Kingsley Chapel: A Church of 100 Years’ Contrast
By Melinda Hamilton
31 Oct. 1971, no newspaper listed
Kingsley Chapel United Methodist Church, marking the centennial of its founding today, has borne its 100 years well.
The church, which stands quietly in Proctorville near Ohio [Route] 7, is a solid-looking brick building. In it are many contrasts between old and new.
However, the sanctuary floor and new pews were covered recently with deep blue matching fabric. The remodeling, completed for the centennial, included the installation of new wood paneling for a contemporary cross with shadow lights just behind the altar.
The church’s oldest members are Mr. and Virgil Smith, 89 and 85, respectively. Like the church itself, they, too, have borne time well.
Mrs. Smith, the grandmother of Salmon Reckard, one of the church’s founders, served as the organist for more than 40 years.
When I first began playing for church services, I was just a little girl, Mrs. Smith said. “It used to scare me so then. I guess I didn’t play very well.”
Mr. and Mrs. Smith remember days when the Kingsley Chapel in Proctorville Ohio was the center of activity for Proctorville. “Chautauqua services, “a series of lectures and entertainment programs, and High School graduation was held in the church. For many years all area funerals took place there, too, since a funeral home had not yet been established.
The Smiths remember the 1913 and 1937 floods that washed through the church, leaving congregation members to do major cleanup and repair work. Yet their task was small compared to the original job of building the church.
Truly a community project, the church was constructed of brick at a kiln on Paddy Creek, just east of Proctorville. The lumber was cut and sawed on neighboring farms. Stone was cut from the hills near Proctorville.
The first minister to serve Kingsley Chapel in Proctorville, Ohio, in 1871 was the Rev. W. N. Middleton. Through the years, the church grew with the community. In 1942 it was enlarged to include a wing for Sunday School rooms.
Today’s celebration is scheduled to begin with an anniversary service at 10 a.m., a son fest at 2:30 p.m., and a revival service at 7:30 p.m.
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