Wilsonville in Clackamas County, Oregon — The American West (Northwest)
Frog Pond Church
Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, October 17, 2022
1. Frog Pond Church Marker
German immigrant farmers, attracted by the fertile fields of eastern Wilsonville, settled in this area and in 1878 founded Die Deutsche Evangelishe Reformierte Meridian Gemeinde des Clackamas County, Oregon, now the Meridian United Church of Christ. The first service was held in the partly-completed church in 1880, and dedication of the building took place in 1882. German was the language spoken from the pulpit for years.
The church bell was cast in 1849 in Cincinnati and shipped around Cape Horn in 1855 to the Aurora Colony. The church acquired the bell after the colony disbanded. It began service at the church when the bell tower was added in 1894.
The church became affectionately known as Frog Pond for a boggy area just north of the church that has long since been drained.
Erected by Wilsonville-Boones Ferry Historical Society.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Immigration • Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1878.
Location. 45° 19.048′ N, 122° 44.757′ W. Marker is in Wilsonville, Oregon, in Clackamas County. It is on Boeckman
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in the Willamette Valley and in Greater Portland Area. It is also on the American Pacific Coast, in the Pacific Northwest, and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor. Globally, it is in North America, in the Cascade Range, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Wilsonville Baseball (approx. 1½ miles away); The Old Church (approx. 1.8 miles away); The Cottage Hotel (approx. 1.9 miles away); Site of the Train Depot (approx. 1.9 miles away); Drug Store and Lodge Hall (approx. 1.9 miles away); Norris Young Machine Shop (approx. 1.9 miles away); Site of Bill Flynns Saloon (approx. 2.1 miles away); Tauchman House (approx. 2.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wilsonville.
Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, October 17, 2022
2. Frog Pond Church Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on December 13, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 1, 2023, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. This page has been viewed 735 times since then and 90 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 1, 2023, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
