CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH AT SIBLEY

The first Congregational church of Sibley was organized October 8, 1872, in the public school building of Sibley, a small frame structure that stood on the corner now occupied by the fine residence of Frank Mackinson. The year following the organization of the church it was admitted to membership in the Sioux Association of Congregational Churches, which admission to the district association made the church a member of the Iowa State Association of Congregational Churches.

Settlement preceded the construction of the first railway in Osceola county, the Sioux City & St. Paul road, now a part of the Omaha line of the Northwestern system. At the organization of the church most of the ten members lived east of Ocheyedan creek. Those members were Rev. Benj. A. Dean and Ellen P. Dean, his wife, Jennie Keeler, a young lady residing in Mr. Dean's family, Mr. and Mrs. Franklin Frick and Mr. and Mrs. James Sutton. At or near Sibley there were three members, Mrs. Rosanna Miller, the mother of W. J. Miller and J. Q. Miller, Harvey Bristow and J. F. Glover. At the organization of the church, Rev. John R. Upton, of Lakeville, Dickinson county, Iowa, was moderator. The home missionary on the field and first pastor of the new church was Rev. Benj. A. Dean. Mr. Upton and Mr. Dean were both graduates of Amherst College, as well as graduates of eastern theological seminaries. Mr. Dean and wife were tireless workers and others soon joined the church and congregation.

In the list of pioneer settlers who became identified with the church were Mr. and Mrs. C. M. Bailey, F. M. Robinson and Mrs. H. L. Baker, Mrs. W. J. Miller, the Green and Mandeville families, Mr. and Mrs. J. S. Reynolds. Mr. and Mrs. H. S. Westcott, Mr. and Mrs. C. P. Reynolds, Mr. and Mrs. S. J. Cram, Mr. and Mrs. O. Dunton, Mr. and Mrs. David Wood, L. G. Ireland and family, Captain R. J. and Mrs. Chase and Captain Chase's sister Mrs. Bellows and daughter Ida.

Notwithstanding the drawbacks of a new country, the pastor, church and congregation worked so efficiently that in 1875 the neat and durable church building opposite the northeast corner of the court house square, now the German Lutheran church building, was erected. Captain D. L. Riley, one of the leading pioneer business men of the new town, was the contractor and builder of the church, which was so well constructed that now, nearly forty years after its erection, it is still a substantial building. The new and much larger church opposite the southeast corner of the court house square was erected in 1896 during the pastorate of Rev. Charles H. Seccombe. In the new church on the north side is a fine memorial window to the memory of Mrs. Ellen P. Dean, the wife of the first pastor. Rev. Mr. Dean held one of the long pastorates of the church, remaining with the Sibley church until 1877. He had calls to other churches, but was attached to the work at Sibley and rendered it five years of efficient ministerial and pastoral work.

The Congregational Year Book of 1913, containing church statistics for 1912, has Rev. Benjamin A. Dean, located at Hildreth, Nebraska, in charge of the Congregational church there. Mr. Dean remarried and his present wife is also a regular minister of the Congregational church. Mr. Dean was ordained in 1866 and has been in the ministry nearly fifty years. Rev. D. J. Baldwin succeeded Mr. Dean in the pastorate. He was a good preacher but was troubled with the infirmity of deafness. He died in California in 1910. The next minister was Rev. Thomas Pell, an Englishman and a resident of Osceola county before he became the minister. He was a faithful minister but labored under the difficulty of a crippled ankle. He was a tall man with some resemblance to Abraham Lincoln. His death occurred in 1896. In 1884 Rev. J. D. Whitelaw came from the theological seminary to take charge as pastor. He was well liked and did good work. His present pastorate is at Fox Lake, Wisconsin. Following Mr. Whitelaw was Rev. Willis W. Mead, who resigned in 1886 to go as missionary to Turkey. Rev. Eugene L. Sherman succeeded Mr. Mead, becoming pastor in 1887. After a short pastorate he resigned to accept the pastorate of the Mayflower Congregational church of Sioux City. Mr. Sherman died in 1896. Following Mr. Sherman was Rev. J. C. Stoddard, who held one of the longer pastorates. He is now pastor at Warland, Wyoming. Mr. Stoddard was a good preacher, and helped the church to increased membership. He resigned to accept charge of the home missionary church at Primghar.

The first parsonage of the Congregational church was on lot 1, block 4, Chase's addition, at the southwest corner of the public park. The second parsonage occupied two lots on the southeast corner of block 9, Chase's addition, and is now the German Presbyterian church parsonage. The present parsonage is on the same block with the church and east of the church building. Following Mr. Stoddard's pastorate came a short pastorate by Rev, Fred L. Hanscom, who resigned in 1892. Mr. Hanscom is now pastor of the Pittsfield, Illinois, Congregational church. Rev. P. B. West, a Civil War veteran, was the next pastor and he proved a faithful worker. His pastorate closed about 1894, Mr. West served a term as chaplain of the Iowa department of the Grand Army of the Republic. He is now residing on a farm at Herrick, South Dakota. Mr. West was succeeded by Rev. John Gray. He was a native of England, a well educated man and sincere in his effort to help the church. He died in December, 1908, at Naper, Nebraska. Following Mr. Gray came the Rev. Charles Seccombe, who became, pastor in 1896. The church went forward under his pastorate and the fine new church was built and dedicated while he was pastor. He was a strong man in the ministry and has held important pastorates. He is at present residing in Los Angeles, California. Rev. A. Craig Bowdish succeeded Mr. Seccombe. He had a three years' successful pastorate here. He and his wife are now doing missionary work at Sunnyside, Poisa Makowao mission, Hawaii. Following Mr. Bowdish came the three years' pastorate of Rev. W. Howard Moore, pastor of Richmond Congregational church near Chicago. The next pastor was Rev. William A. Schimley, who served three years, a forceful speaker, who went from here to the Congregational church of Ashland, Oregon, where he is the present pastor. He was succeeded by the Rev. F. E. Henry, a faithful worker, who served two years, and resigned and took up home missionary work at Plentywood, Montana. Following the removal of Mr. Henry came the present pastor. Rev. C. M. Westlake, who began his pastorate November 1, 1913. He is a strong man, well equipped by education, experience and travel for the manifold duties of the pastoral office.

The last year-book gives the church membership as two hundred and ten; of these seventy-five are males and one hundred and thirty-five females. Of the members thirty-five are absent. At the last roll call and banquet there were responses from about eight states. The Congregational families number about one hundred and twenty-five. During the last year Dr. F. P. Winkler has been the efficient superintendent of the Sunday school. Inez Reynolds is the church pianist. A sister of Miss Reynolds, Mrs. Mary Reynolds Newell, went as a missionary to China, and with her husband, Prof. George M. Newell, is engaged in educational work. For many years J. Fred Mattert, cashier of the First National Bank of Sibley, has been the efficient church treasurer. The present church deacons are C. P. Reynolds and W. P. Dinsmore. The third deacon, Mr. C. R. Mandeville, recently removed to Kansas.

The church property is valued at over eighteen thousand dollars. The pastor's salary is twelve hundred dollars, in addition to which he is furnished with a parsonage. The Ladies' Aid Society is a large and highly efficient society, and is a great help to the church. The Sunday school numbers one hundred and twenty-five or more, while the Christian Endeavor Society numbers thirty-five. The church and its auxiliaries were never in better condition for successful work.