The Church of the Brethren, also known as the St. Vrain Church of the Brethren and the Old Dunkard Church, is an historic Church of the Brethren meeting house located on Hygiene Road (17th Avenue) in Hygiene in the St. Vrain Valley of Boulder County, Colorado. In 1874, formal organization of the Church of the Brethren was held at the ranch home of Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Ullery led by the itinerant preacher, James R. Gish.
Church of the Brethren | |
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| Nearest city | 8220 Hygiene Road, Hygiene, Colorado |
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| Coordinates | 40°11′19″N 105°10′6″W / 40.18861°N 105.16833°W |
| Area | 1.5 acres (0.61 ha) |
| Built | 1888 |
| NRHP reference No. | 84000794[1] |
| CSRHP No. | 5BL.422 |
| Added to NRHP | January 5, 1984 |
The first influx of Brethren came to Colorado from Iowa, settling south of Hygiene in Pella, Colorado.[2] Rev. Jacob S. Flory left Greeley, Colorado with his wife and eight children to carry on the work of the church.[3]
In 1879, land was donated for the church. In 1880, the building was erected of rough cut stone, which came from Lyons and was laid in courses of unequal thickness. The total cost of construction, including donated labor, was $2,000. The Hygiene Cemetery surrounded the church, with the original Pella Cemetery lying to the south. Church services were suspended in 1907.[4]
In 1984, the church building and the land surrounding it were added to the National Register of Historic Places.[1] In 2004, the Hygiene Dunkard Church was awarded Landmark status in Boulder County.[5]
In 2009, the church was deeded to the Hygiene Cemetery Association, which began the work of restoring it. It is the oldest Brethren church still standing in Colorado.[6][7][8][9][10]
References
edit- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ Historical Society of Pella, Iowa
- ^ Ministerial Volume of Brethren Encyclopedia p. 1620
- ^ Benedict, Diane Goode, Hygiene, Colorado: From Hoofbeats to Pickups 2010
- ^ Boulder County Historic Preservation Advisory Board Docket HP-05-05
- ^ http://www.redstonereview.com/2010/01/hygiene-church-of-the-brethren-is-being-renovated/ [bare URL]
- ^ "Hygiene Cemetery – Hygiene, Colorado". hygienecemetery.com.
- ^ "Hygiene Cemetery – Hygiene, Colorado". hygienecemetery.com.
- ^ "Colorado Historical Society combined National & Colorado listing for Boulder County". Archived from the original on 2010-07-14. Retrieved 2010-07-21.
- ^ "Historic cemeteries by Amy Bounds, Colorado Daily, 26 October 2008: Hygiene Cemetery is # 11, accessed July 21, 2010". Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2010.