By Rev. Bill Randall
“Dull damp weather.”
That’s the up-to-date weather report from October 4, 189. The three men building what was to be the St. James Presbyterian Church in Harvey, were probably having a coffee break when one of them picked up a triangular piece of pine board left over from making the steeple. “How old are you Bill?” Thom asked.
“Forty-five Tom.” “Well” says Jim, “I got ya beat, I’m just a half century old.” “Tom says, “Bill, I guess you’re the baby. How old be ye Tom” “Well sir,” says Tom, “I was born the fourth of November 1856, so that makes me thirty-seven. Ye knows lets write that down and stick it way up here in the steeple – some day it might be a memorial.”
That what I think they said “onyway.”
Maynard Stewart, a retired school teacher must be psychic, because he had a hunch there might be something like that in the old steeple, so after the Baptists bought the church and were reducing and renovating the steeple, Maynard took a look. Sure enough he found the board. The Baptist people plan to display it in the church and Lloyd Embleton is building a display case for it. Lloyd is a direct descendent of Bill. Hazen Patterson of Tweedside at age 95 is the son of Jim Patterson.
Sometime take a look at these memorials from the past.
Dr. Bill Randall
Source: Rev. Bill Randall’s “From The Scrapbook“