Miracle of the Little Brown Church

Miracle of the Little Brown Church

There’s a church in the valley by the wildwood,
no lovelier spot in the dale.

These words to a sentimental and popular old hymn, The Church in the Wildwood, describe a spot where something of a miracle occurred about 150 years ago.

It seems that a young music teacher named William Pitts was traveling to visit his bride-to-be in 1857 when the stagecoach stopped briefly in a wooded glade where Pitts envisioned a little church being built. Returning home, he wrote a poem, Church in the Wildwood, which he later set to music.

When Pitts and his bride returned to the area to settle five years later, they found a little brown church had just been built in the same glade that inspired him to write the hymn years earlier. Pitts’ song was sung at the church’s dedication service.

Today, the Little Brown Church still stands along the Cedar River two miles east of Nashua, Iowa (pop. 1,618). It is testament to the power of faith, love, and marriage for the thousands of couples who have been wed there over the years.

“I’d always heard that if you get married at the Little Brown Church, it will last forever,” says Rodney Speicher of Garwin, Iowa, (pop. 565) who exchanged vows with his wife, Donna, in the church on Valentine’s Day in 1998.

Each year, 400 to 500 couples from around the country come to the church to be married in every kind of ceremony and attire imaginable—from denim and lace to leather and satin.

“There are people with small weddings and those with a bridal gown so elaborate it could be worn in the biggest cathedral,” says Juanita Goings, the church’s volunteer wedding coordinator for 18 years. “Some wear white tails and drive up in a stretch limousine.”

Large or small, the church’s 100-member congregation welcomes the weddings and takes great pride in maintaining its renowned church. In 1998, the bell tower was restored, and in 2000 the congregation raised money to renovate the church basement and install air conditioning.

The congregation also hosts an annual gathering the first Sunday of every August for couples married in the Little Brown Church. The 50th reunion is this year.

Henry and Edna Taylor of Winterset, Iowa, (pop. 4,768) who were married in the church on Oct. 1, 1938, plan to be there. Henry recollects his marriage proposal with fondness.

“I said to her on a Wednesday night, ‘Why don’t we get married?’” he recalls.

Edna agreed, but only if the wedding was at the Little Brown Church. “We were here on Saturday,” Henry chuckles. “We didn’t even have a marriage license.”

Back then, the Taylors paid $10 for their nuptials and the church supplied the witnesses. Nowadays, couples can get hitched for $120 to $240, depending on number of guests, or renew their vows for $60 on a weekday or $120 on Saturdays. An organist and soloist cost $50 extra.

At the end of each ceremony, the bridal couple is invited to ring the church bell together, a symbol that they will pull together throughout their married life.

Services are performed by Linda Myren, pastor of the Congregational church since 1994.

“We love to have visitors,” Myren says. “They stop for all kinds of reasons; maybe their great-grandma got married here, or they grew up singing the song.”

Or, maybe they stop by for Sunday morning services, where usually the last song sung is The Church in the Wildwood.

Billie Shelton is a freelance writer in Stanhope, Iowa.

Upload Your Own Stories, Photos and Videos

Every week, American Profile magazine brings you stories that celebrate the people and places that make America great. Now we want to hear your stories and see your photos, videos and even audio.

 Start Uploading Now!

 

Discuss this Article