Here's more from the book "Sawdust City" by Lois Barland, with permission granted for usage to put this only on the Eau Claire WIGenWeb and it's mail list. Today's posting is more on the "Ladies Festival" that we read of in yesterday's posting. Here's more... We are indebted to the "Times" of November 7, 1857 for a extended account of this affair. "Agreeably with a vote taken at the Ladies Festival in the village last Thursday evening, to the effect that the proceedings thereof be published in the Eau Claire papers, we this week give them entire, necessarily to the exclusion of much other matter. Our Own Reporter gives us the following in relation thereto; At the appointed time on Thursday evening, young men and maidens, matrons and their 'worser halves', began to assemble in Reed's Hall, to manifest by their presence and dollars their interest in the Ladies Festival and its laudable object which was, to obtain the necessary funds for furnishing the new Presbyterian church. The Hall was tastefully decorated with 'Wreaths entwined' of verdure green -- and it was evident that fair hands and minds of taste had been employed in the adornment. This was also in regard to the tables which had been spread in the Hall with the choicest viands and the most delicate luxuries procurable. Fair hands had also here done the work, and that it had been well done, the audience unanimously agreed. Your reporter should not omit to mention the Post Office in the hall which was one of the prominent features of the evening and through which were transmitted "on errands of love," doubtless many dainty epistles from the "sterner sex" to the fair, and reciprocally the reverse. It should be an unpardonable act of negligence to omit 'handing down to posterity' this conspicuous and pleasing feature upon the fair face of that festive occasion. At about ten o'clock the signal was given for supper, and nearly one hundred and fifty individuals sat down at the daintily spread board. Words are valueless here, for proper expression, and as the voluminous contents of your reporter's dictionary, were nearly all exhausted through "ye post office" he would be excused from entering into details. Immediately after supper, speeches were called for and the audience succeeded in bringing out Messrs. N. B. Boyden, Esq., A. Meggett Esq., and Rev. W. W. McNair; each of whom ably acquitted himself and was listened to with marked attention." It is understood that about $1,000 was raised or subscribed at this Festival. The membership of the First Presbyterian Church at this time was eighteen. The Elders were Joseph G. Thorp and Charles Pringle. Deacons were Donald Kennedy, Jacob S. Cook and Orrin H. Ingram. The dedication of the church took place on Sunday, January 3, 1858, but there is no newspaper account available. The "Times" issued its last number on January 2, and then merged with the "Telegraph." The next copy of that paper available is the issue of July 10. The advance notice mentions the Rev. Bradley Phillips as being selected to deliver the sermon. (At that time he was at the Presbyterian church in Chippewa Falls.) At a later period he was a merchant in Eau Claire with a store on South Barstow. The "Weekly Free Press" of January 19, 1860, announced: "The Presbyterian Society of this place has extended a call to the Rev. Mr. McNair and have settled him permanently to preside over the spiritual interests of the church. Mr. McNair terminated his pastorship Jan. 1, 1865, and returned to the East. He was succeeded by the Rev. William H. Lockwood. Who continued with the church twenty-five years. Shortly after he left Eau Claire, Mr. McNair entered the Army, and was commissioned Chaplin of the First United States Cavalry, a regiment made up of troops from various states. It was this regiment that was used as a pattern for the Rough Rider Regiment of 1898. The reader must not suppose that Rev. Kidder and Rev. McNair were the first to bring the church into the Valley of the Chippewa. Thomas Randall, in his history, states that he, although not a clergyman, conducted services as early as September, 1846, at the house of Stephen S. McCann, and at the Company's boarding house, at Chippewa Falls, on alternate Sundays. Thomas Barland came from Illinois about 1852, and located on lands to the southeast of the later side of the village of Eau Claire. He conducted services during the winter of 1852-53, and continued to do so until the arrival of Messrs. McNair and Kidder. Mr. Barland was not ordained until 1861. Mr. Randall wrote; "The Methodist Episcopal Church, too, always alive in the interests of religion, and ready with its perfect church machinery to promote its welfare in remote corners of its Wisconsin Conference, sent a preacher of that order into this valley in the summer of 1852, by the name of Mane, a young man from England, quiet, humble and zealous, but unequal to the task of planting a Christian church amongst so many opposing elements as he found here; and his appointments, at the Falls and Eau Claire were discontinued after a few months, but not before a boat crew of wild fellows from the Falls, while stopping over night at Eau Claire, had assailed him with stones and missels, while he was addressing a meeting held for divine services in the dining hall of Gage, Reed and Company." Mr. Mane had a free home at the boarding shanty of Gage and Reed for himself and his horse. At evening he would often "keep count" for the boys while they ran through a game of "Old Sledge". He "could see no harm in it." "The boys," he said, "worked hard and needed something to amuse themselves with." He didn't quite see the reason for the "big laughs" at the close of each hand, but "supposed it was something in the game." He gave them good moral lessons each Sunday, and left them in the late fall without a cent of payment, but bearing the great respect of the boys to this day. ++++++++++++++++++ Next time we'll be reading some short biographies on these men who preached during the early Eau Claire days. -- Nance mailto:nsampson@spacestar.net