but, they would drive to church, they wouldn't walk. Nobody ever walked they drive 2 or 3 blocks to church. And I thought even as a child that was unusual. Now we lived off campus so we had a reason for driving, but the people who lived around the Drill Fields where the MSC is now, you know that area? MG: Just 2 or 3 blocks they would drive. BL: Oh, yeah you could hardly get your car started when you would have to shut it off. (laughter) But nobody, nobody ever walked. BP: And you don't have air conditioning. 17 BL: Oh, no. BP: We had windows, I mean we opened windows. MG: all right, Ms. Prescott you talked about the roads that were all just extremely uh, the road were gravel, dirt, mud... BP: We walked. A lot of us walked for miles, I mean it was , but we walked but now as you say they can't walk across the street they got to drive. MG: O.K. BP: I mean you would nearly die if you walked. BL: All right (laughter) MG: I think I might reverse the order here because Ms. Prescott already talked about this Uh, you said they alternated services between the Baptist Church and the Methodist Church. BP: I think so when they first started, but they, I think it was a Methodist Church. Part of the time Methodist and Baptist each held services only once or twice a month and if it was on a Sunday when your church didn't have a service, the people would attend the other church service. At one time the Baptist church building was in such bad condition that the wind could make it lean first one way and then the other. They finally closed the doors 18 and went to the Methodist church. Somewhere about 1919 or 1920, Alma pool Williams, Mrs. Hughes, and Blanch's grandmother (a preacher's daughter) started working on starting up the Baptists again and building a new church building. BL: But that was a common practice. BP: Yes, yes. MG: A common practice. BP: But then they have, I don't know how old that church is that we have, but they say it's 1870, but I don't know that's what's on the big bulletin board. MG: OK, oh, you don't think they ever alternated services? BL: Well, sit up straight (laughter) All right. MG: Bill, they ever alternated service as far as you know? BL: No, at the time I became involved, they, uh, pretty much had their own facility, so, as I say, when A &M first started, now I'm just going by what I've read, they probably met together somewhere. Now I know they met in Guine Hall, but Guine Hall was built in 1917, you know, which is still forty years after he started, but there was an assembly hall before that. And I think they probably had visiting preachers who came in and probably met together and, uh, this is bound to be written up somewhere, probably had different priest and what have you to come in and, uh, lead he services. 19 MG: Ms. Atkins, did they ever meet with another church, as far as you know, or was it always just... JA: Not with another church, no they only met once a month, and maybe that same pastor pastored three or four churches, and they just rotated Church started on Saturday afternoon. They would usually have a conference, and then they would have a Sunday morning and a Sunday afternoon service. It would be an early afternoon. MG: An early afternoon, so he would have time to travel? JA: Time to travel, home before night. MG: OK One of the questions it asks here, is, explain the meaning of the experiences of being in what is known s a `Brush" Harbor? Did ya'll have any Brush Harbor meetings at your church? JA: No. OK, all right, also, what were the and I'll still continue with you Ms. Atkins, what were the predominate in pioneers of your denomination as far as Harvey, Wellborn, Shallow, and Peach Creek and this Old Independence and Macy and Rock Prairie, most of them. JA: Adam Royder who gave the land came from Germany He and his mother came to the United States together, him as a young boy. A large number came from Alabama, Mississippi, and that's where my father -in -law and his family came from, seems like those states were the 20 most predominate where most of them came from. MG: OK. Kind of the westward movement across the south. JA: The westward movement I think it was due to the fact that they had a railroad that came through, and lots of them got off at Millican, and from Millican, they went on in search of land and homesteads. I think that was the only train station for years and years in Millican. The train ended at Millican. BP: It ended at Millican didn't it? It was a turn- round. JA: Yes. BL: Well, uh, there is a history marker out there as soon...with all of the people trying to get ahead of the fine arts, too. (laughter...) A &M started those things. Yes, they did. They raised them over yonder. MG: OK, Bill, I think you have already talked about the um, the, um, all the denominations by the time the mid 1930's... BL: Um, huh, pretty much. MG: Pretty much, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Catholic. BP: How long was Mr. Anderson the pastor? BL: Oh my word... 21 BP: Over thirty years? BL: Oh, yeah, let's see if he come here in 28, and moved in 58, it would probably be more like , uh, forty years, 35, anyway. MG: And what about in your area, uh, in Millican, the predominate denomination as far as churches are concerned? Baptists, Methodists... BP: We had all of them, Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Episcopal, and Christian in the early years before yellow fever epidemics (2 of them) and the end of the Civil War, caused people to move and the railroad to continue toward Bryan. MG: Okay. BP: We have Catholics, I don't know where they went to church...the Catholics, I really don't...but we had the same... There was a Catholic cemetery back on the land now owned by M.J. Todd. The cemetery was bulldozed by another land owner. In later years the Catholics attended services in Navasota and Bryan. MG: So, well, at this time though, are there...how many different kind of churches denominations? BP: We just had Baptist and Methodist, but, they say there use to be a Catholic church, but that's before my time, see I'm not that old. 22 BL: Now, come on. BP: Come on, smile, you look better. MG: Now, has there ever been any name changes in the church over the years, or has it always been... BP: Uh, no, maybe slightly, uh, see when it was a missionary church... MG: Um. JA: Rock Prairie Missionary Baptist, and then in later years it just became, Rock Prairie Baptist Church. You know I think all churches in that time were first considered missionary churches. When they were first organized, and then when they became, uh, stabilized, then they were no longer considered a missionary church. Missionary churches were usually supported to some extent by a larger church. MG: Well, I know a lot of times that a missionary church would be kind of a branch off BP: `another church. MG: another church. BP: Now that could be the reason that it was called a missionary church, because we had, uh, these groups of people who came, and organized this church, were like from Harvey 23 and, uh, Millican, and , uh, Madisonville, and other places where I know they had church in this area and so people just agreed to come and help organize it. BL: The, uh, churches here had dual functions pretty much, and that was closely associated with A &M you had the needs of the students who were here who came in September and didn't go home up until spring. Some of them went home a Christmas, I