West Union Baptist Church
Location22365 NW West Union Road
Hillsboro, Oregon
Coordinates45°34′25.42″N 122°54′24.98″W / 45.5737278°N 122.9069389°W / 45.5737278; -122.9069389
Built1853
ArchitectWilliam Kane
Architectural styleClassical Revival
NRHP reference No.74001725[1]
Added to NRHPJuly 10, 1974

West Union Baptist Church is a Baptist congregation and historic church structure in West Union, Oregon, United States.

History

The Baptist congregation was founded in 1844 and met in the home of pioneer David Thomas Lenox until 1853, when he donated 2 acres (8,100 m2) of his land for a church and cemetery.[2][3][4] The one-story, Classical Revival style building was built of hand-sawn lumber on what is now West Union Road for a little over $1,500.[5][6] The 30- by 40-foot (12 m) structure has cedar rafters, fir joists and sills of hand-hewn fir logs.[4] On December 25, 1853, the building was dedicated by the Reverend Ezra Fisher.[6] It is the oldest Baptist society and the oldest Protestant church building still standing west of the Rocky Mountains.[2][4] Pioneers Caleb Wilkens and George W. Ebbert are buried at the cemetery,[3] which is the oldest cemetery in the state.[2]

The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and is currently maintained by the American Baptist Churches of Oregon.[7] Previously the otherwise unused building was the site of an annual memorial meeting, but the church now holds regular Sunday services.[8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. 1 2 3 Buan, Carolyn M. This Far-Off Sunset Land: A Pictorial History of Washington County, Oregon. Donning Company Publishers, 1999.
  3. 1 2 Historic names mark old gravestones. The Hillsboro Argus, October 19, 1976.
  4. 1 2 3 "The West Union Baptist Church". Portland, Oregon: Temple Baptist Church (from McMenamins Pubs Newsletter. 2003-2004 edition.). Archived from the original on September 27, 2008. Retrieved June 4, 2008.
  5. ↑ "Historical Tour: West Union Baptist Church". Hillsboro Historical Society. Retrieved June 4, 2008.
  6. 1 2 Norman, James B., Jr. (1991). Portland's Architectural Heritage: National Register Properties of the Portland Metropolitan Area (revised 2nd ed.). Portland: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 26. ISBN 0-87595-241-0.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ↑ "Abbreviated 2005 Directory, Part B" (PDF). Oregon Mortuary and Cemetery Board. Retrieved June 4, 2008.
  8. ↑ "Church History". Portland, Oregon: Temple Baptist Church. Retrieved June 4, 2008.


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