1858 SPRING LAKE REFORMED PROTESTANT DUTCH CHURCH PULPIT.

In 1857 the trustees of the Spring Lake Reformed Church directed that a pulpit be built as soon as Joseph Snydum could be provided the lumber.  Snydum constructed the pulpit sometime in early 1858. The pulpit was used in the new church building which had been built in 1856. 

The congregation of the “Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of Spring Lake” was officially organized on May 28^th, 1854 in a School House in the settlement of Spring Lake.  “Spring Lake” the settlement was located on the bluffs at the end of what is now “County Line Road” in a large grove of trees that was called the “Long Pine Timber.”  Various references in local history refer to occasional services being held in the “Long Pine School”, the “Log School House” or various forms of the phrase “school house.”  It is probable that the references are all talking about the same school which was likely located west of the eventual site of the village.  In 1858 a school house was built in the village of Manito which was just becoming an established village.  Church records state that the trustees of the church were sent to the trustees of the Log School to ask to borrow the stove from the school in 1858. Furthermore church records show that in 1860 the church sponsored Sunday Schools at both the Log School House and in “The town district.”  Although references state that the Manito School was built in 1858 because the Log School was destroyed by fire these records prove the Log School House was still a usable structure in 1860.  On the other hand if the stove could potentially  be “borrowed” from the building during the school year, The Log School must have at least had been left vacant for a while at about the same time the Manito School was built.  If the reference to having a Sunday School in the “town district” refers to Manito the likely location of the meetings were at what is presently referred to as “Manito’s Old School.”

Manito’s Old School was also known to have been the site of some of the earliest church meetings in Manito’s Village Limits, most often by the Methodist church.  In fact when the Methodist built their first church building it was literally next door to the Old School.

The original Spring Lake Reformed Church pulpit was removed from storage and restored in 2004 for the celebration of the 150^th anniversary of the Spring Lake Church.  The Church has agreed to indefinitely loan the pulpit to the Manito Historical Society as both a way to continue displaying a treasured object and to enhance the complete history of Manito’s Old School building.

Although the pulpit is in great condition, it is obvious from the tool marks on the wood and the type of nails that were used that it was entirely hand made many many years ago.

The padded top to the pulpit is removable and when taken off reveals a square opening in the top of the pulpit.  Since the Reformed Church practiced infant baptisms,  putting a pan in the opening allowed the pulpit to double as a “Baptismal Font.”  The padded top would be removed from the pulpit, the baby being baptized would be held over the pan in the opening so the water poured over the baby’s head during baptism would be captured in the pan. 

To show how far back history can reach and that something ordinary like a little Illinois church’s pulpit often has a unique history is the following story.  In 2004 Spring Lake Missionary Church obtained a copy of a letter written by our first pastor Samuel Bumstead which was in the archives of Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson.   Bumstead, the first pastor to serve the Spring Lake church and stand behind the pulpit full time  was born in 1799 and came to Spring Lake from Philadelphia at the age of 55 to help establish a new church on the prairie.  When Samuel was 22 he was riding his horse to his aunt’s home in Virginia and needed directions to get to her house.  Rev. Bumstead made up his mind that he would ask directions of the first person he saw on the road. He unexpectedly saw a man on a horse galloping at a high rate of speed toward him.  The rider was stately looking, yet plainly dressed and had an open woman’s parasol stuck down the back of his coat using the parasol to shade his face.  Samuel recognized that the odd apparition approaching him was none other than Thomas Jefferson.  No acquaintances of Jefferson’s ever remembered him wearing a hat in the summer, but since he was fair skinned it wasn’t unusual for him to use a ladies parasol to shade his face against the summer’s sun.  As Jefferson passed the star struck Pastor, he politely nodded and rode on.  Samuel was so stunned he just sat on his horse and watched one of the most famous Americans in history ride away, completely forgetting that he was lost and wanted to ask for directions. 

Granted it was an unusual meeting, but consider this.

Behind this 162 year old pulpit once stood a man who actually came face to face with Thomas Jefferson!