guess. So there was a need to serve the needs of he students. But at the same time, as the community grew, there were families that need to be taken care of, so nearly all of the churches had a dual function, that in the normal needs of taking care of the family and the children that was separate from all the students. The Baptist church came here ,uh, or around here to start the first student work denomination. At it, was a student orientated church all together, and of course families gathered into it, and then the attentive slowly changed to at least include the families Now the Presbyterian church and the Methodists were probably the same order that students were the primary concern, but, uh, the families had to be taken care of too; which is a different ministry, sort of. MG: Has it always been the same name...Millican? BP: Yeah, and we had, as he said, a lot of people come in on trains. Of course this was after the Civil War and the railroad was extended. We had our pastor come form Ft. Worth from seminary, and he'd come in on Saturday, and spend the night, and then leave on Sunday morning, or Sunday night on the train. See it stopped there in Millican, so they could come back and forth. So that's the way they got to Millican and 24 then they would stay with some of the people in their homes. That's the only way we had our preachers, usually. MG: Explain the day and time services were held, and explain the early church, and where the supplies came from to build this church. JA: The supplies came from, uh, Adam Royder, who donated the land...had a saw mill in Wellborn. And, uh, the lumber was made there and brought there by wagon over to the church. It was built by donated time. Various neighbors and what have we worked on the church at school, and built it. What was the other question? MG: What day of the week, and what time were services held? JA: Well, it would, from what I can gather, they met about five o'clock on Saturday aftemoon, and, uh, Sunday service started about ten and went on maybe until one. Ha, ha, ha, and, uh, then, they met back in the early afternoon about four, and sometimes they didn't even go home. They just brought their lunches and they had lunch there and they stayed all day. MG: Well, also church at this time was a very social thing. JA: And they came, you know, you know quite a few miles, and it was kind of hard, you know, to uh, and they had church early on Sunday afternoon, so they could get through and then they would go back home and tend to their livestock and what have you, because they had to be back home before nightfall. 25 BL: Cows couldn't wait, could they? JA: No. (laughter...) MG: All right, Bill, any idea how the early church was built? BL: No, the ones off campus, of course, were built well, I guess in the twenties. Uh, but the Baptist and Methodist church, when they were built off campus, it was mostly by contractors just as much as you would now. They were simple wood buildings, but, uh, to the best of my recollection, or to what I have understood, they were probably pretty much contracts. JA: But the Presbyterian church was a military chapel, did it come from Bryan Field? BL: No, it came form Camp Walters, I know it was an exception, of course, it was moved and enhanced. I read the history of the building built for the Baptists, and it was nothing special. They just bought the lumber and had it built. It probably only cost , oh, two - thousand dollars back then. MG: You don't know? BL: No, I don't know. I never did really get into History. It bothered me, and Berry was there? JA: The pews and the podiums in the church were built over on the A &M campus in the carpenter's shop. And they were only 26 cut out over there. They were just wooden benches and slatted and had sort of a contour back. And you know how they cut the little "v" in the legs? (laughter...) They sawed all this stuff over there and then it was brought to the church and assembled. MG: All right, it says, "Was there any wood sheds or outdoor facilities at all? JA: Yes, there was a small building, and they had the outhouses -and a small building, uh, that was rather ramshackled looking', and it was tom down soon after I moved to the area, and, at one time it was used for Sunday school classes, and it had a dirt floor! And no heat! MG: Well, uh, this is kind of going" into this...uh, you know, uh, you said in the beginning it had the wood stove, in the main building, uh -who was responsible for securing the wood and... JA: Well, everyone just donated wood. They had a janitor! MG: Without pay. JA: No, they paid him two dollars a month. MG: Oh, really? (Laughter...) JA: And then they finally got up to five. 27 BL: Oh my word! JA: When my husband Jonny Atkins went to school there, he was the janitor. He cleaned the school room every evening after school, and I don't remember; I think he said he got paid two dollars a month. But he invested that money in hogs, and when he sold those, he said he never was broke anymore. (laughter...) He always had money. He said that's where he got his start. BL: Now I don't, this is all pretty modernized, but back in the twenties, they had all the facilities and things- modern day. BP: If we didn't have any facilities we went there or waited till' we got home. (laughter...) I don't ever remember facilities. BL: No outhouses? BP: Nuh -uh, now we did at the school house...which was across the dirt road. Well, that's maybe where we all went to the bathroom, but we didn't have one at the church, and we didn't have a coke machine. (laughter...) We should have had one cause they came through the country and built everybody one. BL: A coke machine, or a bathroom? BP: No, an outhouse. Well, they had outhouses at the school house across the street, the 28 community center, now. BL: Must have. Women didn't go all day, I know. BP: No, no, and it was Roosevelt that come through you know, when they had the CCC Camp, you know, he was the organiser of that, and my brother -in -law had one down by the barn, and he wouldn't, we wanted to get rid of it, but he said, no, that Roosevelt gave it to him, and he's going to keep it. And he did. (laughter...) We didn't destroy it until he passed away. MG: Your kidding. BP: Dirty people -I was going to set it on fire. MG: (laugh) All right...Going on to his question twenty, here, uh, it says, explain about the indebtedness of the church, and how it was handled. The finances of the church, it means. BP: Uh, the finances of the church, uh, you mean for the operation of he church? MG: Uh -huh. JA: By donation and pledges. Money was very scarce, and I noticed, in some of the records, where it would, uh, say that "so -n -so" pledged two dollars, and "so -n -so" ten dollars, and a dollar, and this and that, and the pastor was paid fifty dollars a year. 29 MG: And this was at the beginning of the 1900's? MG: Okay. All right, Bill... JA: Yes, and then he would mention that they collected two dollars for the Butler's Orphan Home, and even back then, they had the Baptist Association. It had various names I realize I didn't know that until I started reading this history that the names had changed through the years, but even as early as in 1903, and four, it mentions that they went to Hearne for a conference for the Association and they had their delegates. But to get back to their finances, they quite often had a problem collecting the money because it would say that the pastor was paid $12.50 on his salary, no one had money because it was in the depression years. They had a struggle to keep the church going. BL: Uh, I really don't know, but I assume, um, most the families were university oriented, and, uh, of course, they were all paid a salary-of some probably not very much, but I have a feeling they probably had enough to pay the preacher, and...money probably wasn't a big problem. This is probably an unusual thing, except the buildings that were built off campus, uh, they would get into the usual problems of financing. I can remember in the Baptist church, uh, probably in the thirties, someone had mortgaged his, Burley, mortgaged his own farmland at the bank to get enough money to operate the church, and we're probably talking about a few hundred dollars, you know, just to pay the preacher, and pay the rent, or even the electricity bill, or something, and during the depression time, you just got what you could get a hold of But, uh, nothing unusual. 