West Union Baptist Church

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West Union Baptist Church
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
West Union Baptist Church (Oregon)
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, -122.9069389Coordinates: 45°34′25.42″N 122°54′24.98″W / 45.5737278, -122.9069389
Built/Founded: 1853
Architect: William Kane
Architectural style(s): Classical Revival
Added to NRHP: July 10, 1974
NRHP Reference#: 74001725[1]
Governing body: Oregon Baptist Convention[2]

West Union Baptist Church is a Baptist congregation and historic church structure in West Union, Oregon, United States.

The Baptist congregation was founded in 1844 and met in the home of pioneer David Thomas Lenox until 1853, when he donated two acres of his land for a church and cemetery.[3][4][5] 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.[2][6] The 30- by 40-foot structure has cedar rafters, fir joists and sills of hand-hewn fir logs.[5] 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.[3][5] Pioneers Caleb Wilkens and George W. Ebbert are buried at the cemetery,[4] which is the oldest cemetery in the state.[3]

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]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2007-01-23).
  2. ^ a b Historical Tour: West Union Baptist Church. Hillsboro Historical Society. Retrieved on 2008-06-04.
  3. ^ a b c Buan, Carolyn M. This Far-Off Sunset Land: A Pictorial History of Washington County, Oregon. Donning Company Publishers, 1999.
  4. ^ a b Historic names mark old gravestones. The Hillsboro Argus, October 19, 1976.
  5. ^ a b c The West Union Baptist Church. Temple Baptist Church (from McMenamins Pubs Newsletter. 2003-2004 edition.). Retrieved on 2008-06-04.
  6. ^ a b Norman, James B., and James B. Norman. Portland's Architectural Heritage: National Register Properties of the Portland Metropolitan Area. Portland, Or: Oregon Historical Society Press, 1991. p. 26.
  7. ^ Abbreviated 2005 Directory, Part B (PDF). Oregon Mortuary and Cemetery Board. Retrieved on 2008-06-04.
  8. ^ Church History. Temple Baptist Church. Retrieved on 2008-06-04.

[edit] External links


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