WEST BOONVILLE EVANGELICAL CHURCH

The history of this congregation dates from the early immigration if Evangelicals into central Missouri from Germany in the mid-1800’s. The old church records are written in classic German script and have not been translated at this time. The old tombstones are also inscribed in German. The use of English was not adopted until the 20^th century.

The West Boonville community was dependent upon ministers from Boonville until 1896. At that time it affiliated with St. John’s Church in Billingsville when St. John’s obtained its first full time Pastor, W.F. Herman. It is reported that Pastor Herman would come to West Boonville to conduct services on Sunday afternoons twice a month. Rev. Geraldine Grebe Bryant is the present minister. The Church building is 100 years old this year (1993), of white frame with dark green shutters on the gothic arched windows, and a bell tower with bell rung by pulling a heavy rope. The fish scale shingles and elongated capped arches are in the Eastlake style, a type seen in German builders’ catalogues of the time. The pinnacle at the top of the spire is a miniature of the "zwiebel" or onion domes seen in central Europe.

Heating is provided by a wood-burning "box-stove" #4 of the G.F. Filley Company of St. Louis. The top section was manufactured by the Henderson Company. It is a long fitted pipe shape open at each end to release the heat and warm the high ceilinged building. The light is provided by the original oil lamps now wired for electricity.

Down the road opposite the Church is an unusual seed barn built in 1912 by the Walther family. It is a large white frame structure with rows of high small windows and a tower.

Information provided by Dr. Louis Geiger and By Mrs. Allison Yeager of Central Missouri News.

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