In the summer of 1885, along a winding stretch of the Old Goshen Road in Hamilton County, Illinois, a 30 by 40-foot frame structure was erected for the sole purpose of worship to the Lord Jesus Christ.
The original building of log construction was built when the church first organized in 1840 on the southeast corner of the cemetery. Later, a second building was constructed near the center of the burial ground, but was blown down by a tornado in the spring of 1885. By November of that same year, the hard work was completed and the new building on the west side of the cemetery was dedicated on Thanksgiving Day at a cost of $700.
One hundred and twelve years later, we first laid eyes on the abandoned structure as we traveled the Old Goshen Road for the first time to our newly purchased property one mile from the edifice. It stood alone, tall and stately, with a slight lean, yet with a strong demeanor. Later, we explored the dust filled chambers, with the inside being a shamble due to teenage vandals and lack of usage. Broken pews, disheveled pulpit, and an old clunky piano were the last reminders of the vibrant worship that once filled the dwelling. We pondered what it would have been like to worship in such an atmosphere, and after singing a few songs of reminiscent praise and an inspection of the bell tower, we departed the gloomy scene.
Time has continued to take its toll on the old white icon with the only real activity being a swarm of bees that took up residence in the clapboard siding and the removal of the bell to a tower in the cemetery. With most of the windows broken out, a leaking roof, and a rotting foundation, the building began to lean more and more until it had become a safety hazard. The hard decision to wisely destroy the structure was finally made and the end of an era came to pass. With November 1885 as its beginning, September 2023 marks the end of the Knight’s Prairie church building. However, since the church is not a building, but rather the people that gather, I am sure there are descendants of those who once congregated in the Knight’s Prairie church still faithfully serving the Lord throughout the country.
As a dedication to the memories that are associated with the church and those buried in the cemetery, a picnic shelter has been erected near the old site. The large, dignified building is gone. Time passes and brings change with it, along with new hopes for tomorrow. Who knows what another one hundred and twelve years will bring, but we can ponder what the apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 13:13-14, “ Brothers and sisters, I do not regard myself as having taken hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Time has continued to take its toll on the old white icon with the only real activity being a swarm of bees that took up residence in the clapboard siding and the removal of the bell to a tower in the cemetery. With most of the windows broken out, a leaking roof, and a rotting foundation, the building began to lean more and more until it had become a safety hazard. The hard decision to wisely destroy the structure was finally made and the end of an era came to pass. With November 1885 as its beginning, September 2023 marks the end of the Knight’s Prairie church building. However, since the church is not a building, but rather the people that gather, I am sure there are descendants of those who once congregated in the Knight’s Prairie church still faithfully serving the Lord throughout the country.
~Mark McDaniel
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