Cornerstone Contents

Cornerstone Contents
September 24, 1886 issue of The Topeka Daily Capital

For several days past (article written September 24, 1886) workmen have been engaged in tearing down the old Quincy Street Methodist Church, situated on the west side of Quincy Street between Fifth and Sixth Streets. Yesterday morning, the north wall of this historic church, was torn down, and the old corner stone, forming the northwest corner of the church, was opened. Inside, a box was found containing a number of newspapers and other documents, which were placed there when the corner stone was laid more than a quarter of a century ago (October 1860). John F. Carter, who by the way is one of the first settlers of Topeka, and who is superintending the work of tearing down this old building, was present yesterday when this old rock was rolled away and the box discovered. He took it into the hardware store of A.W. Knowles, who is also one of the first residents of Topeka, and who was present at the ceremonies attending the laying of this cornerstone. The tin box had been hermetically sealed and then painted and covered with sand so that it would not rust. When opened yesterday by Messrs. Knowles, Carter, and others, it was found that the papers which it contained had been perfectly preserved; they were in as good condition as they were when placed there more than a quarter of a century ago.

The box contained a copy of the Zion’s Herald, published at Boston and dated September, 1860, which was taken at that time by Mr. Knowles, who placed it in the corner stone; also a copy of the Northern Independent, dated October 4, 1860, and published at Auburn, New York; also a copy of the Ladies’ Repository, dated October, and published at Cincinnati; also copies of the Central Christian Advocate dated October 8, 1860; Sunday School Teacher Journal, dated June, 1860; American Messenger, dated October 1860; Sunday School Advocate, dated July 28, 1860; The Western Christian Advocate, dated October 3, 1860.

There is also in the box a copy of the two weekly papers published in Topeka at that time. One of the papers - The Topeka Tribune, dated August 11, 1859, published weekly by J.F. Cummings and S.R. Shepherd, contains the constitution of the State of Kansas, adopted at Wyandotte on July 29, 1859, which is signed by James M. Winchell, president, John A. Martin (our present governor in 1886) secretary, and John J. Ingalls, John P. Greer, John Ritchie, B.F. Simpson, Judge S.A. Kingman, Judge J.C. Burnett, S.O. Thacher, and others, who are still well known in Kansas. It also contains a copy of the same paper dated October 6, 1860, in which may be found references in the local columns to C.K. Holliday, F.W. Giles, D.H. Horne, W.P. Douthitt, H.W. Farnsworth, Jacob Smith, G.G. Gage, James Hickey, J.B. Whitaker, G.S. Gordon, J.C. Gordon, F.W.Giles, C.C. Kellam, Albert Knowles, W.W. Climenson, W.L. Gordon, Joel Huntoon and others who are still living in Topeka.

The other Topeka paper in the box was the State Record, published at Topeka on October 18, 1860, by Edmund G. Ross (governor of New Mexico in 1886) and W.W. Ross, a very neat looking paper of eight pages.

The box also contained a list of the United States officers and of the city officers of Topeka. H.W. Farnsworth (clerk of the board of education in 1886) was then mayor; F.W. Giles, still a resident of the city, was city clerk, and the following composed the city council: Jacob Smith, G.G. Gage, John Branner, James Tagert, H.H. Hukile, C.C. Whiting, Dwight Ferry, J.F. Merriam and J. Brockway. The first three gentlemen named are still citizens of Topeka, the latter two are living in California, and Ferry lives in Wabaunsee county.

The box contained a history of the M.E. Church of Topeka. It tells of the great difficulties with which the handful of Methodist met while trying to establish a church in Topeka, then a small village in the midst of a great, wild country. It says: "Very soon after the first cabin was erected upon the ground of what is now known as Topeka, a meeting was appointed to be held in that cabin, (which is the old log cabin now standing near the steam mill). The first sermon preached in Topeka by any Methodist preacher was by the Rev. W.H. Goode in the winter of 1854 (1854-1855) in this cabin, meetings were quite regularly held in the settlement throughout the year. A class was organized during the Spring numbering twenty-eight members. A Sabbath school and regular prayer meeting were also sustained with some good degree of interest. The first quarterly meeting in this vicinity was held at the house of Francis Grossmuch, near Tecumseh, and the first quarterly conference of the Methodist church in Kansas convened at the house of Brother Osborne Naylor about four miles east of Topeka, on November 20, 1855 with Rev. Charles Jordan as secretary, J.S. Griffing as missionary, and Rev. Abram Still presiding elder, under the title of Missouri conference, south Kansas district. In the month of October, 1856, the ministers of the M.E. church in Kansas and Nebraska, convened at Lawrence, for the purpose of organizing the Kansas and Nebraska conference. In the Spring of 1860 the conference met at Leavenworth city and continued the Rev. Ira Blackford at Topeka, who at the present (1860) is engaged in soliciting funds for the church, the corner stone of which is now being laid. An interesting revival of religion in the winter of 1859 made large accessions to the church, and there are now eighty-nine members of the church"

Then followed a list of the members of the church.

The Quincy Street M.E. Church is one of the landmarks of Topeka. It is nearly a quarter of a century since it was built (1867-1886), and it was then considered a magnificent edifice. A Capital reporter yesterday (1886) had a pleasant chat with Colonel C.K. Holliday concerning this historic building. The lots on which it is built were presented to the church by the town company, of which Colonel Holliday was then president. The corner stone was laid on October 16, 1860, with impressive ceremonies. Colonel Holliday, being the president of the town company and the leading man in the town, was invited to make an address.

"Yes", said Colonel Holliday last evening (1886) to the reporter, "I remember well the day that the corner stone of Quincy street church was laid. It was one of the great events in the early history of the city. We probably had about 80 inhabitants then and we were having a hard struggle. It was no easy matter then to raise the funds for the building of a church, and for a year they were obliged to hold their services in private houses. When this conrner stone was laid, there were probably not more than four or five houses on Quincy Street, and they were rather shabby affairs. The laying of the corner stone of this church was a great event. People came from every direction, and there were very few citizens of Topeka at that time who were not present at the ceremonies.