The Ceredo Congregational Church recently dedicated a new building, which is one of the recent outstanding accomplishments in church history in this county.
The new building is a beautiful frame structure, English architecture being the predominate note throughout. The color scheme is unusually attractive.
The building was constructed from general ideas suggested by the pastor and formulated into exact plans by John R. Gieskie of Huntington and the late S. Floyd Hoard of Ceredo, joint architects. The new building was dedicated January 24th and 25th.
The pastor of the church is the Rev. E. Turner Stump, who assumed the pastorate on March 2, 1924. During his pastorate the church has increased in membership and interest. The present building project was launched only after the coming of Mr. Stump and is a tribute to his vision and leadership. Mr. Stump is also head of the public speaking department of Marshall College and coach there of debate and dramatics.
Associated with the pastor on the building committee were the following: James W. Collier, cashier of the Consolidated Power and Light company of Huntington, treasurer of the building fund; Henry J. Stark, president of the First National Bank of Ceredo; and Maxwelton Wright, Sr., president of Wright Brothers Company.
The church history is very interesting. The group was organized in 1874 by a group of pioneers from Massachusetts, establishing the church of the Pilgrims in the settlement on the banks of the Ohio, Ceredo. The first meeting place was a second floor room in the old Crescent Hall, now destroyed. In 1886, through sacrificial effort and donation, a church was built. It was outstanding in its beauty and design and serves today as the nucleus for the present structure. Ground was broken for the new addition on July 16, 1925, and construction begun immediately thereafter. The ministerial record of the church is one of which the congregation is happy. Among its first pastors was the late Mr. Bowers, for 15 years pastor of the First Church, Huntington. A child of the parsonage during this pastorate, now serving one of the great churches of Cleveland, Ohio, was Dr. Roy L. Bowers. Another pastor of the church was Rev. John L. Hoyt. He too was pastor of the Huntington Church and numbers his friends by the hundreds in this locality. Mr. Hoyt is now pastor of one of Cleveland's largest churches. The late Mr. Gadsby was for over 12 years pastor of the Ceredo church. He later went to Pittsburgh, where he had charge of a leading church.
A revival has been conducted at the Court House by Rev. L. D. Icard, local M. E. pastor in charge, assisted by Rev. J. O. Black of Ashland, Ky.; the singing has been conducted by Mr. and Mrs. Evan Evans of Huntington, prominent singers in Evangelistic work in the Western Virginia Conference.
The revival has been marked with success, both from the interest manifested and in a number of conversions, and the attendance has been good throughout.
Growing out of this revival, a movement has been started to organize the men and women of all the churches in the community of Wayne into a non-denominational Christian movement, having for its object the community welfare in things spiritual and moral.
The following officers for this organization have been elected: M. E. Ketchum, president; Claude Newman, vice-president; Mrs. A. E. Evans, secretary; S. J. Vinson, treasurer; and Ervin Blankenship, director of music. The next meeting will be held at the Christian church, at three o'clock p. m. Sunday, February 15, 1926. All men and women interested are cordially invited.
Pioneer Wayne Countians figure in a history of the community of Barboursville, which has been written by J. W. Miller.
In his history Mr. Miller tells about a company of cavalry being organized in the War of 1812 by Captain William Brumfield, who was the grandfather of Bostic Brumfield, Sr., of Wayne. Many of Captain Brumfield's men died of disease at Norfolk. Wayne County men also figured in the Mexican War when Elisha McComas organized a company which became part of the United States army during the Mexican War.
In his history, Mr. Miller also explains that one of the first battles of the Civil War was fought at Barboursville, and a Wayne County man was a colonel in this battle. It was on July 11, 1861, between the Wayne and Cabell county militia, under command of Colonel Jamison Ferguson, and the second Kentucky regiment. The bayonet charge was too heavy for the militia, making it necessary for them to retreat. One boy named Reynolds, of near Milton, was killed and Absolom Ballengee was wounded. The Yankees paid dearly with five killed and eighteen wounded.
The forefathers of hundreds of people now living in Wayne County were participants in several Civil War battles fought near Barboursville and Point Pleasant, as well as in the more important battles fought in other sections of the country during the great conflict of 1861 between the North and the South.
Transcription by June White