As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, I thought it might be of interest to look back over notes found in Maple Hill News Items to see how Christmas might have been celebrated in the past.

The first public celebrations were those held at church. The Eliot Congregational Church was founded in June 1875 and services were held in the Maple Hill School House, which still stands on the southwest corner of the Adams Ranch Headquarters. The district was later given the name District 39 School. Its hard to imagine how 100 people could have gathered there for services, but the following was taken from the June 9,1875 Maple Hill News Items.

June 9, 1875 A Congregational Church was organized at Maple Hill, Thursday last, with a membership of 14. A full council was present representing the churches at Manhattan, Louisville, Wabaunsee, St. Marys, Alma, Dover, Topeka, North Topeka, and Quindaro. Rev. L. Blakesly preached the introductory sermon. Rev. R. D. Parker gave the right hand of fellowship and Rev. S. D. Storrs the charge of the church. There was a large attendance at the organization. It will be known as the Eliot Congregational Church. It is temporarily supplied by a student from Yale University. The Sunday School numbers 100. [Note: The Eliot Union Congregation Church was located in Newton, Massachusetts. Several of the charter members of the Maple Hill church were members of the Eliot Union Congregational Church in Newton.] Wouldn’t it be interested to drop in on the Christmas programs held in that little school house. Within less than 10 years, the congregation had grown and was financially able to construct a new stone church on a gentle slope overlooking the Mill Creek Valley. The church was beautifully furnished and appointed with gifts from members of the congregation as well as gifts from the Eliot Congregational Church in Newton, Massachusetts. Its easy to imagine a large native cedar tree at the front of the church decorated with real candles, paper chains, popcorn chains and probably little paper bags of candy for the children.

This article appeared in Maple Hill News Items: ” December 30, 1885 Christmas Eve in Maple Hill was spent at the Eliot Church by decorating a fine Christmas tree. Over 300 presents for the children were counted on the tree.” In those days, the trees were decorated with little gifts and presents, not so much foil ice icicles, glass ornaments and other fancy decorations.

Services were held there until 1905, when a church was dedicated just in time for Christmas services to be held. The stone church was then used for funerals, weddings and Memorial Day Services.

The new church was the former Maple Hill Grade School, which had been built to suppliment the old District #39 School as the town grew. The school house had been built and dedicated just in time for classes to begin in 1887, the year the town was founded. It was used until George Fowler, instrumental in founding the town, gave the community a wonderful Christmas present, four lots and $5,000 towards the building of a new two-story school on the west side of Maple Hill. Scot pioneer Tom Oliver, who built many of Maple Hill’s first houses as well as horse-drawn wagons and carriages, was contracted to remodel the old school into the new Eliot Congregational Church of Maple Hill.

Sometimes, there were tragedies. The following article appeared in the Maple Hill News Items: “December 26, 1919 Don McClelland burned himself badly at the Christmas Program in Maple Hill. He was playing Santa Claus and his cotton heard caught fire.” My Grandmother Clark was present when this awful accident occurred. She remembered that Don was passing the Christmas Tree and candles caught his cotton beard on fire. Don recovered from his burns, graduated from college, and ultimately became the principal of Maple Hill Grade School for many years, but was horribly scarred.

I have only one photograph of a 1900s Christmas program at the church. The photograph belonged to Mrs. Blanche (Lett) Richter, who was for many years superintendent of the Maple Hill Congregational Sunday School. The picture was taken in 1934 and unfortunately, I’m able to identify only those members of my own family that are in the photograph. I hope that if there are those who recognize their relatives in the photos, they will please let me know. My mother, Lucille (Corbin) Clark, is standing in the last row, at the far right, with a hair ribbon hanging over her forehead. She was teaching Sunday School at that time.

There were also school programs at both the Maple Hill Grade School and the Maple Hill High School, and a community program at the Maple Hill American Legion Hall. The Legion Hall was finished in 1922 and the first program was announced in Maple Hill News Items: “December 8 The first Christmas Program was held in the Legion Hall on December 22. The American Legion Auxiliary decorated the tree and many young people from the community participated in the talent show. Santa Clause delivered treats which made many little boys and girls very happy.”

I have so many happy memories of participating in all of the programs between 1950 and 1978, I wouldn’t know where to begin. Christmas was a happy, busy time in Maple Hill. It would be a lot of fun for you to post your memories of Christmas in Maple Hill. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas.

Photo One – An early 1900s photograph of District #39 School, where the Eliot Congregational Church was founded.

Photo Two – A hand colored post card of the Eliot Congregational Church (The Old Stone Church) from 1910.

Photo Three – The interior of the Old Stone Church, as it was restored after being destroyed by a tornado in 1991.

Photo Four – The first Maple Hill Grade School built in 1887.

Photo Five – The second Maple Hill Grade School built in 1904.

Photo Six – The Maple Hill High School built in 1923, just north of the two-story frame Maple Hill Grade School

Photo Seven – A photo of the Maple Hill Congregational Church, remodeled from the former Maple Hill Grade School, and dedicated in 1905. The photo is from 1910.

Photo Eight – A program of the 1934 Christmas Program at the Maple Hill Congregational Church. The photo belonged to Mrs. Blanche Richter and was used in the Centennial History of the church.

Photo Nine – A photograph taken of the west side of Main Street, Maple Hill, Kansas showing the two-story brick American Legion Hall constructed in 1921-1922. The building collapsed during an ice storm.