30 BP: I really don't know, but I know they had hard times. (laugh) It's getting that way again. MG: Okay, um, did the church sponsor the Sunday school education? How did the children meet for Sunday school? Do they sponsor a Sunday school class, or a Bible class? Was there any kind of nursery facilities? And, uh, Do you recall or remember children sleeping on pallets, or something like this? JA: In the beginning they did not have Sunday School. It was organized in 1907. And, uh, from what I gather, they were all grouped together, the adults together, and, uh, the children together. And, uh, I , uh, it didn't really say whether they had it on Sunday morning -or exactly when they had Sunday school. MG: But there was some type of education? BP: Uh -huh Yes. It was. BL: Now it was an interesting thing for Sunday school on the A &M campus. It was what the called a "Union Sunday school" that met, my first recollection of it, in the basement of Guine Hall, which was a pretty crude facility, but it was all denominations, and, uh, you know, we had our little classes and things, and what -not that we would go to. It was run by primarily ladies, faculties wives who taught. We later met in a room under the stage of he assembly hall, which was a building where the All- Faiths Chapel is now, but it was 31 supported by all churches. Now, I guess we left there and, you know, went to other services somewhere else, some people went to Bryan...It's hard for me to imagine the Baptists not having a facility, even back at that time. It may not have been a part of this. MG: Were there mandatory services for the students? BL: Yes, earlier, I don't know exactly when those took place, but they would actually march the students to Guine Hall for services. I don't know what the e penalty was for not going, but they would actually march them to the services. Now, I don't personally remember that. If that went up to the thirties or not, I don't know. But I've always heard that. MG: Okay. All right, Mrs. Prescott, Did they have, or do you recall Sunday school meetings? BP: Oh yeah. They had Sunday school, and the kids knew how to behave. Kids now, you can't get `em to sit down. And after they come out of nursery, they sure don't want to behave. We had to take care of our own kids. I know back when I was -we knew how to behave. MG: I don't know when the Baptist Sunday School Board began, but probably maybe around the 19 and 7's...or something. JA: It does talk about the national Sunday School Board, and it was about that time, 32 1907. It's very vague. It doesn't say much about it and at one point, it said that they met in Hearne. And it gave the delegates, and then in another article apparently it gave the specifics about the offices held by the people that were on the state board. MG: All right, I'm going to group all these together, cause they're all about the music of the church. You know, tell us about the choirs, and, uh, about how many people were there. Were there any singing conventions? Or did they have a piano, or pipe organ, or pump organ -you know tell us about the music they had at the church. JA: According to the records I read, they always had a piano, and, of course, Baptists love to sing, so they did lots of singing. They would have singing conventions where all the other churches would meet, and they would have an all day session of it. And they had a song leader, and I don't think they had a piano from the very beginning. MG: Were there choir robes? JA: The first choir robes were bought after the new church was built, thirteen years ago. MG: And this is about when? JA: About 1984. MG: All right, Bill, What about the music? 33 BL: Well, the Presbyterians, I guess were pretty lucky, there was an organ, I guess the University owned in the chapel. It was a big, I don't think it was a pipe organ, but `twas big, it set off in the comer, you can't quite see it in the picture, here, but it was stepped up into it, the big thing, before probably electronic organs came out. Then when they made the move to Guine Hall, had big pianos, and it had a big electric handling' organ there that somebody's always been available to play. JA: Do you remember who played the organ? BL: Yeah! I sure do. My mother played the organ, and Mrs. Catherine Jones played the organ...both, uh, mother never played the electric organ. She played the organ that's in the church now. I don't know what it is. JA: A reed organ. BL: Is it a reed organ? That's what it is? It's not an electric. It's a big console thing with pedals and everything. My mother played it with Mrs. Jones and two or three others...would take turns playing', and, uh, I remember our neighbor, Alli Scobes, who been on here earlier, growing up. Every Sunday afternoon she'd go to Guine Hall, and they'd have a tape or something she played with the organ at that time. So I know Guine Hall was well- equipped with musical instruments and what not. 34 MG: Uh, what about, uh, music? BP: I think they always had a piano. MG: Do you recall the name of an early pianist, or... BL: What, do you? MG: no. BL: Okay. (laugh) MG: What about the steeple of the church, or the bell, or anything about - - -Did they have a bell they would ring for services? BP: Um, not to my knowledge. And, uh, there was a steeple put on the church in like the 1960's, but I don't consider it part of the church, as it was added long after the church was built. It was donated by a family that think they still own it. In the first Baptist church there was a bell. When the newer church was built, there was a steeple built but later remodeled so the bell was attached to two posts behind the church. It was rung every Sunday morning before Sunday school and again each evening before services. It never had a very good ring to it, so it is quite possible that Blanche never heard it at her house. I only lived one block from the church, so I heard it. I could also hear the one from the Methodist church across the R.R. tracks, and the Black Methodist church nearby. 