St. Mary’s Chapel as it appeared in 1971. Courtesy of Robert Williams
Five miles south of Doyle is a place known as Constantia, though not much remains today. In 1896, Henry Butters purchased the ranch and gave the place its name of Constantia. Butters transformed the place into a small village and next to his home had a small Catholic church built—St. Mary’s Chapel.
As a child, Roberta Turritin Weaver lived at Constantia from 1913 to 1923 and recalled: “The church was beautiful with stained glass windows and the pews were made from the oak trees in back of the ranch. As long as were in the big house Father Horgan came out several times a year. We were all very fond of him. My twin sister, Catherine, and I considered him a good sport since he put up with all our didedos.”
Constantia Church, Doyle, July 12, 2021—Ronda Dockstader
By the mid-1920s services were discontinued and the church abandoned. In 1994, the Doyle Historical Society moved the church to Doyle and restored the building.
Sacred Heart Church, 1910, at the Union Street location.
In 1908, the Susanville rumor mill circulated that the catholics wanted to build a new church. Thats kind of odd, since the existing Sacred Heart Church had just only been built 1892. In reality, they wanted to move its existing church to a new location from its Richmond Road site. Since that location was somewhat out of the way, and it was prone to vandalism.
Antone Bantley was designated to locate and negotiate the purchase inside the Susanville’s City limits. Bantley found a site on the corner of Nevada and Union Streets. The church purchased it for $325 from the L.C. Stiles Estate.
On May 26, 1909 the Lassen Weekly Mail reported, “The work on moving the Catholic Church is progressing. It will be a week or ten days before it is finally landed on the new site, judging from the progress already made. “ During this era, the church did not have a resident priest and relied on a circuit rider. On October 24, 1909, Father Thomas Horgan celebrated Mass at the new location.
Sacred Heart Church on Richmond Road, 1905. In 1909 it was moved to Union Street.
This post has nothing to do with manufactured homes. This, being Holy Week, my intent was to write the 1909 story of moving Sacred Heart Church to a different location, i.e. making it “mobile.” Numerous structures, locally, and mainly residential were moved from one location to another. This practice to this day, goes on nation wide.
Moving a house from South Lassen Street to. Foss Street, 1976
How it works today. A property owner has an old house, which is in the way of a planned development. Instead of a paying costs for demolition, offers the house for sale, usually one dollar. Of course, there is a catch. To buy the house at that price, one has to pay the cost to move the structure to a new location.
Happy Easter to my friends, Hannah who lives in a 1920s mobile home and my friend Scott, with his architectural expertise, has to deal with my definition—eye roll please. Not intentional, but it may torment Scott, since I send a occasional message with a photograph of such structures.
A portion of the local Knights of Columbus assembled at the Elk’s Lodge, 1924. Courtesy of Jean Kern
Any one who has ever been involved with a organization, whether community oriented or fraternal, knows full well that they have a tendency to have peaks and valleys. However, there times when the organization reaches a low point and never recovers.
This was the case with Mount Lassen Council #2549 of the Knights of Columbus—Susanville’s first catholic organization. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of records about this particular organization. Its initial membership was 70, with men recruited from Susanville, Westwood, Quincy and Portola. Delegates from Chico, Los Angeles and Reno were on hand with the formation of Mount Lassen Council #2549 of the Knights of Columbus. It was instituted on March 26, 1924. After Mass was celebrated, the members paraded up Main Street from the Sacred Heart Church to the Elks Lodge to have their photograph taken. From there they went to the Knoch Hall were various degrees were conducted, and to organize the new council. The day was topped off with a banquet at the St. Francis Hotel.
Initially meetings were rotated between Susanville and Westwood. However, by 1930 interest in the organization had waned, and on the eve of its tenth anniversary of formation the chapter was dissolved.
The LDS Church was located on the corner of Main and North McDow.
The Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints, also referred toas Mormons were slow to make an appearance in Susanville. It was not until1911, two missionaries, Elders Harry Janson and L.R. Halverson arrived in Susanville, though it appears their stay was brief. It was not until 1922, that the members of this church organized in Susanville. The initial families included those of Frederick Johnson, W.K. Davis, William Mortimer, Afton White, James C. White, John Heath and Peter F. Olsen.
Initial services were held in member’s homes. By 1924, their numbers had grown and they rented the Knoch Hall for $2.50 a week. From there they moved to the Orpheum Theater and later to the OddFellows Hall.
Like so many religious institutions, they wanted a church of their own. On November 13, 1927, discussions were held to build a chapel. The site chosen was the northeast corner of Main and McDow Streets. On November 10, 1929, the church was dedicated by Heber J. Grant, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
Thirty years later the members had outgrown the church. They selected a new site on Richmond Road. On November 5, 1961, groundbreaking ceremonies were held for the $300,000 chapel.
During the early years of Standish religious services were held in Pringle Hall, By 1903, the Methodist wanted a church for Standish. Frankie Coffin remembers her mother, Mrs. Eva (Hartson) Cain and Mrs.H.R.T. Coffin went to house to house in that part of the valley to raise money for the church.By September 1903 enough subscriptions had been raised to build the church. It was constructed by James Pringle and John Hamilton and completed in the spring of 1904.
