Published: May 22, 2009 01:28 am      

The Holliday Church of Christ bell has a new home at Hubbartt Cemetery

BEECHER CITY — Many years ago, Holliday was a typical small town. It had three churches, a school, two stores, a bakery, a tavern, several residences and a train track that allowed residents to travel back and forth to Beecher City and Cowden, each about the same distance away.

Today, there are only a cluster of residences and abundant memories for those who remember Holliday as the town where they grew up, went to school, attended church and gathered with their neighbors.

The last remnant of Holliday’s past, the Church of Christ along Illinois 128, was torn down recently. But a piece of the church still exists — the iron bell that sat for all those years in the bell tower and chimed out two different tones.

The bell recently got a new home at Hubbartt Cemetery in rural Beecher City where it is a reminder of days past and a regal icon at the entrance of the cemetery where many past Church of Christ members are buried.

Services have not been held in the church since late 2000. The congregation had dwindled to just a few and there was no longer anyone to run the church.

The one-room church served the area for at least 100 years, and some date it as far back as 1856. In later years, an entryway, which contained an indoor bathroom, was built onto the front of the church, although the outhouse that served the church for many years still stands on the grounds, as does the pavilion that was a gathering place for many church picnics.

But time took its toll, not only on the dwindling congregation, but on the church itself. When it was clear the property would eventually be sold after some hurdles were jumped, Lois Dunaway and her family had the foresight to save the bell that still hung in the bell tower.

In 2007, Lois Dunaway’s sons, Larry and Bob Dunaway, hired someone to take the bell down. It took a crane to remove the heavy cast-iron contraption from its home in the bell tower. Once down, the Dunaways hid it away until it could be decided what to do with it.

“The bell didn’t belong to me or anybody,” said Lois Dunaway, who asked the advice of several people about what should be done with the bell.

Pat Dunaway, Lois’ daughter, came up with the idea to place the bell at Hubbartt Cemetery in rural Beecher City. Many past members of the church are buried in Hubbartt, as are many people who had Holliday roots.

Lois Dunaway’s son Bob told Don Riley of Beecher City about wanting to place the bell at the cemetery, Riley said he knew people on the cemetery board who could help. He contacted Glen Kessler Jr. and the project gained momentum from there.

Kessler discussed it with the cemetery board which was enthusiastic about placing the bell, manufactured many years ago at Bell Manufacturing in Pennsylvania, at the cemetery.

Kessler then began making contacts to get everything done and became the driving force behind the project.

The years and weather, however, had taken their toll on the bell, which was covered in a thick coat of rust.

Once it was decided to place the bell at the cemetery, several people were more than willing to help.

John Hall of rural Cowden sanded and powder-coated the bell, Mike Dunaway donated the pipe, Reber Welding made the stand that would hold the bell, Advanced Powder Technology of Dieterich powder-coated the posts for the bell, Kyle Wilcox , owner of Metal Syndicate of Shelbyville, made the intricate iron sign.

Larry Syfert, George Kessler, Steve Kessler and Riley erected the bell, with the help of a backhoe.

Beecher City American Legion Post 535 erected a marker at the base of the bell and a flag pole. There are several veterans buried in the cemetery.

As for the church grounds, the new owner, Gordon Price, plans to make it into a park. He also plans to refurbish the outhouse and pavilion that still stand on the property.

The church not only served the Holliday community for more than a 100 years, it also was once the scene of national attention. The church was where the funeral was held for Fern Riley, the 22-year-old nurse who died with the 11 infants she was in charge of in the St. Anthony Hospital fire on April 4, 1949. A photograph of the inside of the church during Riley’s funeral appeared in Life magazine. The Riley family lived directly across the street from the church.

Today, the bell — which still rings loud and clear with two different tones — has a new life and is a reminder of a community that shared life and now share death. It is a piece of history that will likely intrigue younger generations and is a reminder to older generations of a simpler time.

Donna Riley-Gordon can be reached at 217-347-7151 ext. 129 or donna.riley-gordon@effnghamdailynews.com.