35 BL: Oh. (laugh) Never mind. BP: (laugh...) Never mind, Strike that one from the record! BL: Nothing special...the building moved from Camp Walter's had a steeple, but there was nothing special about it. MG: Did they ever ring the bell, like to ring in the new year /old year? BP: That was for deaths. MG: For deaths? BL: I don't recall. The first bell I remember...it was the Episcopal Church on George Bush -had a bell, but I don't remember unless the Catholics, it seemed like they did. MG: In some rural places, they'll ring a bell if there was a fire, and she said, if there was a death in the family. So over at Millican BP: Well, the Baptists. Okay. The Methodists still has it, and they still ring it every once in while. But you have to be mighty careful with it. Kids will get a hold of it. MG: It's the original bell? It's very fragile? BP: Yeah, and it's still in the Methodist church. It is a beautiful church, inside, it is 36 unreal. It's old. MG: You had already told us partly about the pews. Did they take any of these pews from the originals...the original church, are they in the new church? JA: (No, they're still in the old church,) okay. Um, you don't know anything about the pews, Bill? BL: No, uh, of course, on campus, you can see in this picture here, the wooden...the wooden, folding seats. And of course, Guine Hall had, uh, theater seats. I don't know what they have now. They're pews in the church now. But I don't think there is anything special about `em. Just probably padded pews. BP: We had some nice pews, but then we had a different preacher come by, so we got different pews, so ...but the kids were tearing them up. So I mean, you know. MG: How was the lighting, you know by kerosene? We talked about the heat of the wood. Uh, when did they get ceiling fans? And also...so you recall using the fans that were advertisements from the funeral homes? JA: Actually the first ceiling fans, they're still in there, were put in there about 53'! And they came from one of the buildings on campus. The early lighting, was just by lamps. 37 MG: Kerosene lamps BP: Yeah, kerosene. And then, I guess it was about the early 1940's, that's when rural electricity came in. It was wired then. MG: Do you have any of this memorabilia from the fans and all this? You know those fans from the funeral parlors are now collector's items. (laughter...) BP: Oh, we burned many of those. BL: Yeah, you'd pay good money for those now. BP: Yeah, yeah, I wish I did have one. (laughter...) BL: Oh, we had hand fans, of course, at funeral homes, but I don't remember anything special about the ceiling fans, or anything. .whatever the campus buildings had...there are no fans in this picture. BP: They had windows, yeah, but no I don't see any fans, here. MG: What about you, Mrs. Prescott? BP: Yeah, we had the fans, but we had some kind of carbide. Is there a carbide light? 38 BL: Uh -huh. BP: But it was something outside the building, and then we had lights hanging' down. We had lights, and my grandfather had some in his home...beautiful chandeliers, you know, "wining and dining" We had two at the church. It really fascinated me. MG: And it was always carbide lights? BP: Yes. I'm sure that's what it is. Isn't it? BL: Yeah. yeah. BP: OK, my aunt, if I'm not mistaken, the old thing that used to be in, is on her front porch now. BL: Now the church of Christ, had an unusual thing, this was the building off campus, at Northgate there. They had big fans in there, and on Sunday morning they'd put blocks of ice, and it'd cool that building down pretty well...go to the ice plant, and just get these big old' 500 lb. ...whatever they were, blocks of ice... BP: They could get it over there at the power plant. BL: Yeah! They had it at the power plant there, and, uh, they cooled that place down pretty well with that. MG: So you don't have an excuse for not going to church cause you're going to get hot. 39 BL: That's right. MG: Probably the coolest place in town. BP: Oh...You'd go to church there. BL: No, I didn't know they had that, or I would have. (laughter...) MG: Tell us about any kind of stained glass windows in the church, or anything unusual about the church, and , uh, how was the church maintained? BP: Uh, there were not any. Just plain windows in it, and, uh, how was it maintained? Uh... MG: You talked before about it had a janitor... JA: Yes, we had a janitor. Repairs were done through donations of labor and materials. One time it mentioned the church needed repairs, and they raised ten dollars for materials. (laughter...) MG: And I'm sure there was a lot of donated labor on that. BP: Uh -huh. Basically that's how it got done. BL: Nothing unusual on campus...of course it was all handled by, you know, university 40 people, but off campus, just like she said, you have a problem you need fixing' you just took up a collection and fixed it. MG: And there was no stained glass windows in there? BL: No. Not here. I guess there are stained glass windows in the Presbyterian facility, now, but I didn't notice anything special about `em. Now, the Baptist, the first brick building was Baptist. People donated...names in windows. They were nothing special, they were colored, you know, stained glass, but they weren't ornate, with seams in the glass. They were nice stained glass donated by individuals. I don't recall the Presbyterians had that. BP: But they cleaned. Different women went over to clean the church. My grandmother was one of the women that was always doing' something' for the church. MG: What about, how was the early church pastored? JA: Our church was pastored according to the minutes I read, the pastors were hired from year to year. And sometimes they stayed over the second year, but, the pastors never stayed very long, because I would imagine it was an imposition and hard for them to get there, and if they moved to another area, then they would have to give up the church. And I counted the number of pastors from 1900 to 1949 they had twelve pastors. Now some of them pastored for two or three years, but not for any length of time. 41 MG: Okay. BL: I guess my experience has been with long tenured pastors, Mr. Anderson was here for thirty to forty years, and R.L. Brown was in the Baptist church for thirty years, and the current pastor's been there thirty years, and... JA: And R.L. Brown pastored the Rock Prairie Baptist church, too on occasions. BL: Did he? JA: Yes. BL: Well, I'll say... before or after he was doing this? JA: Before. He was a very young man then, he married my mother and father in law in that church. BL: Really? Is that right? JA: I think he was pastoring over at Harvey's somewhere to start with. I think it was one of his first churches. BL: Might have been. MG: I wonder if he did that in addition to the student work? BL: I do, too. 42 JA: I think he did. BL: See, cause he came here strictly to set up a student thing. He pastored these other churches, I guess. JA: Well, he was sort of a moderator. What do you call it? Like when the WMU was formed, Mrs. Brown came and helped organize that on special occasions it mentions him being there. It also mentions him at association meetings. BL: He was very active in all the state meetings, and everything MG: Mrs. Prescott, were they, you mentioned before, they would come in on the train from Ft. Worth. BP: But, I don't have... MG: You don't... BP: I don't, I don't know, I just don't know! MG: Do you remember any names from the ones in the seminary? BP: Yeah we got, uh, Brother Garett is still there. He's a teacher. Leo Garett, James Leo Garett. And we had one, Brother Smith, and, uh, Wanda Toth. They used to live there for a while. That's the one that got stuck. 