On June 12, 1904, dedication ceremonies were held for the new Methodist Church at Standish. A sermon was given by Rev. E.W. VanDeventer, Superintendent of the Nevada Mission. A fund raiser was held afterwards and raised enough to money pay all debts associated with the construction and extra $30 paid for chairs for the church. The Rev. C.G. Lucas was the first pastor, who was stationed at Janesville. He would do a circuit holding services at Standish, Milford and Doyle.
By the late 1920s, church membership declined and for a number of years no services were held. In 1938, saw revival and the Methodist Church at Standish was back in operation. How much longer it remained I do not know. Today, it is known as the Standish Bible Church.
In 1920 the Christian Scientists organized locally and held their meetings in the hall of the Knoch building. On August 26, 1931, they purchased property on the corner of Mill and Lassen Streets from Gladys Burroughs and Iva Raker. In the fall of 1937 they announced plans to build a church. The following spring, Enoch Strom began construction of the church. The first services were held in the new church on June 12, 1938. During the Thanksgiving Services of 1938 the building was dedicated. At the same the congregation was pleased to announce that is was debt free. Over the years saw a slow decline in attendance and in 1999, the local church disbanded.
Church of the Latter Day Saints, Westwood, June 14, 1943
On March 9, 1940 the Church of the Latter Day Saints held groundbreaking ceremonies on corner of Ash and Fifth Streets, in Westwood. This was the last house of worship to be constructed under Red River Lumber Company’s tenure at Westwood.
The church was designed Caldwell and Richards, Los Angeles architects. After World War I, the LDS Church began to implement standardized plans. This particular church was the first to use this particular layout. The $9,000 church was built by volunteer labor and completed in four months.
In 1986, its congregation had grown, wherein they bought property in nearby Clear Creek and built a new church. In 1991, their old our church was acquired by Our Lady of Snows Catholic Church which they converted into a parish hall. However, with their new Lake Almanor church, it will be just a matter of time when this is placed on the market, and only time will dictate its fate.
Daniel Dieter Family circa 1890. Left to Right, Barbara Dieter, George William Dieter, Ernest Dieter, Fred William Dieter, Ella Dieter (who married Floyd Hoffman), Luise Dieter (who married Charles Hollfelder), Daniel Martin Dier, Jr. and Daniel Martin Dieter, Sr.—-Carrie Golden
The Lutherans were slow to organize in the Honey Lake Valley. On August 29, 1896, Pastor J.H. Theiss held the first Lutheran service in. Janesville. Like many other religious denominations the minister would ride a circuit so services initially were sporadic. In 1904, the St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church was established at Janesville. Its initial charter members were Dan Dieter, Sr., William Hoffman, Fred Dieter, George Dieter and Dan Dieter Jr. On July 28, 1907, the Reverand F.G. Gundlach arrived to dedicate to their church located on the Standish-Buntingville Road (A-3) near Sears Road.
During the early years many of the sermons and hymns were in German. By the early 1920s services were also held in Susanville at Fruit Growers Story Club. By 1930, the Janesville church was abandoned, though in 1941 a church was built on the corner of Ash and First Streets in Susanville.
Red River Lumber Company’s town of Westwood was fairly well planned, but all the facilities built between 1912-14, a house of worship was not included. This was extremely odd when factoring in that T.B. Walker, founder of Red River was a devout member of the Methodist Church.
The spiritual needs, however, was not completely ignored. In October 1913, the Rev. Robert G. Green, a Methodist minister at Akeley, Minnesota, where Red River operated mill, was recruited to come to Westwood to oversee the social welfare of the community. Green found it to be challenge as to where to hold non-denominational services. Westwood’s first multi-purpose facility
was the Opera House, and it was there where Green delivered his Sunday sermons. One of the problems holding services in the Opera House was that Green had to compete with other parties who wanted to use the building, since it was the only facility dedicated to public gatherings. Green had been informed a church would be built after the Opera House was completed, but that did not happen.
By early 1917, the pressure was on for a church to be built. A committee had organized to solicit donations. They had plans for a building, not only for its seating capacity but that it should have a full basement to provide for a library, kitchen/dining rooms, and other rooms for sociable functions such as Y.M.C.A. meetings. After considerable debate it was determined that ideally the church should seat 600 churchgoers. Once the committee agreed to the building’s size, they were able to calculate the cost. They estimated a price tag of $8,700—with lumber the most expensive item at $4,000. The committee had secured $3,000 in pledges and pressure was placed on Red River on its “stingy” spending for its employees. Red River was also learning the hard way in a critical labor market, that to retain workers and their families concessions had to be made. Red River finally obliged.
In the summer of 1917 the church project moved forward with Red River donating the lumber and labor. The site selected was at 500 Cedar Street, which Rev. Green described as a rock pile strewn with empty beer and whiskey bottles. By November 1917 the new church was completed. Initially, it was a church with no name. Since it would serve the needs of variety denominations it was named The People’s Church. On Sunday May 19, 1918 dedication ceremonies were held with Dr. John Wilson, District Superintendent of the California-Nevada Methodist Conference officiating.
