Rides VIII

My father was a deeply religious person and although we attended the Presbyterian Church in Mt. Pleasant, he maintained close ties with his Mennonite roots. He visited family members and friends in the church and had a great respect for their beliefs. The gentleness and compassion of the followers had a great influence on Dad.

He didn’t have much respect, however, for what he called the hell, fire and brimstone ministers that we sometimes saw on TV and occasionally in person. He didn’t think it was in any way Christian to scare people into following Jesus.

In Merrimac there was a large area south of the houses that served as a park, campground for travelers, and the site of many tent revival meetings. For years families from miles around would gather to hear the evangelists speak. They would sometimes have a nightly service for weeks. When he was young, Dad’s family attended many of these.

He said the kids often played outside until after dark while the services went on and on. He remember peeking under the tent and seeing and hearing the shouting and raving of the passionate speakers. It terrified him! I think that had a lot to do with the way he felt about that type of religion when he grew up. That and for years we were on the same block with a Baptist parsonage and witnessed some pretty unchristian behavior.

Stories about tent evangelist’s visits to Merrimac are well documented. Sometimes they stayed for weeks.

Here is an interesting account from the August 15, 1894 edition of the Fairfield Tribune.

“We attended the camp meeting Sunday afternoon at Merrimac. There was a large crowd of people to hear the lady evangelist, and quite a number claim to have been cured of bodily diseases. The meeting is creating quite an excitement. The banks of the Skunk River present a variety of scenes. There are a lot of Gipsy campers in all their filth and dirt, and then next are those who have pitched their tents to take an outdoor recreation. Everything looks clean and nice. Then on the opposite side of the river, is the large tabernacle. This is one of the finest tents we ever saw, well seated, with a large platform for the ministers.”

This article apparently prompted others to visit Merrimac and a later edition of the Tribune (August 22) carries an amusing account.

“Tuesday of this week Messrs. George Dahlman and Alex Easton, accompanied by their wives, drove over to Merrimac to visit the faith curing evangelist, Mrs. M. B. Woodworth, who had been holding forth there for the past two weeks. Their opinion is that there is a good deal of buncombe about the cures, and that Mrs. Woodworth is a good deal more interested in coaxing people to part with their dollars than causing them to part with their diseases.”

And then there is Mrs. Art Salzman’s account of this same evangelist.”

“There were tent meetings for several years, but the most popular evangelist was this Mrs. Woodworth in 1894 She was a healer and everyone has his special story of her miracles. One night she announced that on a certain day, she would part the waters of the Skunk and walk over on dry land. The day arrived, and so did everyone from miles around. The mill yard was filled and horses tied to the fences for at least a half-mile in every direction. The man in charge of the store had sent to Oskaloosa for pop in bottle with corks that pushed in instead of pulling out. He had other supplies and was ready to feed the multitude. It was just as well that something had been provided, for Mrs. Woodworth came out with all her dramatic fervor and announced, according to my reporter that the spirits weren’t right, and she would not be able to part the waters that day.”

Dad said the next morning the evangelist, tent and all, was gone.