43 BL: Oh. BP: But, uh, they walked. They really walked and visited. And, uh, Dan Bates was one of our preachers, twice, and Brother Hardy. JA: There was a Hoke Smith that pastored Rock Prairie, and also he pastored Wellborn, and could have been Millican, too. BL: What was his name? JA: Hoke Smith. BP: Oh, that's him. MG: That's him. JA: He was a missionary, he and his wife. BP: Yes, they were missionaries. JA: He came home to bone hernia surgery. Died from complications. JA: I read where they held a Revival, but only they didn't call them "Revivals ", then...they were `Protracted Meetings ". MG: (confused) What? 44 BL: Protracted...what does that mean? JA: Well, I looked up the word. It pertained to a meeting, or what have you, that was set at a certain time, for a certain period of time. BL: That was a term right there! JA: Probably a series of meetings. MG: Yeah, cause I've heard it... BP: Our church, apparently they had a `protracted meeting" once a year, in July. Now we simply call them a "Revival ". BL: "Protracted "...that's a pretty fancy word. (laughter...) BP: Yeah, they used some really fancy words. MG: Can you explain about any kind of special, uh, ceremonies, you know, weddings, or anniversaries, or, uh, any special kind of occasions that were celebrated by the church? Like the completion of something, or a church dedication? Can you recall any, uh, ... JA: It doesn't speak about any church dedications. It does speak of the election of deacons and the ordination of deacons. MG: Yeah, that would be a special ceremonial thing okay...Were there any special kind of seating? Did the men sit on one side, and the women on the other? Children in one place... anything like that? 45 BP: The children, you know, would sit on the front. So they could be watched. (laughter...) Or with their parents, but no there was not any segregation. MG: Did the children usually sit with their parents, or like she said; did they sit in the front of the church? BL: Well, it's mixed here in this picture, Some of them are, and some of them aren't. BP: Looks like a pretty good crew of `em on the front row, there. BL: Yeah...there are. My little brother's here. BP: Oh. That's so Momma can watch him. BL: Well, Momma's not in the picture. MG: What about any kind of special ceremonies...anything you can recall, or... BP: Oh yeah, they had different ceremonies at our church. MG: Okay, and no special kind of seating or anything like that? 46 BL: Nuh -uh. MG: Did families have, cause in the church that I attended, there was your pew, but without your name on it. JA: Oh. My grandmother had a pew. You better not get in it! (laughter...) It was the comer, right by the piano. She'd get you our of it! JA: I've been sitting in that pew ever since the new church. I always sit in that same place. And once in a while someone comes along that doesn't know that that's my seat, and gets it. But I'm happy for them to have it. (laughter...) MG: Cause, you know, in some churches they actually, the way they would, uh, get new pews, is you would buy a pew and you would... BP: You wouldn't have to sit on it...would you? MG: Well, you know, it was kind of like your place then designated, you know? MG: Was there any circumstances when the churches had any kind of major damage, like from fire, or storm, or certain vandalism, or anything like that? JA: The new one, but, no, not the old church. The new church was set on fire. You remember when they had the arson going around, and they burned the Nursery, and they 47 were doing' all these bad things to the churches? They broke into the church, and set it on fire. We'd only been in it `bout two years. The only damage we had was basically smoke damage. MG: A great deal of vandalism. JA: Vandalism...Put the choir robes in heating/cooling cabinet, set it on fire, and then closed the door. Well, we didn't have the air conditioning on, so therefore it didn't circulate... it just smoldered. JA: God is taking' care of that. BL: Yeah. JA: Well, they sent him to the penitentiary, and he stayed just a little bit, and came back out. MG: Do you recall any kind of major damage to your church, Bill? BL: No. MG: Very fortunate in that respect, huh? BL: Yeah. BP: Even with the bums sleeping' in there, and building' fires! 48 MG: You still did not...Oh, that's great. Okay... JA: Well, we did have one incident in our old church. Been many years back, that, they were chasing' two people up on the highway, and they had stolen a car, and they had abandoned the car, and the highway was being' widened. And it was all muddy and everything. So this one got away form them, and fie.ran and came through the back door of the church. I guess the door was left unlocked. He ‘ in, and rolled himself up in a rug. (laughter...), and turned on the gas heater. He was about to freeze to death cause he was rtt, and muddy...cold. MG: Do you recall the year on this9 JA: Oh, this was about 1980. The police came, and wanted to know if they Cevik i the church. One of our members came along, and saw the activity, ana he said, Nell, sure." But they had looked in the windows, and all, and they said they didn't see . !'thing. So he started home, and he thought... "hey, that heater's not supposed to be on!" So he went back, and he said he could see this guy's head sticking' oitt from inside the mg... BL: Oh no! Goodnight! JA: So he calls the police, and they come back and get him. BL: Goodnight! Goodnight! (laughter...) 49 MG: You know, that's one of the stories that happens at the church, that's so interesting. JA: Uh, of course, this doesn't have anything to do with your question, but you're probably going to get to it somewhere down the line...but, you know, in the early church, when they first started out, they had all sorts of rules and dancing was something you just didn't do. You could be put out of the church for it MG: What was the term they used for that? BL: A sin. MG: To put someone out... BL: They "Churched them ". MG: "Churchem ". BL: They withdrew fellowship. JA: Yeah, they withdrew fellowship. That's true. There was one man that acknowledged that he'd been dancing' and he didn't want to make knowledge of that to the church, and ask for forgiveness, so, he just asked for 50 his letter. Used to, you asked for your letter to go to another church...they didn't wait until you went to another church and joined, they gave you the letter, and you took it with you. It was just like something that was a personal belonging to you. MG: It was a recognition that you had been in good faith to the church, and... BP: Yes, and that question was on there! MG: (laugh) Oh! JA: And they had a committee for everything! BL: Still do. MG: Uh -huh. BP: A committee to watch the committee! (laughter...) That's what we need. MG: I think we partly covered this in that how much was a pastor paid, where did he live, and how old they were, and what size family did they have, and what was maybe the annual budget for the whole church? JA: The annual budget for the whole church? I saw in one place where the annual 51 budget for the whole church was about 700 dollars. That was in the early years. And then, but even as late as 57, the budget was only 3,000 dollars. So, the church never had much money. MG: Did the pastor bring his family with him when he traveled? JA: Yes, some. And, one of the members put them up. You were responsible for giving their meals, and their lodging. They sort of rotated them around. BL: I can tell you about budget types of recent years, but for earlier times, I just have no idea. The