Wheelock Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Wheelock Church
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 Location in Oklahoma
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Millerton, Oklahoma |
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| Area | 5 acres (2.0 ha) |
| Built | 1846 |
| NRHP reference No. | 72001464 |
| Added to NRHP | November 9, 1972 |
Wheelock Church (also known as Wheelock Mission Church) is a very old church building. You can find it in Millerton, which is in McCurtain County, Oklahoma. This stone church was built a long time ago, between 1845 and 1846. It is the oldest church building still standing in Oklahoma. It also has the oldest church group in the Choctaw Nation. Because it's so important, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
Contents
The Church's Early Days
The church group started way back in 1832. Before the stone church was built, people met outside. They gathered under a big oak tree for services. The people sat on logs placed in rows. Reverend Alfred Wright, a missionary, used an upside-down barrel as his pulpit. He gave his first sermon there on December 9, 1832.
Alfred Wright was a doctor and a missionary. He worked with the Choctaw Native Americans. He translated many books into the Choctaw language. This included parts of the New Testament. He is buried in the cemetery across the road from the church.
In 1832, Reverend Wright also built a small log cabin church. He built a bigger log house for his family. He added a large room to this house. His wife, Harriet Bunce Wright, and a teacher named Anna Burnham taught local Choctaw children there. This was like a day school. It continued until 1839. Later, this school became the nearby Wheelock Academy. This was a boarding school for girls. The Choctaw Council approved it in 1842.
Building the Stone Church
The new stone church building was started in 1845. It was finished in 1846. People called it the "Stone Church." Many people helped build it. They were volunteers, mostly Choctaw people. Donations helped pay for the building. The walls are very thick, about 20 inches (0.51 m) (or 50 cm) thick. The main floor and balcony have a curved ceiling.
The church is about 40 by 50 feet (12 m × 15 m) (about 12 by 15 meters) in size. Its tall steeple reaches 35 feet (11 m) (about 10.6 meters) high. Reverend Wright had a favorite saying, “Jehovah Jireh.” This means “the Lord will provide.” It was carved into the front of the church. You can still read it today! In 1866, a fire damaged the church. The roof was not fixed until 1884.
The Wright Family's Story
Reverend Wright was often away from the church. He was the only person in the area trained in medicine. He would ride out to help anyone who was sick. But this made his own health worse. He had pain in his joints and heart problems. He passed away on March 31, 1853. As he wished, he was buried in the Wheelock cemetery.
Harriet, his wife, tried to keep the mission and school going. But her own health started to fail about a year after Alfred died. She had to leave the area. She went back east to live with her family. She passed away in Madison, Florida, on October 3, 1863. She was buried there.
New Leaders and Changes
The American Board of Missionaries sent Reverend John Edwards to take over from Reverend Wright. John Libby came as his helper. In 1861, the Choctaw Nation joined the Confederate States of America. This was during the American Civil War. So, the mission board told Edwards to leave and go back North.
Edwards traveled to San Francisco, California, in 1861. He taught there for two years. Then he moved to Oakland, California. He worked as a minister for different churches for 20 years. In 1882, he came back to work with the Choctaw people. First, he was in Atoka, then he returned to Wheelock. He reopened the academy in 1884. He was in charge of the school until 1895. Then the Choctaw Nation took over the school. In 1896, he went back to San Jose, California. He stayed there until he passed away on December 18, 1903.
The Church's Final Years
Reverend Evan B. Evans came to Wheelock for one year in 1897. By then, there were only 60 members. Most of them were students at the school. They lived far from Wheelock. The students were not at church for much of the year. So, church services stopped at Wheelock at the end of that year.
