West Union Baptist Church is a Baptist congregation and historic church structure in West Union, Oregon, United States.
West Union Baptist Church | |
 | |
| Location | 22365 NW West Union Road Hillsboro, Oregon |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 45°34′25.42″N 122°54′24.98″W / 45.5737278°N 122.9069389°W |
| Built | 1853 |
| Architect | William Kane |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 74001725[1] |
| Added to NRHP | July 10, 1974 |
History
editThe Baptist congregation was founded in 1844 and met in the home of pioneer David Thomas Lenox until 1853, when he donated 2 acres (8,100 m2) of his land for a church and cemetery.[2][3][4] The one-story, Classical Revival style building was built of hand-sawn lumber on what is now West Union Road for a little over $1,500.[5][6] The 30- by 40-foot (12 m) structure has cedar rafters, fir joists and sills of hand-hewn fir logs.[4] On December 25, 1853, the building was dedicated by the Reverend Ezra Fisher.[6] It is the oldest Baptist society and the oldest Protestant church building still standing west of the Rocky Mountains.[2][4] Pioneers Caleb Wilkens and George W. Ebbert are buried at the cemetery,[3] which is the oldest cemetery in the state.[2]
The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and is currently maintained by the American Baptist Churches of Oregon.[7] Previously the otherwise unused building was the site of an annual memorial meeting, but the church now holds regular Sunday services.[8]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- ^ a b c Buan, Carolyn M. This Far-Off Sunset Land: A Pictorial History of Washington County, Oregon. Donning Company Publishers, 1999.
- ^ a b Historic names mark old gravestones. The Hillsboro Argus, October 19, 1976.
- ^ a b c "The West Union Baptist Church". Portland, Oregon: Temple Baptist Church (from McMenamins Pubs Newsletter. 2003-2004 edition.). Archived from the original on September 27, 2008. Retrieved June 4, 2008.
- ^ "Historical Tour: West Union Baptist Church". Hillsboro Historical Society. Retrieved June 4, 2008.
- ^ a b Norman, James B. Jr. (1991). Portland's Architectural Heritage: National Register Properties of the Portland Metropolitan Area (revised 2nd ed.). Portland: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 26. ISBN 0-87595-241-0.
- ^ "Abbreviated 2005 Directory, Part B" (PDF). Oregon Mortuary and Cemetery Board. Retrieved June 4, 2008.
- ^ "Church History". Portland, Oregon: Temple Baptist Church. Retrieved June 4, 2008.
External links
edit
Media related to West Union Baptist Church at Wikimedia Commons- Historic images of West Union Baptist Church and cemetery from Salem Public Library
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