ones that I knew were famished houses, pretty nice houses, matter of fact. JA: In later years, yes, there was a little house for the pastor. But there is not one now. BL: Back at Northgate, the Presbyterian house and the uh, Baptist partition, were right across the street from each other, and of course, so were their churches. But I have no idea of the salaries, or anything like that. Nothing special, I'm sure. JA: Even in the late, say, 49, they were weekly pastors in, and most of them came from the seminary. They were paid $37.50 on Sundays. Even in 49, a pastor would not draw over a 1,000 dollars a year. MG: But even that was considered a pretty nice salary, you know, during that 49 -50's, to 52 make a 1,000 dollars a year....uh, were there any cemeteries associated with the church? Uh, how did they determine where people were buried, and so forth? JA: With Rock Prairie Baptist Church, there is no cemetery associated with the church, according to the historical society there is a Rock Prairie Cemetery, but don't anyone know where it is. They been searching for years for it; they still haven't found it. And don't anyone know anything about it. So I don't think it ever existed. MG: Might have been something they talked about, but did not materialize. BL: No cemeteries then, or now? MG: There's no cemeteries... BP: No, but there's one up above my house. It started in 18 something It's an old... during the civil war and all, and then they had the yellow fever, but it's kept up real good. MG: But it was never really associated with a church. JA: No. No church. MG: Bill, I think this question would tend to you, about the corps and A &M, you know, the faculty that attended the church. Yours was kind of half in half on that wasn't it? 53 BL: Yes, yes. It was a dual ministry really. The ministry to the students, and ministry to the families, the needs were different. It took a special passive. MG: Mrs. Prescott, where there any faculty associated with Millican? BP: No, but we had Aggies come to our church. They were always looking' for girls. (laughter...) Well, it's true. It's right! MG: You were supposed to go to church to find you a girl. JA: That's right - sometimes... MG: Okay. Explain what you know about religious services who me at the YMCA building on campus. BL: Well, uh, of course, the Chapel was made, uh, for anybody who wanted to use it. I guess actually used it, but I don't know how long the Presbyterians actually used the thing It was over eight or ten years, I suppose, but they were not the only ones who had access to it, others could use it. Cause, it was a, well, actually, I guess it belonged to the YMCA which the university allowed YMCA to build the building on campus. I guess the YMCA, as such, owned the building, I don't know that, but I'm sure anybody that wanted to use it, could. 54 MG: Who were the early YMCA directors? BL: Well, of course, John Gordon Gaye, and Mr. Cashen was; the first one I knew...Red Cashen's daddy. His assistant was J.G. Gage, John Gordon Gage. Uh, after that it was this fellow by the name of Weston. MG: Uh, Mrs. Atkin, what effect did WWII and it's aftermath have on the church, and how did WWII effect the church? JA: I don't think that WWII effected Rock Prairie church very much, because most of the young people who were of age had already left. Most of the young people had gone to Houston, and Dallas seeking employment. The church congregation was mostly older people until after the war. Young couples began to move into the area. A large number came from Bryan and College Station. MG: It really didn't have any major effect. JA: No major effect. BL: Same thing The students involved, and you know, the students left. During 43 and 44, the enrollment dropped clear down to 1800. People being gone. Of course a lot of the faculty, too. It had that effect of absenteeism, but beyond that....no more suffering 55 than anybody else suffered. MG: Mrs. Prescott? BP: Yeah, we had some that had to go...but they didn't go to Houston, and go to work. We used to have saloons and everything. They used to have a jailhouse down there. But of course this was in the early 1900's. BL: Oh my goodness! MG: What about the baptismal? When they were baptized in the church? Were they baptized in a swimming pool, or in a river, or... BP: Swimming pool? What do you mean? (laughter...) My brother was baptized in Peach Creek. I was baptized in a tank at night, and I was scared to death! (laughter...) At night! It was a bunch of us! That preacher was from the seminary, but I don't know what his name was. BL: Why at night? BP: I don't know. It was about twenty of us being baptized. BL: Really? Saturday night? BP: I think it was Sunday night. BL: I was just curious. 56 BP: I was scared of snakes. (laughter...) And, I didn't know how to swim yet. MG: What about the baptismal at the Presbyterian church? BL: Well, of course, Presbyterians, they sprinkle. So yeah, they didn't have a problem. They just bring in a bowl of water. JA: In the early years they just used a river, or the stock - tanks, then later on they used the baptistery of other churches. But the old church never had one, and still doesn't. BP: We have one in ours now. We used to go to Memorial Baptist Church in Navasota. MG: When you talked about the new church, thirteen to fourteen years old, now; what do you remember as being special about it? Or do you remember anything special about it? JA: It was a wonderful happening for the members of Rock Prairie Baptist Church. The Baptist Builders came and stayed three weeks. With them and the help of our members and many neighbors and friends who were not members. The church was almost complete when they left. Without them we could never have built the Church. Their was no charge. The ladies of the Church provided their meals. Most brought their wives. We ran into a few problems we hadn't planned on but through God, prayer, and love for one another we made it. I sometimes sit and look at the church and marvel at what God can do if you only ask. In six years the Church was dust free. 57 BL: I'm sure the building that's there now, has long since been paid for. I don't think there's anything special. I don't think they've gone into any indebtedness since then. And, uh, I don't know. MG: Mrs. Prescott, this is not the original building that you're in right now, right? BP: It's been improved so many times. But, the church started in 1870. So, I really need to find out. But I didn't know what you were going to ask, so... MG: Anything else interesting about the history of this early church? Or this history of the church even now that you find interesting that you'd want to share with us? BP: Their trying' to build a new one, but that is bad on the members. MG: Could you give any kind of idea of were the membership is right now? BP: Well, it's at a hundred and something' up there, and we had 60 something Sunday. It's going down because of conflicts. And a lot of ours are people that just came in when we had Chris, he was a younger man. And he came in and built it up. And he's gone, and so, you know, their leaving. It's just one thing, and then another. Then their wanting to build that new church. These that are going are the one wanting' to build the new church. 