Virginia Dale Community Church

Marker attached to the boulder to the right of the entrance

The Church was first built as a Union Church west of is present location in 1880 near what was the home of Daniel Heckart. In 1881 it was dedicated as a Methodist church. In 1884 the church building was moved during a feud among the congregation in the middle of the night to its present site on Fred Christman's ranch on Deadman creek. The logs were covered with clapboards and painted white and a small steeple was added at that time. In 1889 the Methodists abandoned the church and for three years no services were held. In 1893 Reverend Franklin Moore took charge of the church and a Presbyterian church was organized, he coutinued as the Reverend until the early 1900's (somewhere around 1913). There is also record of a Reverend W. H. Schurman who sponsored Bible Study and Sunday school, meeting in private homes and the schoolhouse. Also a Reverend Straight and Reverend Hall were ministers here in the 1900's. The church cootinued as a Presbytenian church for several years until it became non-denominational. (remainder of paragraph illegible due to peeling on the page)

A number of people have been baptized in the Church, in the earlier years of the church some insisted on immersion when Deadman Creek carried more water. A cradle roll that dated back to the early 1920's hung on the back wall of the Church with the names of all the children that had been baptized, it was destroyed in fire of Novemnber 2003, a picture of the original now hangs in its place.

The first burial in a cemetery was that of a soldier killed by Indians in the late 1860's and buried near the Stage Station. A prospector who was found shot on upper Deadman was buried in the 1870's across from the Christman ranch buildings not far from the church, the third was that of a Mr. Berrie, who was shot in a quarrel about 1885. The first three burials resulted from shootings. It was long the boast of old timers that Virginia Dale was so healthful a place that in order to be an up to date community it was necessary to shoot a man to start a cemetery.

Services were held to the best of our knowledge each Sunday morning up until the late 1940's. In the laten1950's services were changed and held only once a month, and moved to evening services. Services are now held the second Sunday of each month at 4 p.m.

The Church has been maintained and cared for by the congregation of the Virginia Dale Community, the congregation has been as few as 4-6 in the 1970's and as large as 60-70 in the 1940's. Our regular congregation now is about 25.

Ar arsonist fire destroged the Church on the night of November 15th, 2003. With the help of close to 500 cash donors and area businesses who generously donated building supplies; countless hours spent by church members and volunteers who lent their skills and time a new Church was built to a replica of the old Church and services were held again March 14, 2004. Just 4 months after the old Church burned. The arsonist received a sentence of nine years for his crime.

The first service was a service filed with tears of joy for the blessing of a new Church and tears of sadness for the lost of the beautiful old Church that held so many memories of ancestry, good times and fellowship for all of us. April 4th, 2004, the first Wedding was held in the new Church. Congratulations Rick & Liz!

Many thanks are due to everyone who helped, and there is no possible way to tell everyone how much we appreciate their help and what it has meant to us.