One of the greatest challenges the EDEO's Historiographer and/or Archivist will face is the general lack of records by or pertaining to its first bishop, the Rt. Rev. Robert L. Paddock. Paddock's episcopacy and methodologies were controversial, and often disputed. It seems as though we are missing many primary sources from the years 1913-1921, and most frustratingly, the MDEO's Convocation Journals from those years. I have been told that some of the convocation journals were never even printed. The Oregon Historical Society has some letters and materials of Episcopal Bishops in Oregon, which you can read about here. My final challenge to you is to join together in the hunt for any records from the early twentieth century on the Missionary District of Eastern Oregon. Feel free to get lost down the many different paths your research will undoubtedly guide you; the EDEO's Archives will facilitate your journey. What can we learn from our first bishop's episcopacy to better guide us into the future?
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Here is an announcement for the organ dedication at St. Paul's Church in The Dalles, Oregon on December 6, 1931. Members of St. Paul's Church oversaw the first installation of the Kimball Pipe organ, kept in the church's north transept, in 1905. Twenty-six years later, Bishop and Mrs. Remington led efforts to reconstruct St. Paul's Church pipe organ thanks to a generous donation from Mr. and Mrs. Joseph T. Peters of Portland. Organ engineers, Balcom and Provorse carried out the reconstruction efforts, and Mrs. Remington served as organist for the dedication ceremony. Note the cost of reconstruction ($1350), what would repairs cost today?
According to Bishop Remington's journal from December 6: "This has been an eventful day in the history of our oldest Mission and Parish, St. Paul's. I talked to the Church School about Eastern Oregon missionary history, and then preached to a congregation which quite filled the church. The rebuilt organ is finer than we dared hope, real craftsman have been at work, two new stops have been installed, the whole action electrified, new console, and such and overhauling as will last another fifty years and give us an instrument of real beauty and tone of quality. There were sixty-one communicants at the celebration, and the choir rendered the service with new beauty and devotion. I dedicated the rebuilt organ at this service. It was a pleasure to see our oldest communicant, Mrs. Schenck at this service. In the evening Mrs. Remington gave the first organ recital, assisted by Miss Sprittle, contralto, and Mr. Buchanan, tenor. The church was filled to overflowing and a delightful reception in the Parish Hall was given afterwards for the parish and visiting friends." (The Bishops Diary. The Oregon Trail Churchman, January, 1932). The question for this month, who did Bishop Remington dedicate the organ to on December 6, 1931 at St. Paul's Church in The Dalles? Notice how he doesn't state it directly in the OTC. The answer to this question can be found in Bishop Remington's collection, recently processed and accessioned (2015.003.002), featuring the former Bishop's correspondence, diaries, travel photo journals, and much, much more. Feel free to set up an appointment to view the EDEO's Archives. Here we have a family photograph taken May 31, 1957 outside the recently restored rectory, today known as the Barton House in Cove, Oregon. According to the note on the back of the photo, the family was leaving for a vacation to England. Instrumental in the MDEO in more ways than one, can you name this family and their contribution to Ascension School and the Missionary District of Eastern Oregon, later the Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Oregon? Safe travels to those of you taking family vacations this summer.
This month we honor one of the MDEO's founders, Lulu Donnell Sampson Crandall, a local historian who proudly served her state, community, and church for over half a century. Lulu's parents, Zelek M. Donnell and Camilla Thompson traveled across the plains in 1852, as part of the Oregon Trail. The Donnells settled on a donation land claim in Brownsville, Oregon (just east of Corvallis) in 1852, where Lulu was born two years later on May 29, 1854. In 1858, the Donnells moved to a home just south of The Dalles on Fifteen Mile Creek. Around 1866, the family moved to The Dalles, where the Donnells became charter members of the local Congregational Church. Zelek Donnell was elected state senator from Wasco County and served in two regular sessions and one special session. [1] He also worked in the stock business as a homesteader and merchant until his death on November 28, 1873.
