From THE HERALD, Wednesday, January 12, 1927:
GOOD FAMILIES AT "STARVILLE"
History of The Star Methodist Church
As Read At Rededication of Church Service May 29, 1955, by Miss Rhoda Wilson (newspaper story)
Typical scenes from the 1950's in the Star Community. (Use your Back Key to return here)
Be sure to visit The Early Years, Bill and Nancy Smith in Iowa. They maintain this page as well
History of The Star Methodist Church As Read At Rededication of Church Service May 29, 1955, by Miss Rhoda Wilson (newspaper story)
In searching the records of the early history of the Star church and community we find that Mr. and Mrs. Norman D. Wilson came in 1877 and built their home on the farm now occupied by their daughter, Mrs. Hazel Bolger. They were members of the Congregational church at Prairie City in Jasper county from where they came, and Mr. Wilson had been Sunday school superintendent there. There was a school house located two miles north and two miles west of the site of the present Star Methodist church. A Rev. Stewart was contacted and secured to hold services there. They tried to organize a Sunday school but settlers were few and far away. Not many people came and after a few Sundays, services were discontinued.
This was a new country, no trees, but miles of beautiful prairie over which wolves prowled, prairie chickens and quails nested, large herds of cattle grazed and terrible prairie fires raged. Within the next three years many settlers came to this community including Mr. and Mrs. William Bowman, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Bowman, Will and George Bowman, Solomon Raygors, John Grimes, William Moyles, John Simpsons, Harper Baileys, and soon afterwards Dwight Lynks, Will Johnston, James Sapps, Thomas Spears, Rufus Tuckers, Frank and Ralph Smiths, William Moffatts, Harve Morris and others. These farmers were busy but while breaking prairie, planting trees, fighting fires and wolves and raising crops they were not unmindful of the spiritual welfare of themselves and their families.
In 1881 a Sunday school was organized in a school house that had been built two miles south of the site of the present church with Thomas Spear superintendent, Ralph Smith, librarian. Preaching services were held occasionally by the Rev. Clay and the Rev. Moyle. In autumn of the same year the director locked the school house door, saying he wanted no services there.
So, the Sunday school moved two miles north where a new school house had just been built, a little white school house with a star painted over the door. It was christened the "Star Union Sunday School" and has been maintained continually since.
Records of 1881 show an attendance of 40 to 70, with eight teachers, Norman Wilson, William Moyle, Thomas Spear, Mrs. Smith, and Mrs. Lynk.
In 1882 the Wesleyan Methodists organized a society and held services three years, but disbanded as a pastor could not be supported.
In 1885 Frank Smith and Dwight Lynk were sent to a Methodist Episcopal Quarterly conference at Dedham to request that the Star have services. The Rev. Douglas was appointed pastor. He organized a society with six members: Mr. and Mrs. Norman D. Wilson, Mr. and Mrs. Rufus B. Tucker and Mr. and Mrs. Henry Bowman. They were to pay their pastor $100 a year.
The Rev. John Webb was the next pastor, then the Rev. I.H. Elliott, who held a fruitful revival. The school house, now being too small, it was decided to build a church. Pledges for money, labor and material were taken and September 5th, 1890, the church was dedicated free of debt. Since that time, pastors have been C.W. Fawcett, A.C. Rawls, S.E. Brown, A.M. Lott, C.W. Anderson, F.T. Stevensen, G.W. Wood, C.M. Ward, J. W. Stokesbury, A.T. Jeffrey, A.W. Harned, J. Gibson, H.H. Barton, Carl Brown, A. J. Mathews, H.Copeland, Rev. Kochler, H.G. Hicks, Rev. Simcox, Elizabeth Moon, W.F. Clayburg, R.J. Arms, O.E. Cooley, J.H. Krenmyre, Eugene Alexander, J.B. Pooley, Leo Cox, Leo Wolfe, Cecil C. Latta.
In May 1932 the church was struck by lightning and burned but the pews, piano and other furnishings were saved. Although the roof and ceiling were blazing all over. Mrs. Hazel Bolger and Mrs. Ralph Johnston went in and brought out the church records and those of the Sunday school which are dated from 1881. Services were held in the school house again. The farmers were busy as it was corn planting time and nothing was done toward building a new church until in August. Then a better building with basement and furnace was erected in the place of the first church by the men, women and children of the community, also the pastor, the Rev. W.F. Clayburg, worked every day and in three weeks, September 11, 1932, the new church was dedicated free of debt.
