Tidbits of Church History
When the News Was Entertaining to Read
Having served the Rockton Community since 1855, The Rockton Methodist Church has a rich history, some of which was recorded in the local paper, The Rockton Herald. Below you will find some interesting tidbits from The Herald about our church and its history in the community. These were found by our Administrative Assistant, Margaret, who has a wealth of experience in journalism and enjoys researching the archives of local papers in our area. Obviously, the stories listed below are the work and views of the local papers from that era and do not necessarily represent the views of Rockton UMC. Note: The picture to the left is of the first Rockton Methodist Church that burned in 1935.
In the 1800s, not all younger people were respectful around churches on Sunday.
The following tidbits are from the Rockton Herald and it's editor, Edson Carr. . .
1878 “The disgusting ‘gawkers’ were out in full force on Sunday evening last, completely filling the walk in front of the Methodist church, compelling every person who attended that church that evening to run the gauntlet of ‘gawking’ eyes and leering faces. “We are requested to say that the officers of the church have determined to have no more ‘gawking’ on the walk in front of their edifice and if it is persisted in, the guilty ones will be promptly punished. A cordial invitation is extended to all to attend church and seats will be provided for those who may come but no more of the abominable behavior of staring church goers out of countenance, smoking cigars, and using profane language will be tolerated. "It is a shame that enough of the young men of this vicinity have no more respect for themselves, their friends, or the Church of God than to congregate in front of our churches in such numbers.”
1893 “We would suggest a wholesale slaughter by our authorities, and especially our policemen, of those boys who stand around church doors on Sundays, staring people out of countenance and making our nights hideous by their yells and whoops. A thousand Apache Indians would find themselves outdone by this class of roughs. “We are startled from our slumbers at all hours of the night by heart-rendering, ear-splitting yells, and on the instant rush out of bed expecting ‘murder most foul’ was being committed, or that an alarm of fire was being given, only to find that these howlers were enjoying a moonlight ramble accompanied by those unearthly shrieks. And, are our authorities awake to this fact? Will they allow this to go quietly on unheeded and unpunished?”
1894 “The Methodist church has been holding revival meetings every evening for some time past. The attendance has been large. There were, as always, some ‘fools who came to scoff’ among those who came to pray. One of the scoffers, for his manifest zeal in serving the devil by disturbing the meetings, got sentenced by Justice Rogers to twenty days in the county jail. I think that such a Justice would be beneficial to the morals and manners of some of the youths of Rockton, for some of the vestibules of their churches are marked in a manner too disgusting for a lady to express. I think the boys who delight in such caricatures should be sent to Reform School till they learn a little more decency.”