The Church of the Brethren is a Christian tradition with German origin. It has also been known as the German Baptist Brethren and the "Dunkards" because of their belief in baptism by immersion.
The Dunnings Creek congregation began meeting around 1841 and a log meetinghouse was begun in the fall of 1843 and completed in 1844. It was built on land sold to the church by Christian Mock for $5 and was located a short distance southwest of Pleasantville.
Although the adjacent cemetery was often visited and cared for, after many decades of use the meetinghouse eventually fell into disrepair.
Fast forward to the late 20th century when Clair Mock, great-great-grandson of Christian Mock, a long-time member, deacon, and volunteer of the Mock Dunkard Church, convinced a group of friends to help him restore the old church. It has since been used for Christmas services and other special events.
After taking several outside shots I placed my camera lens up against the window glass hoping to get some type of clear image inside. Imagine my surprise when the image came into focus and I spotted Brent within the shot. The church door was unlocked and visitors were welcome inside.
This was the church where the Callihans and the Reiningers were members. This was the church adjacent to the cemetery in which Robert Callihan and Margaret Reininger Callihan, among other members of their family, were buried. It was a multi-generational church attended by many past generations of my family. Remembering fondly the days of his youth, my great-grandfather, Horace Ickes, wrote, "I would walk 2 1/2 miles with my grandmother to her church, set way back in the woods. The old Dunkard church." This was where they worshiped God, studied scripture, and prayed. They prayed for each other. They prayed for their crops and for their animals. They prayed for beneficial weather and much needed rain. They prayed for their families and their children: the born, the unborn, and the dead.
Since 1844 at least 5 generations of my direct-line ancestors made cherished memories in this little log church set deep in the woods.
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.
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