The little white Star school house, where services had been held from 1881 until the first church was built, had been destroyed by fire and a modern building erected in its place. As the children were now taken by bus to Coon Rapids school, it was no longer used and was sold at auction in 1954. Charles W. Thomas, a member of the Star church purchased it and generously presented it to the church and community. It was moved to the side of the church and connected to it for the use of the church and community. It is in custody of the church trustees who must be contacted concerning dates and activities. Much labor, money and materials have been donated and with the church, it is rededicated today, May 29, 1955, free from debt.
As stated previously the first society was organized with six members, of these, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Bowman have a grandson and great grandson, who attend services at the Star church at the present time. Mr. and Mrs. Norman Wilson have daughters, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great, great, grandchildren who are regular attendants. Mr. and Mrs. Tucker descendants are one grandson and two great grandsons in California and two great grand daughters, who are teachers in Minneapolis. Of the other pioneers there are descendants of Mr. and Mrs. John Grim, Mr. and Mrs. William Johnston, Mr. and Mrs. George Bowman and Mr. and Mrs. John Simpson, who are regular Star attendants. Some who came later and their descendants help make Star congregations are Tom Bolgers, Henry Browns Sr., Isaac Thomas', John McLaughlins, William Smiths, Joseph Annears, Edwin Wheeler, Wes Thomas and Isaac Thomas.
A commendable fact is that in all of the 70 years the pastors have
always gone to conference with all Star apportionments and all bills paid.
A Harvest Home Community dinner has been held in the church every year
except two since 1909.
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One of the most progressive and enlightened communities in Carroll and adjoining counties is the Star neighborhood along the Carroll-Greene line, about six miles northwest of Coon Rapids.
The community takes its name from Star church and this edifice serves, not only as a place of worship, but as a civic center and a meeting place for social and other gatherings of interest to the vicinity. Star church belongs to the Methodist denomination but the fact that on does worship there, does not detract from the spirit of fellowship that seems to permeat the whole people of that locality. The Raffertys, the Moylans, the Dorans, the Kults, the Kennedys, the Christys are Catholics; the Hilgenbergs and the Hackmeisters are Lutherans; while the Andersons, the Wilsons, the Raygors, the McLaughlins, the Grims, the Hagens, the Frenchs, the Wheelers, the Browns, theBlanchards, the Snyders, the Tolsdorfs, the Thomas's, C.D., C.W. and a lot more are attendants of the Methodist church.Yet religion is ideal in that community and everybody associates together, respecting his neighbor for any belief that his neighbor might have. But respectin him more for his worth as a man than any thing else. An agritator meets with little encouragement and a klan organizer would starve to death.
The Star community is supplied with mail by rural route No. 1 from Coon Rapids. Carrier W.T. Hamilton carries twice the amount of good reading matter as the other carriers. Magazines, pamphlets, books, works on the arts and sciences are subscribed for and read understandingly. Many of these [missing some words on crease...] informed men in this section is a graduate of the State university of Iowa. W.L. Thomas and his brother, C.W., are products of Ames. E.M. Wheeler and his wife are college people from Illinois, while their daughter Miss Joyce and son, Duane, took their work at Ames, where Miss Ruth, another daughter, now is. Chas. Brown is another Ames man and Chas. Bowman studied at the 4-C in Des Moines. Mrs. Laura Anderson was educated at Simpson college. Nor does this list exhaust the college people that live thereabouts.
The community boasts of two well organized and active women's clubs - the Star progressive and the Rural Indusstrial. In addition many of the ladies belong to the different women's organizations in town. And the men are not lagging behind the women in activities. Ralph D. Johnston is president of the Four Counties Agricultural association which holds an annual corn and poultry fair each fall in Coon Rapids. C.D. Thomas and Edgar S. Williams are township trustees. And John Davis, who lives just west of this section, has been township clerk since the mind of men runneth not to the contrary.
The Coon Rapids high school is always about half full of students from "Starville." At present we call to mind Miss Catherine Grim and her brother, Clifford, Orel and Vearl Thomas, Glen Bolger, Willard Christy, Jerry Moylan, Miss Velma McLaughlin, Clarence Preston, Miss Helen Blanchard, Miss Helen Schultze.
Now what makes this neighborhood great as it is? Just a spirit of tolerance and unselfishness and co-operation. Every family is willing to lend a helping hand to one another. A willingness to consider all men who obey the laws and strive to be better citizens, as worthy, no matter what their origins or forbears. And horse sense enough to recognize the wisdom of the old saying "Live, love and laugh."
Page last updated June, 2001.