58 But we haven't gotten in debt with it. So their not leaving us with debt...which we have gone in debt before...these that would come in, and then they'd quit, and somebody else would have to pay it. So that's the reason we really hate to go in debt to start a big church! MG: Mr. Lancaster, anything special? BL: No. I really shouldn't be talking' about the Presbyterians now, I've been away from them for over forty years. BP: I don't think you're Presbyterian, then! BL: What their current condition is, I really couldn't speak of. BP: You better not say. MG: All right, Mrs. Atkins, anything special? Anything else you'd like to add? JA: Well, in 1948, Rock Prairie church had their First Vacation Bible School. And then in 1949, they organized the WMU. And 1949, the Creath- Brazos Workers Conference met at Rock Prairie Baptist church. The reverend Hoke Smith was the moderator. And, uh, early 1900's....it referred to it as the Central Texas Baptist Association. And, then it refers to it as something else, then in later years it was the 59 Creath- Brazos Association. MG: What would be the membership now? JA: The membership in our church is about 110. Average...70 I would say. MG: Well, that kind of completes all the questions. BP: I have a picture here of a vacation Bible school in 1944. BL: Good night! BP: At our church...That's kind of when Bible school got started, you know, women always had Vacation Bible School. Now we did in the cities. Because I know when I was growing' up, I was probably about, uh, we were living in Houston then, I was probably about twelve years old, or thirteen, and we had Vacation Bible School, but we had it for two weeks...and it was a real, uh, and we had it all morning, too. We came about 8:30 or 9:00, and we stayed `till noon. And it was a wonderful thing cause we didn't have anything else to do. MG: Well see, I came from a very small town, and we literally had everybody in the community went to every body else's Vacation Bible School. I went to the Methodist, the Baptist, the Pentecostal, you know, I went to three different Bible schools. 60 BP: The church has had vacation Bible School every year since 1944. This year we had 80. Last year about 100. We serve a meal for the children and workers. Most of out young people work, helps to have a meal for them and their children. BL: I'm surprised you didn't have 300. JA: Well, we didn't advertise it. I don't know if they are coming for the food, or just to have a great time at Vacation Bible School. JA: Yes. JA: I have helped with the food for years, and I love to feed them, and the workers, it makes it nice for the workers. Those that have children or anybody, most of our people work, and they can pick their children up and come on to the church, and they need to be there at 6:00, or shortly after 6:00, they have their meal there, and they don't have to worry. MG: Uh, evidently there are kitchen facilities, then. JA: Yes, we have kitchen facilities, and a big fellowship hall. MG: Fellowship Hall. 61 JA: We are about to out grow out fellowship hall, but we needed a new roof so that's what we are getting. A nice metal roof. JA: Oh really? (laughter...) You can here it running, then? MG: What are some of the activities that take place in this fellowship hall? BP: Weddings, Showers... MG: Is it, uh, is it basically used by the church, or is it for general use? BP: It's right by the church. MG: Okay. BP: Oh, it belongs to the church. MG: It belongs to the church...ever used for anything by the community? BP: Not very often, cause we have a community center across the street, dirt road...it's probably like most churches. You, uh, you almost have to have some guidelines as to the use of your church. 62 JA: That's right. BP: Because, uh, we get calls everyday, I'm sure you do at your church, and they want to do everything form selling pots and pans, to, uh, uh, a wedding, and, uh, people aren't churched, but, uh, once they decided to get married, they feel like, uh, they need a church to have a wedding in. BP: Oh, is that right? (laughter...) JA: Oh, it's really strange the things we get asked to use the church for. JA: So, basically we don't do showers unless it's for a church member. Due to out central location we often have meetings when other churches from other cities need a place to meet. MG: I think END OF TAPE 63 'narks: City of College Station Memory Lanes Oral History Project Memory Lane: Churches First audit check by Final copies: Typed by Oral History Stage Sheet Interview No. Name JoAnn Atkins Interview date 7/16/9/ Interviewer Mollie Guin Interview length Interview Place CS Conference Center Special sources of information Date tape received in office 7 / , ti # of tapes marked Date Original Photographs Yes � No # of photos Date Recd Describe Photos Interview Agreement and tape disposal form: Given to interviewee on Received Yes No Date Signed Restrictions - If yes, see remarks below. Yes No Transcription: - First typing completed by Pages Date (name) BArbie (name) Sent to interviewee on Q iii /a7 _ Received from interviewee on Copy editing and second audit check by Pages (name) Pages Date Pages Date Proofread by: 1) Pages Date 2' Pages Date Photos out for reproduction: Where to: Date: Original photos returned to: Date: Indexed by: Date Sent to bindery by Date Received from bindery Date Deposited in archives by: Date - CK5 Date 111 1 marks: Memory Lane: City of College Station Memory Lanes Oral History Project Oral History Stage Sheet Churches Interview No. Name Blanche Prescott Interview date Interviewer Mollie Guin Interview length Interview Place Conference Center Special sources of information Date tape received in office # of tapes marked Date Original Photographs Yes No # of photos Date Recd Describe Photos Interview Agreement and tape disposal form: Given to interviewee on Received Yes No Date Signed Restrictions - If yes, see remarks below. Yes No Transcription: First typing completed by Pages Date (name) First audit check by Sent to interviewee on 8 / 11 Received from interviewee on Copy editing and second audit check by IA, A- 5 e,t I ^ (/Z ) Date (name) Final copies: Typed by Proofread by: 1) Pages Date 2 F Pages Date Photos out for reproduction: Where to: Date: Original photos returned to: Date: Indexed by: Date Sent to binfiery by Date Received from bindery Date Deposited in archives by: Date (name) Pages Date Pages Date narks: Memory Lane: City of College Station Memory Lanes Oral History Project Churches Interview No. Name Bill Lancaster Interview date Interviewer Mollie Guin Interview length Interview Place Conference Center Special sources of information Date tape received in office # of tapes marked Date Original Photographs Yes No # of photos Date Recd Describe Photos Interview Agreement and tape disposal form: Given to interviewee on Received Yes No Date Signed Restrictions - If yes, see remarks below. Yes No Transcription: First typing completed by Pages Date (name) First audit check by Sent to interviewee on 8/11/97 Received from interviewee on Copy editing and second audit check by Final copies: Typed by Oral History Stage Sheet Proofread by: 1) Pages Date 2) Pages Date Photos out for reproduction: Where to: Date: Original photos returned to: Date: Indexed by: Date Sent to bindery by Date Received from bindery Date Deposited in archives by: Date (name) (name) Pages Date Pages Date Pages Date The purpose of The Historic Preservation Committee is to gather and preserve historical documents by means of the tape - recorded interview. Tape recordings and transcripts resulting from such interviews become part of the archives of The City of College Station Historic Preservation Committee and Conference Center Advisory Committee to be used for whatever purposes may be determined. with (Name of Interviewee) . fiaF 7. —� . .fir C+i 8. ftt 9. 