(The Marion Chapel was built in 1906 and closed in 1954. Hattie Stinger Tolman shares some of her memories of this building from her history.)
Every Saturday night after we had our bath and hair washed and everything was ready for the Sabbath Day, we would have family night and study our lessons for Sunday School. We would play games sometimes too if there was time. Our Marion chapel was red brick. In it was the chapel and four classrooms. The room on the left of the chapel was the Relief Society room, on the right was a big classroom, at the back of the chapel was a classroom that I believe was classified as the Scout room, then you went upstairs from there to another classroom. There was a pot bellied stove up front just below the stand. When we had a dance or party we moved the benches in the chapel back along the wall. I spent many a day in the Relief Society room with my mother because she was a counselor in the Relief Society for sixteen years. As a child I remember going there with her in the one-horse buggy. There was a rumble seat, as we called it, on the back. We thought it was so neat when we were old enough to ride in it. Whenever I gave a talk in Sunday School, it would scare me almost to death, but as you see, I did survive. On the left of the chapel below the stand was an organ that you pumped with your foot when you played it. Sister Mabey was our organist. She lived across the street from the church but she would come in late almost every Sunday. I guess this is one reason I hate to go late to anything. Mother and dad ingrained in us that it was always better to be a little early than late. In good weather we always walked to church about 2 miles, but we were always on time. (From the history of Hattie Tolman Stinger).
Hattie Tolman Stinger is the daughter of William Alvin Tolman and Hattie Naomi Tolman. She is married to Thomas Ross Stinger. Visit FamilySearch to learn more about these ancestors. Also visit the Thomas Tolman Family Organization to find out how you can get more involved in family history.
Related Stories