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| St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church in Pleasantville |
Conrad Ickes was a very devout church goer. When he bought farm land near Pleasantville in 1836 he and his family would have to travel back to the Messiah Lutheran Church in Dutch Corner or to the Old Log Union Church in Schellsburg (where multiple denominations met) in order to attend services.
Beginning in 1848, 12 years after moving to the Pleasantville area, Lutheran services finally commenced in a schoolhouse near Pleasantville as well as the home of the local clergy. In 1853 a meetinghouse was finally erected. Conrad was one of two Elders and church officers. The meetinghouse was a white frame building, 32 ft. X 40 ft., and stood on the corner of Hench St. and Church St. There were thirteen members with 40 scholars attending the Sabbath School.
Conrad's sons, Adam and Richard, were very much involved in the church as well. Adam became the superintendent of the Sabbath School beginning in 1872. According to Aunt Alle, he was also the church organist from 1872 until 1884 when the family moved to Nebraska (which I find extremely interesting since I've been a church organist and pianist beginning at age 12).
As the congregation grew, the need for a new church building became a priority. In 1882 Adam Ickes was appointed a member of the committee to acquire land on which a new church building would be erected. A lot was soon acquired in Pleasantville, but the actual construction of the new church didn't begin right away. By 1884 the congregation had grown to 65 members and 110 scholars attending the Sabbath School. In Conrad's will, dated Feb 1885, he stipulated that $200 would be donated toward the construction of the new church building as long as work commenced within 2 years. With Conrad as a principle member of the building committee, foundation work for the new church began on 7 May 1886. More about the construction, the timeline, and the items placed in the cornerstone can be found here.
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| The new brick church building was located just a block and a half from Conrad's house. |
Much discussion took place as to whether or not to build the new Lutheran church building with brick. It was determined it would cost $313.50 more than wood, but ultimately it was decided that it was worth the added expense. They purchased 60,000 brick and paid brick layers $1/day. The total cost of the project was about $4,000.
Construction took 9 months and the church was dedicated on 2 February, 1887. Conrad died in May of that same year.
We were in Pleasantville our first day, but went back early the next morning to take photos of the church when I could capture images in better light. The morning dew created striking images on the front doors. It was also great having my husband with me (who is a structural engineer and currently works for the largest brick manufacturer in the US) who could explain details in the foundation stone and masonry work.
I found out from Robby Ickes (I'll talk more about him in subsequent posts) that the church was sold a few years ago as the congregation numbers had dwindled to a point that continuing to operate the building was no longer possible. It was purchased by a man who owned an auto salvage business in Pleasantville. We went by his place of business as Robby had assured me he would be happy to let us tour the inside of the church. He was out for lunch. But having been told that an auction had been held, all of the contents of the church sold off, and that it was now used as storage for the auto salvage business, I decided I didn't want to go inside after all. I would rather just imagine how the inside of the church would have looked to Conrad and his family. The stained glass cathedral windows and the intricate brick work outside must have been mirrored inside with hand carved pews, detailed moldings, and a grand podium. The Ickes family, along with other members of the community, contributed to the church with generous donations and much sacrifice. I can only imagine entering that grand brick structure on the day of dedication and feeling a sense of love and devotion for the God who brought them all together to accomplish such a magnificent project. It was and is a worthy tribute to the God they worshiped and loved.
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| Conrad Ickes' grave marker with St. James Church in the background |
All original content, images, commentary, etc. copyright © by Joy Denison 2015-2016. All rights reserved. All writings, poems, speeches, essays, images, scans, likenesses, etc. by Adam Ickes (b 1845) as well as personal histories, images, and all other content by all persons referenced and discussed within the pages and posts in this blog may not be copied, shared, or reproduced in any way without expressed permission by the owner unless included here from other referenced sources or are historical records already considered to be in the public domain. (Just ask me first BEFORE you right click.)
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