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Quincy Pioneer Church brings history to life, one prayer at a time
Quincy’s historic 1904 Pioneer Church is thriving again, hosting Lutheran services and community events after being restored and moved to a new home in 2007.
By Sebastian Moraga | For FāVS News
QUINCY, Wash. — In a way, it’s a homecoming.
On the grounds of the Quincy Valley Historical Society and Museum sits the Pioneer Church, built in 1904, and a favorite sight of tourists and locals alike.
Every month, from April to October, on the third week, Quincy’s Saint Paul Lutheran Church holds its Sunday service inside the church, which in its earliest days belonged to that congregation.
“It was the very first church that was built in the town of Quincy by any denomination,” said Harriet Weber, director of operations of the Quincy Valley Historical Society and Museum. “And that’s where all the German and Russian immigrants worshipped, (including) my husband’s grandparents. It has a special meaning (tied) to the roots of this town and to the faith of the people who settled here.”
In 1907, the Lutheran church was chartered, and they took charge of the building.
The Evangelical Reformed, which had until then shared the place, built an identical church a few blocks away. That church is gone, but its pump organ is now inside the Pioneer Church.
And the pump organ is not the only thing that remains from long ago.
“My grandfather, Johann Schulz was a charter member of this church,” said Janeil Kikuchi, after the July service. “He helped build this building.”
Her father was a member, and Kikuchi was baptized there, when it stood near present-day’s City Hall.
When water came to the Quincy Valley in the early 1950s, the congregation grew, then outgrew the building, and moved.
The lean years, and a rebirth
The church changed hands a couple of times. Then it sat empty.
“That building was derelict,” Weber said. “There were birds living inside before we moved it to where it is now.”
Then, in 2007 the Lutheran church sought a meaningful way to celebrate a double birthday: 100 years of the church and of the city. Back then, longtime member Kay Baumgartner served in a committee that came up with the idea: buying, then gifting the old church to the community.
Kikuchi consulted with her uncle, Quincy’s then-mayor Dick Zimbelman, and wheels began turning. On a Sunday, they brainstormed. On a Tuesday, the city council met, and by Wednesday, word was out: The old church would have a new home.
The quickness stunned Baumgartner. “We were just tossing out ideas.”
The Lutheran church raised the money for the purchase, buying the building from a onetime member of its flock. The community helped raise funds for the restoration.
Everybody chipped in. A moving company in Wenatchee relocated the building. Grant County Public Utility District raised power lines so the church could sneak under, and the move was on.
“It was like a parade,” Weber said of moving day in 2007.
People lined up on both sides of the street to watch the church go by, something Weber said she will never forget.
Fred Schulz, Johann’s son and Kikuchi’s uncle, rang the bell during the dedication with tears in his eyes, Baumgartner remembered.
They even had a party afterwards, with 150 guests.
A new era, steeped in history
Nowadays, attendance at the monthly services is smaller than at that party, topping out at about 40 people, but the acoustics of the building’s barrel vault ceiling remain a draw.
“I like going to church, but this raises it up,” Baumgartner said. “It feels a little magical.”
Pastor Laura Olsen, who serves at both Lutheran congregations in Quincy (Saint Paul) and nearby Ephrata (Holy Trinity), takes full advantage of the strong sound.
“As you can see, I’m wearing no mic,” said Olsen, who added that it’s unusual for a congregation of older folks to not need help hearing the speaker out front, the piano or the organ.
“It’s lively enough that I don’t have to shout or anything,” she said. In fact, for folks who don’t like noise, it can be a hard place to worship in, she added.
Ruth Knebel, a member of the Lutheran congregation says there are other benefits to coming to the Pioneer Church besides sound.
“I can easily go up this ramp, and I don’t have to go up the steps, crawling on my hands and knees,” she joked.
In addition to the monthly services, Saint Paul Lutheran Church started celebrating a Christmas Eve service at the Pioneer Church two years ago with the members of Quincy’s First Presbyterian Church.
Thanks to the candles decorating an artificial tree and the early sunsets of late December, the faithful get treated to the sight of a 122-year-old church bathed in colors, both inside and outside.
“It’s wonderful,” Olsen said. “Very dramatic.” Still, fire is fire and wood is wood, so there are always fire extinguishers nearby. When they used a real tree, they used to fireproof it first.
Both the church and its bathrooms are fully HVAC-equipped. It’s a good thing, because Presbyterians and Lutherans are not the only group that visits.
“The church gets used all the time,” Weber said. “Weddings, funerals, concerts. We even have the third-graders’ field-trip (to the museum) which always starts inside that church.”
Sometimes faithful from Holy Trinity participate in the monthly service.
Other times, the church hosts baptisms, but with rules.
A sprinkle of water on the head is OK. A dunk in a water tank is not. Wood is wood, water is water.
Weber said she’s not worried. For years, many members of the Lutheran church were also members of the historical society.
“They care for the building as much as we do,” Weber says.
Still, all folks wanting to use the building have to sign a contract, and museum personnel show up at every event.
Still, a little paperwork is worth it to ensure the building keeps thriving.
At 122 years old, the church is a place of worship that “makes you feel more worshipful,” Baumgartner said. “And the singing makes you feel like you’re a choir.”
Weber echoed the sentiment.
“It brings me great joy,” Weber said. “The building is alive again.”
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