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PENDLETON UNITED BAPTIST CHURCH
(Photos courtesy of Katherine Paty)
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EARLY HISTORY
Old Pendleton United Baptist Church in Doe Run observed its 125th anniversary on Sunday, July 15, 1950 with an all-day service and basket dinner.
Pendleton Church was constituted in July 1825, in a settlement six miles west of where Farmington now stands. The congregation was made up chiefly of settlers from the Pendleton district of South Carolina. A 40-acre tract of land was donated for a church site, and a temporary log chapel was erected. The log structure was soon replaced by a larger frame building which still serves the present congregation and is in good repair in spite of its age.
The square timbers of the structure's framework are hand-hewn from the virgin forests of pre-Civil War days and are fastened together with big wooden pegs. Such nails as were used in construction of the building were the rough, hand-hammered square nails of pioneer vintage. No one knows just how many roofs the building has had, but the church has been re-roofed three times within the memory of one present church member.
Elder James Halbert was the first pastor of the church, continuing in that capacity for 12 years. In 1838 Elder William Polk succeeded Pastor Halbert. Elder Polk served the church 25 years, but died after being shot in the Civil War period. His death helped to crystalize public sentiment which finally drove the guerilla bands out of Southeast Missouri.
Today, the Pendleton pastor is Elder Charles Henry Polk, grand-nephew of the earlier Elder Polk. The present Elder Polk, 72 years old, has been pastor of the church for the past 15 years.
Gravestones in the churchyard tell the story of local history, practically everyone in St. Francois County has some forebearer buried in Old Pendleton churchyard.
Church records indicate that Negro slaves were admitted to church membership in antebellum days. An entry Sept. 2, 1854, records that "Hannah, a black woman," was admitted to the church by baptism.
The church was strict. Records indicate that extreme fondness for a whiskey jug was the most frequent cause for exclusion of members. High and low alike were "churched" if they stepped outside the bounds of ethics defined by the Articles of Faith. In one instance the church clerk was excluded from membership. He left, taking the church records with him. Minutes of succeeding meetings show that several months passed before the former clerk was persuaded to deliver the records to his successor.
Old Pendleton has become a symbol of the simple, rugged faith which sustained a sturdy
pioneer stock.
[Published in THE LEAD BELT NEWS, Flat River, St. Francois Co. MO, Fri. July 21, 1950]
Further information concerning Pendleton Church and its early members:
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