Payette County ID Archives History .....History Of Payette Baptist Church December 8, 1930
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Patty Theurer seymour784@yahoo.com September 24, 2005, 8:20 pm

Book Title: 

HISTORY OF PAYETTE BAPTIST CHURCH
December 8, 1930

Taken from the record book kept by the church since 1887, and incidents 
recounted by Mr. and Mrs. Frank Hurd, who are pioneer residents of Payette.

In the year of 1887, Mr. T. H. Lydston, a former Baptist Pastor, called 
together a group of other residents whom he knew to be interested in founding a 
Baptist Church in Payette.  There were about seven people interested enough to 
attend this meeting.  (At this time there was only one other church in Payette, 
the Presbyterian.)

An unused school house which was located at the corner of eighth street and 
second ave. south, was decided a suitable place for services to be held until 
another Church building could be provided.  The property under discussion 
belonged to Mr. W. M. Masters, but Mr. John Tharp bought it from him, and he in 
turn sold it to the Baptist Church association.  

By the help of Rev. S. W. Applegate, Deacon J. S. Miller, Mr. S. C. D. Miller, 
Mrs. H. Bivens, D. S. Miller, Annie Applegate, John Berns and Marthey J. 
Miller, plans culminated into a definite organization June 4, 1887.  These 
eight names were the only ones on the church roll that year. 

Rev. T. H. Lydston was to be the Pastor, and it was agreed that the sum of one 
hundred twenty five dollars a year be paid him.  He was to hold services twice 
monthly.  

Mrs. John Tharp rented her organ to the Church, and bibles and hymnals were 
secured for which the Church paid later.  The financial standing of the church, 
by 1891, was such that the hymnals and bibles were paid for, and plans made to 
buy the organ from Mrs. Tharp. Mrs. Tharp died, however, before the organ was 
purchased, so it was returned to the family and an organ was bought from Mrs. 
F. E. S. Miller.  

In the fall of 1893, the trustees of the Church hired a janitor, and also had 
the church renovated. Rev. T. S. Dulin became pastor in June of 1900.

From a church letter presented at the twenty-third annual meeting of the first 
Baptist association in Boise September 25, 1902, we learn the progress and 
development of the church.  It says: “At the beginning of the past year it was 
decided to employ our pastor for full time so that our pastor preaches for us 
every Sunday morning, and evening and at a Pleasant View school on every second 
and fourth Sunday afternoon.

“The congregations have been good; ladies Aid Society has been organized; 
offerings have been made to various Missionary enterprises.  

“It is the belief of our pastor that the working force of our church is a 
concentrated and devoted little band.  An extra lot has been purchases and 
money pledged to buy enough brick for a new building.”

With the church organization making such strides toward their goal, the fire, 
which burned the church to the ground, in February 1903, was quite a 
discouraging blow.  Now the vacant room above Lamb’s store was rented for 
services.  But due to the crudeness of the place many of the congregation 
failed to keep up their attendance.  Consequently it was with some difficulty 
that the always faithful few carried on, working harder than ever for their new 
building.  By September 1903 they had most of the building materials for 
enclosing the basement that had already been constructed.  The next year, 
enough money was borrowed to finish the Church.  
The membership was now about eighty resident and eleven non-resident members.  

December 1905, the beloved Rev. Dulin handed in his resignation.  The members 
felt real sorrow at this because Rev. Dulin had worked so faithfully during the 
most depressing time in the Church’s history.  Rev. A. F. White was chosen to 
fill the vacancy.  

At the present time there are about 230 members of the church. A new and very 
modern parsonage was built in 1928, and the Church standing is very high.  


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