(illustration courtesy James Baird)
The Reformed Presbyterian Church in Vernon Township, Wisconsin began its history on June 24, 1847 as The Reform Presbyterian Society of Waukesha, meeting at the home of a Mr. McLeod. A few months later they met again, organizing under the auspices of the Reformed Presbyterian Synod of Pittsburgh.
A congregation was formed and met regularly at the home of one of the members, usually that of James Wright. Elders were elected, and rotated leadership from meeting to meeting. Membership in the congregation was tightly regulated; in some cases prospects had to submit themselves to the congregation for examination.
On September 10, 1850, the Elders approved appropriating $200 from the school fund towards the construction of a church building. Construction was completed in the summer of 1854. The church was built adjacent to an existing cemetery, which recorded its first interment in 1845. Now listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, the building is considered an “excellent example of Greek Revival architecture.”
At the same time, another group of settlers were organizing another Presbyterian congregation, under what would become the United Presbyterian Church of American and later Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) This congregation built their church adjoining the location of the Reformed church in 1859. That congregation is still active today.
The Reformed Church congregation practiced a strict form of Presbyterianism, descended from The Covenanters. In 1840 the Covenanters in America split into two factions: one that allowed for the institution of secular government and a conservative faction that held to the old Covenanter belief that only a government that was constituted by the principles of Christ was valid. Vernon Reformed followed the old school faction.
The use of musical instruments in services was banned and singing of the hymns was central. The Covenanters were notorious tee-totalers, although contemporary reports noted that whiskey was not unknown amongst the congregation. They were also fierce abolitionists, ejecting slave-holders from their congregations. They did, however, allow dancing.
Trials were a common feature of the church. John Baird, a member of the congregation in the 1880s, was expelled for the sin of voting, for the Prohibition Party. It is rumored that one particular trial late in the congregation’s history split the members, some of whom left over the affair.
Whatever the cause, the congregation began to dwindle around the turn of the century. Somewhere around 1915, the congregation was without a regular preacher, turning afterwards to traveling clerics.
According to the congregational minutes, services at the church were intermittent throughout the 1920s and poorly attended, since the collections often failed to cover the fees paid to the preachers. In 1930, a service led by one Reverend Elsie collected $6.95. The reverend’s fee was $40.00. That was likely the last service conducted by the original congregation since there are no further records of payments to preachers.
In 1938, the elders returned $90.00 to the heirs of James McKenzie. The sum was donated to the church in 1919 by Mr. McKenzie’s estate to be used to generate interest income. The gift came with the condition that it be returned “In case such church should cease to exist.” In 1941, it was official; the elders voted: “That the present church building, as erected by our forefathers, be retained and repaired, that the church building may be of further use to these and others of the future.” Starting in 1945, the church, cemetery and lands were preserved and operated by the trustees of the Vernon Reformed Presbyterian Church and Cemetery Association, who maintain them to this day. An annual church service has been conducted to honor the legacy of the congregation, beginning in 1971.