During the Gold Rush years, among the miners there were preachers. A Methodist, the Reverend Hosford, preached in Hangtown in 1848. After Reverend Joseph Meek organized Methodist churches in Coloma and Hangtown, Reverend Bateman began a building program in 1851. A great debt is owed to a layman, Frank Goyan, Sr., who donated five acres of land for a church and cemetery. The Reverend traveled to San Francisco to purchase finished siding that was brought around the Horn from the East coast. Beams and studs were hand adzed from local timber.... and so the
little church was built and dedicated. It served the community well for 10 years, sitting up on the hill, escaping the fires that were so devastating to the town. The church was a beacon of hope to the early settlers through the fires, epidemics, and other difficult and challenging times. In 1852, John H. Clark of Cincinnati, Ohio and a neighbor organized an overland expedition to Sacramento. John Clark's diary tells of their arrival in Placerville on September 1, 1852, putting up at the Ohio House. He was surprised at the size of the town "full of life, full of people, full of business." After fulfilling his contract to deliver his passengers to Sacramento, he returned to Placerville, helping to rebuild the town after the 1856 fire. He had little luck in mining and returned to Ohio in 1857. They moved later to Kansas and his grandson presented his papers to the Historical Society. Among his photographs is one of the church on the hillside. |
Newspaper article discussing Federated's 85th anniversary |
Location
1031 Thompson Way Placerville, CA 95667 Contact office@eldoradofederatedchurch.org 530-622-0273 Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. Laura Barnes revlaura@eldoradofederatedchurch.org |
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