There was a time when Jacksonville, Ore., was one of the rowdiest towns in the Rogue Valley. With all the money flowing in from the gold rush, guns and liquor were always close at hand.
None of this intimidated Emily Overbeck and Emily Royal, wife of the Rev. Fletcher Royal.
Recently arrived from the East, the women saw a need for a Methodist Church. Pioneer daughter Alice Hanley relates in her memoirs how women raised seed money for construction by convincing miners at a local gambling parlor to place one night’s winnings into a hat. Church sources say it was Rev. Royal who passed the hat and the two women solicited donations at area gold camps. Construction was completed in 1854.
Hanley says the mixed congregation left the little Methodist Church years later to join the Presbyterians in their new church. She says at the first wedding in the new church, a German-born musician sat down at the Melodeon organ to play the wedding march and continued playing for 45 minutes, despite the minister and groom ardently asking him to stop.
The original Methodist Church building still stands as the home today of St. Andrew’s Anglican Church.
Sources: Hanley, Alice. "Reminiscences of Early Days in Oregon." Southern Oregon Digital Archives. Southern Oregon University, n.d. SODA. Web. 22 Jan. 2015; Habliston, Paul. "A History of St. Andrew's Traditional Episcopal Church." St. Andrew's. St. Andrew's Anglican Church, n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2015.
