The Little Brown Church facts for kids
The "Little Brown Church" is a famous old church located near Nashua, Iowa. It became well-known because of a popular song called "The Church in the Wildwood". The church building was finished in 1864.
Contents
How the Church Became Famous
The Song's Beginning
The song about the church was written by Dr. William S. Pitts in 1857. He got the idea after a coach ride that stopped in Bradford, Iowa. Dr. Pitts imagined a church in a valley near the town. However, the actual church building was not built until several years later.
Building the Church
When Dr. Pitts returned to the area in 1862, he found a church being built exactly where he had imagined it. Before this, the church members had met in different temporary places. Reverend J.K. Nutting led the effort to create a permanent home for the church.
A Song for the Dedication
During this time, Dr. Pitts was teaching singing at a nearby school called Bradford Academy. He taught his students to sing his new song. They sang it for the very first time at the church's dedication ceremony in 1864. Later, Dr. Pitts sold the rights to his song for a small amount of money.
The Church's Journey
The church closed in 1888 because of tough economic times in the town. But a group called the Society For the Preservation of the Little Brown Church was formed to save it. By 1914, church services started happening in the building again.
Soon after, the small church saw a big increase in visitors. This new interest also brought more attention to its song. The Weatherwax Quartet, a group of traveling singers, loved the song. They traveled across Canada and the United States in the 1920s and 1930s. "The Church in the Wildwood" became their special trademark song. They often talked about the little church during their travels.
A Popular Tourist Spot
As the song grew more popular, and with new roads being built in the 1920s, many people started visiting the reopened church. Since then, the church has become a very popular place for tourists. Thousands of visitors come every year to see it or to get married in the "little brown church in the vale." Today, the church is part of the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches.