4. 10. The City of College Station, Texas Memory Lanes Oral History Project INTERVIEW AGREEMENT I have read the above and voluntarily offer my portion of the interviews 5. 11. 6. 12. In view of the scholarly value of this research material, I hereby assign rights, title, and interest pertaining to it to The City of College Station Historic Preservation Committee and Conference Center Advis , ry Committee. 1 61(4 oa II, ..Lc Interviewer (signature) Date /13 /9'7 /tj_../.. e_ la .1 '/- Interviewer (Please Print) HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE City of College Station, Texas 77840 ORAL HISTORY DATA SHEET I hereby give and grant to the HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE, City of College Station, Texas, for whatever purposes may be determined, the tape recordings, transcriptions, and contents of this oral history interview. Also, permission is hereby given for any duplications of original photos, documents, maps, etc. useful to the history project to Je returned unharmed. Interviewee releases, relinquishes and discharges CITY, its officers, agents and employees, from all claims, demands, and causes of action of every kind and character, including the cost of defense thereof, for any injury to, including the cost of defense thereof for any injury to, including death of, any person, whether that person be a third person, Interviewee, or an employee of either of the parties hereto, and any loss of or damage to property, whether the same be that either of the parties hereto or of third parties, caused by or alleged to be caused by, arising out of, or in connection with Interviewee provision of historical information, whether or not said claims, demands and causes of action in whole or in part are covered by insurance. 3 A iv r✓ A -1-K ,' /v S erviewee (Please print) e Gct,' 7 Interviewer (Please Print) Si ature of 'I�iiterviewer Pla•j- of Interview List of photos. documents. mans. etc. Name gnature of Interviewee Address ,5 9 Lfl ��A %�,'�= � 77er s Telephone 6 003 / Date of Birth "_ -A o Place of Birth INTERVIEW STATUS: Completed Date Initial In progress Interviewee agrees to and shall indemnify and hold harmless CITY, its officers, agents and employees, from and against any and all claims, losses, damages, causes of action, suits and liability of every kind, attorney's fees, for injury to or death of any person, or for damage to any property, arising out of or in connection with the use of the items and information referenced aboved by CITY, its agents, representatives, assigns, invitees, and participants under this grant. Such indemnity shall apply where the claims, losses damages, causes of action, suits or liability arise in whole or in part from the negligence of city. I hereby give and grant to the HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE, City of College Station, Texas, for whatever purposes may be determined, the tape recordings, transcriptions, and contents of this oral history interview. Also, permission is hereby given for any duplications of original photos, documents, maps, etc. useful to the history project to le returned unharmed. Interviewee releases, relinquishes and discharges CITY, its officers, agents and employees, from all claims, demands, and causes of action of every kind and character, including the cost of defense thereof, for any injury to, including the cost of defense thereof for any injury to, including death of, any person, whether that person be a third person, Interviewee, or an employee of either of the parties hereto, and any loss of or damage to property, whether the same be that either of the parties hereto or of third parties, caused by or alleged to be caused by, arising out of, or in connection with Interviewee provision of historical information, whether or not said claims, demands and causes of action in whole or in part are covered by insurance. Intery ewee (Please print) A7, Signature of Interviewee I (, tJ.1/ Interviewer (Please Print) ature of Interviewer . ( / Place of Interview List of photos. documents. mans. etc. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE City of College Station, Texas 77840 ORAL HISTORY DATA SHEET Name 6 /zss_ 71f66 Address . $)a 5 � Telephone `, Date of Birth & c� `Q 3 Place of Birth INTERVIEW STATUS: Completed Interviewee agrees to and shall indemnify and hold harmless CITY, its officers, agents and employees, from and against any and all claims, losses, damages, causes of action, suits and liability of every kind, attorney's fees, for injury to or death of any person, or for damage to any property, arising out of or in connection with the use of the items and information referenced aboved by CITY, its agents, representatives, assigns, invitees, and participants under this grant. Such indemnity shall apply where the claims, losses damages, causes of action, suits or liability arise in whole or in part from the negligence of city. Date Initial In progress I hereby give and grant to the HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE, City of College Station, Texas, for whatever purposes may be determined, the tape recordings, transcriptions, and contents of this oral history interview. Also, permission is hereby given for any duplications of original photos, documents, maps, etc. useful to the history project to le returned unharmed. Interviewee releases, relinquishes and discharges CITY, its officers, agents and employees, from all claims, demands, and causes of action of every kind and character, including the cost of defense thereof, for any injury to, including the cost of defense thereof for any injury to, including death of, any person, whether that person be a third person, Interviewee, or an employee of either of the parties hereto, and any loss of or damage to property, whether the same be that either of the parties hereto or of third parties, caused by or alleged to be caused by, arising out of, or in connection with Interviewee provision of historical information, whether or not said claims, demands and causes of action in whole or in part are covered by insurance. !oLLiP ( Interviewer (Please Print) Plac of Interview terviewer List of photos. documents. mans. etc. HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE City of College Station, Texas 77840 ORAL HISTORY DATA SHEET Name Intervie Plitase print Signature of Interviewee Address Telephone Date of Birth Place of Birth Date Initial 44N Q # 2)3 De-y, rem.- 6 S 7 INTERVIEW STATUS: Completed 5 • 37, 0, S. 7" In progress 7/*/f7 Interviewee agrees to and shall indemnify and hold harmless CITY, its officers, agents and employees, from and against any and all claims, losses, damages, causes of action, suits and liability of every kind, attorney's fees, for injury to or death of any person, or for damage to any property, arising out of or in connection with the use of the items and information referenced aboved by CITY, its agents, representatives, assigns, invitees, and participants under this grant. Such indemnity shall apply where the claims, losses damages, causes of action, suits or liability arise in whole or in part from the negligence of city.