Moreau Christian Church (By 1875

Moreau Christian Church (By 1875 - By 1915)

Approx. 3-4 miles south of California near the Moreau Creek

From Ford's 1936 History of Moniteau County, Missouri:

Two other churches were once in this immediate vicinity. The Moreau Christian church stood south of the Moreau near the present highway, and the Fairview Methodist church at the crossroads at Norman school house.

From the November 2, 1893 California Democrat:

To Dedicate a Church

The new Christian church near the Moreau bridge will be dedicated Sunday, November 12th. Eld. Edmund Wilkes will preach the dedicatory sermon, and it is possible his venerable father, Elder L. B. Wilkes, will also be present and speak. There will be an all-day's meeting with dinner on the grounds, and everybody is invited to attend with well filled baskets.

Part of an article from the November 3, 2010 California Democrat:

The old church building at the Sappington Community Chapel cemetery on Route F east of Highway 87 has been torn down.

For many years, area residents apparently gathered for all day services on the fourth Sunday of August each year across the road from the cemetery. According to the memories of one person recounted in a letter, "We had a very nice grove of trees for shade and boards to sit on."

The land for the cemetery and chapel was donated by John W. Sappington about 1875, according to Don Osborn, a Sappington descendant. A "Friends" organization was formed to look after the cemetery about 1898.

According to the minutes, in 1900 the meeting ended early with the notation, "Threat of heavy rain dispersed the crowd." Weather conditions for other years were noted in the minutes by comments such as "Weather was fine" and "Weather fair."

In 1915, the weather problem was taken care of by the moving of the Moreau Church building, said by Osborn to have been a Christian Church. It was moved to the land next to the cemetery from its previous location across the road [Hwy 87] from the Friendship Baptist Church at the top of the hill south of the Moreau.

The above is the only information found on these Historical Churches. If anyone has information on this church, please contact Alan Sparks.

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