In 1877, Lulu married the steamboat Captain George F. Sampson, who worked for the Oregon Steam Navigation Company; the two eventually had four children. Captain Sampson passed away in 1892. Shortly after, Lulu married C.J. Crandall, a local architect known for designing Wasco County's court house and high school, among other historic buildings. Lulu spent the last few decades of her life writing histories on the state of Oregon and the Columbia River Gorge. She served as national chairman of the committee on Indian welfare, as well as a member of the national committee on the preservation of historical spots. She helped organize the Rebekah Lodge in The Dalles, a founder of the Wasco County Pioneer Association, an active member of the Oregon Historical Society and regular attendant of the Champoeg meetings. [2] Lulu was active in the Episcopal Diocese of Oregon, and later the Missionary District of Eastern Oregon. Read about her work organizing St. Paul's Church's Golden Jubilee in a note from her seventy-first birthday on May 29, 1925. Lulu Crandall passed away on June 21, 1931. She is buried in the Odd Fellows Cemetery in The Dalles. Here is a link to the Lulu Donnell Crandall Papers, 1895-1929, housed at Washington State University. Interesting to note that WSU acquired the collection from the Historical Records Project of the Works Progress Administration sometime between 1935 and 1940. It contains 3.5 linear feet of correspondence, notes, transcripts of documents, drafts of articles and speeches, and newspaper stories collected and/or written by Crandall on the history of the Pacific Northwest and The Dalles. At the EDEO's Archives, we are processing a collection of Lulu Crandall's records, in particular, information pertaining to her involvement with the National Episcopal Church Women. How did parts of Lulu's collection end up at WSU, while other parts remained in our archives? I would also be curious to know how many people at WSU actually utilize this collection. Wouldn't it better served at the Discovery Center and Wasco County Historical Society? [1]. Fred W. Wilson, "Lulu Donnell Crandall, 1854-1931," Oregon Historical Quarterly, 32(1931), 347-348. [2] Ibid., 349. In honor of Rev. Bell's consecration in Bend, this month we are looking back at the EDEO's fourth Bishop William Spofford's consecration on January 25, 1969 in Ontario, Oregon. Bishop Spofford's consecration was an important event in the history of the MDEO/EDEO. You will notice that I also included a list of the service's participants and overnight accommodations. Can you tell us the historical significance of Bishop Spofford's consecration? The answer to this question is in the article. Also, please share any memories you have from this day.
You will also notice at the bottom of the page (Oregon Trail Churchman, Volume 45, December, 1968, Number 4) an article on Rusty Kimsey's election to Executive Council. The article notes that Bp. Spofford's election and consecration paved the way for the EDEO's future Bishop Rustin Kimsey's nomination and election to Executive Council. What does the editor state is unique about Rusty's election? This must have been a vibrant time in the missionary district, as only a year later, we became the Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Oregon. Feel free to share any thoughts or memories of life in the MDEO/EDEO in 1969-70. Thank you Julie and Jerry for this month's mystery. A group from St. Paul's Church found this shingle at 601 Union and think that it might be from an early renovation of the building. Was this shingle used on the bell tower constructed in 1900? When were the shingles removed, and why were they preserved?
The stamp on the shingle reads John Robin & Sons. John Robin and sons (Winford and Charles), owned and operated saw and shingle mills in Castle Rock Washington in the late nineteenth century. John Robin & Son's first shipment of shingles east of the Rocky Mountain occurred in 1885. When did the shingles arrive in The Dalles? For this month's inquiry, we have an interior view of an MDEO Chapel, c. 1930. First of all, can you name the church? Next, let's examine the banner which reads: "Eastern Oregon, SS Lenten Offering". For most churches, the banner is a representation of the parish and its congregation, and includes some type of symbol, logo or slogan. In the Christian Church, banners are typically used for processionals. It's always nice to see the diocese's banners lined up together at Convention every year. What is the purpose of this particular banner? Is it for a Sunday School offering? How many banners would a small mission such as this have in their collection? Is this particular banner still around? Please share any thoughts or memories.
Born on a farm between Ovid and Lodi, New York in 1827, Reuben Denton Nevius is best known as a clergyman, educator, missionary, and botanist. In 1849, Nevius received a D.D. from Union College in Schenectady, New York. While serving as a teacher in Michigan, Nevius developed a scientific interest in botany. Five plant species would be named after Nevius including the Chaenactis Nevii (Nevius's sunflower), from the John Day Valley, and Allium Nevii (Nevius's wild onion), from the Hood River area.
