The Union Forest Church

The Union Forest Church was built in 1920 about eight miles southwest of Jerseyville. Its creation was a community effort: Leslie Stamps donated 1/2 acre of land, local farmers donated and milled the lumber, the Jerseyville Baptist Church donated the pews, and businessmen donated much-needed money. , Over the next 60 years, the non-denominational church was home to Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists, and Pentecostals. As church members moved to other locations or passed away, the congregation dwindled. The church closed in 1988., In 2010, Gail (Stamps) Rothe and Susan (Stamps) Wynn donated the church to the Historical Society. The roof and top two feet of the walls had to be removed for the journey. The church opened for tours that fall after being rebuilt and furnished with many of its original contents, including the pulpit, prayer rail, attendance board, pews, and bells. , Photo caption, left:, The Union Forest Church shortly after being moved to the grounds of the Historical Society., Photo caption, right:, Nolie Henson was the driving force behind the creation of the Union Forest Church, and she and her siblings were among the founding members of the church. Shown here, from left, are Nettie White Gowling, Nolie White Henson, Roy White, and Rosa Jane White Healey.