Anamosa - A Reminiscence 1838 - 1988

In January 1880, a call was extended to Rev. George
Ritchie of Iowa City, and for six months he drove back
and forth each week, until the parsonage was ready.
Rev. Daniel Bordwell served as pastor from 1883-88.
Rev. Barrows served again from 1889-1894, when Rev.
S.F. Millikan, pastor of the Anamosa Congregational
Church held services Sunday afternoon.
From 1899 to 1902, the pulpit was filled most every
Sunday by Ministerial students from Coe College.
Rev. A.B. Keeler served from April, 1903, to
December, I903.
Rev. Keeler was followed by Rev. H.M. Pinkerton.
who remained for 1 1 months. Rev. George Brimacombe
began his pastorate May 7, 1905, and was pastor at the
time of the 50th Anniversary. June 10, 1906. Up to this
time there had been 13 resident minister and 243
members. Of that number, only about 60 members
were left on the roll in June 1906. The deacons who had
served were A.P. Condit. Mr. Presley Hanna, Mr. Ezra
Ketchum. Mrs. J.M. Ogden, Mr. F.J. Brainard, Mr. J.E.
Bonstal. Mr. A.C. Ogden, Mr. W.J. Ketchum. and Mr.
W.A. Hale.
Rev. Brimacombe was succeeded by Rev. Wm. R.
Bundy in May 1908.
In the winter of 1910-11, a choir loft was added to the
church building. Other improvements included steel
ceiling, new windows and a furnace.
In the spring of 1911. a dedicatory service was held
at which time enough money was raised to cover the
expense of the repairs. Rev. C.H. Beaver of the
Anamosa Congregational Church was the guest
speaker. Mr. T.E. Booth, editor of the Eureka, wrote a
very interesting article about this occasion.
Mrs. W.R. Bundy passed away August 1911. She had
served as Sunday School Superintendent most of the
time she had lived in Cass. Rev. Bundy closed a very
successful pastorate here in the fall of 1913.
Rev. W.B. Jackson was pastor from 1913-17; Rev.
M.C. Alexander, 1920-22: Rev. J.E. Grinnell, 1922-
1925.
Rev. Grinnell was the last resident pastor of the Cass
Congregational Church.
Various visiting pastors served the church for
several years. many of them coming from the Anamosa
Congregational Church.
No services have been held since 1950.
The building was deteriorating rapidly until the
restoration project in observance of the American
Bicentennial in 1976. The restoration was financed by
generous donations, memorials, and assistance of the
Iowa Job Service.
The l'lEl.I'l'lCS of Cass history woven into the 1976
annals of friends of the church are as follows: Condit,
Hastings. Hanna, Sweet, Watt, McCulloch, Bray,
Yount, Remley, Hejenian. Stimpson, Brown. Folkerts.
Brainard, Fairbanks, Lyons. Watters, Alexander. Alsin,
Ogden, Howell, Hale, Vernon, Kester, Bader, Croat,
Lake, Walters, Still, Harrison. Angus, Murray, Roth.
Streeter. Newhard, Jackson, Purcell, Green. Cordes.
Fenney. Latta. Weers, Pillard, Kula, Ortgies. Albang,
Eden. Oltmann, Helgens, Yanda, Henderson, Dunlap,
Brlckley, and Shields.
In the 1980s the Cass Church cemetery and lawn are
cared for by volunteers and supported by township
millage assessment. An annual business meeting is
held in April.
The elected officials for 1987-88 are George Brown,
president; Gertrude Folkerts. secretary; Galen
Brainard, treasurer; John Albang, superintendent of
the grounds.
In 1987 an avenue of flags was made by donations of
labor and money. The flags will be flown Memorial Day
week-end, the Fourth of July, and on other special
occasions.
“I Remember Cass Church”
by Ruth Bray Yount
I remember the excitement in the packed church one
Christmas Eve when the live Christmas tree ignited
from the candles adorning it. A teenager. Clifford. Hale.
extinguished the flames.
I can remember the sound of many sleigh bells, as
teams and bobsleds arrived on wintery mornings.
bringing families to church and Sunday school. And
the Christmas programs that ended by Mr. and Mrs.
Santa and young master Santa coming through the
window to surprise everyone. As I remember. Mr. and
Mrs. Santa were Parke and Lucille Ogden and the little
Santa was her father, Dan Umbenhauer.
I remember the times, after we had no resident
pastor. that the pastor from the Anamosa
Congregational Church came to conduct services. In
the Spring, the hills between Anamosa and Cass Center
were a quagmire, and he arrived slightly disheveled.
but victorious. over the Iowa mud.
I remember the year 1902 when we lost many
members, through death. These members included
Frank Brainard, grandfather of Galen, Carlton,
Geraldine and Esther; Ezra Ketcham, great-grandfather
of Bettie Odgen Miller; Arthur Hanna, grandfather of
Helen Hanna Dunlap; and my mother. Mrs. Willis Bray.
I remember the Children's Day programs, held the
second Sunday in June, when the church was filled
with the pungent odor of roses and peonies. The
teachers lifted us up onto the wide platform, located on
rm
8 I m—-I-.-.-. m
(Photo submitted by Berniece Shover)
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