Ordained as an episcopal priest in the early 1850s, Nevius served in the diocese of Alabama until he accepted a position as rector of All Saints Church in Oil City, Pennsylvania. In 1869, Nevius returned to Mobile, Alabama with his wife Margaret Tuomey, and became rector of St. John's Episcopal Church. Shortly after, Margaret died of yellow fever. After his wife's death, Nevius moved out west. In 1872, Nevius set his sights on Eastern Oregon. From this point on, until his death on December 14, 1913, Nevius founded episcopal churches in both eastern Oregon and Washington, overseeing the construction of many of the MDEO/EDEO's churches like St. Peter's La Grande, St. Paul's The Dalles, and Cove's Ascension Chapel. Check out the photos above featuring Rev. Dr. Nevius (left hand side). The attached note is scribbled, and difficult to read. In the photograph on the left, taken November, 16, 1910, Nevius is standing with Mrs. Fannie Paddock Miller, the Superintendent of the Wood House at Wellesley College, a private women's liberal-arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Based on the photo, there is no way of knowing whether Nevius is in Wellesley, or whether Mrs. Miller is in the Northwest (since Nevius travelled extensively, my vote is with the former). In the photo on the right, Nevius is standing with a Mr. "Nest"? The men are posing to mark the thirty-year anniversary of the opening of the Episcopal Church in Chehalis, Washington. Can anyone name the church? Notice how the second note states, "Dr. Nevius on his 85th birthday"? Unfortunately, there is no date on the second photo. Yet, we might be able to figure out the date based on the anniversary of the church's founding in Chehalis, which is also unidentified. In a Gentleman of the Old School: Reuben Denton Nevius, Powers and Nelson claim that Nevius was born November 26 [1]. Run a quick Google search and look for yourself, note that Nevius' birth date is not identified in many online biographies. Do you think we can use the clues in these photos to ascertain Nevius' birth date or the founding of the church in Chehalis? What do you think? [1]. Powers, David. W. III, and Gregory L. Nelson. A Gentleman of the Old School: Reuben Denton Nevius, 1827-1913, Botanist, Builder, Teacher, Churchman (Gregory L. Nelson, 2001), 2. As the Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Oregon elects its new Bishop this weekend in Pendleton, I wanted to share an interesting story with you. In 1935, the Missionary District of Eastern Oregon's Bishop, William Remington, ran for Bishop of the Diocese of Oregon. We do not yet know who nominated Remington or why. My guess is that the folks in the Diocese of Oregon took note of Remington's hard work in turning the Missionary District of Eastern Oregon around after Paddock's episcopacy. Had Remington been elected to serve in the Diocese of Oregon, the history of the MDEO would have been significantly different. What do you think? How would Remington's election have changed MDEO's history? Born in Pennsylvania in 1879, Remington graduated from the Virginia Theological Seminary in 1905, and served as rector at St. Paul's Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota until 1913. He was elected suffragan bishop of South Dakota in 1913, and then appointed missionary bishop of Eastern Oregon in 1922 and served until 1945, when he became suffragan bishop of Pennsylvania. Remington retired in 1951, and passed away in 1963 at the age of 84. Take a look at this article from The Oregon Journal; the date on the newspaper is cut out, but my guess is that it's either from Friday, October 4, or Sunday, October 6 (in fact, this cut out was stored with another cut out from the October 6 edition of The Oregon Sunday Journal). The diocese scheduled their election for October 10, but the article itself references that "the nine ballots failed to elect a new Episcopal Bishop of Oregon late Thursday". In fact, in the November, 1935 edition of The Oregon Trail Churchman, Remington states in the "Bishop's Notes" that the election occurred on Thursday, October 10. According to the article, it was a close election. Using the resources on this website, can you find a digital copy of this newspaper? There is a lot of great historical information in this photo. Can you name the church, event, or any of the individuals in the photograph? Here's some clues: the date is September, 1960, and two of those gentlemen are bishops. What is the significance of this event?
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About the History's Mysteries Page
Historical mysteries are all around us. On this page, we'll focus on primary and secondary source evidence to examine cultural and historical shifts throughout the EDEO. Feel free to leave comments, questions or ideas on the mysteries and questions you find here. You will notice that not all entries are mysteries, but rather questions which lead to new insights on the diocese. Our goal here is to honor the practice of historiography. The images and content on this website are the property of the Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Oregon (unless otherwise noted) and cannot be used without permission. About the AuthorMy name is Matt Carmichael, Archivist and Historiographer for the Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Oregon (2013-2016). Please take a second to read and post your thoughts and ideas on these cases. If you have any questions, email me at [email protected]. I look forward to talking with you. Archives
August 2016
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